'Wildly successful:' Saint Vincent College continues happy partnership with Steelers
LATROBE (KDKA) - A lot of Pittsburghers and fans from both near and far have Steelers training camp circled on their calendars each year.
Thousands make the pilgrimage to this hallowed holy ground each year and it's safe to say, that nobody enjoys having the Steelers around more than the college itself.
The Steelers began using Saint Vincent College in Latrobe as its training camp home in 1966 and the reason is twofold; One, they wanted to be closer to home than their previous training camp location - the University of Rhode Island.
Secondly, Arthur Rooney Jr. was a Saint Vincent alumnus.
"Author Rooney Jr. at the time was a scout and he's also an alum of Saint Vincent," said Dr. Jeff Mallory. "From what we have learned, we think that it was a personal mission and an aim at the time to make that connection and we can say he was wildly successful."
What would follow from that two-week stay in Latrobe in 1966 has become years of tradition that has now spanned generations.
Thousands from all around the world come to Saint Vincent each year to cheer on their black and gold heroes.
Father Paul Taylor is not only the President of Saint Vincent College, but he's the Steelers' chaplain.
He said there is a strong bond between the team and the school and one that gets stronger each year.
"One of the best things that happens at training camp is that our students have the opportunity to come to school early to intern with the Steelers, to work with us, to prepare for the fans, to work with us, and to experience something that students at other schools might not be able to experience," Father Taylor said.
He also said that students, professors, and monks alike at Saint Vincent pray for the Steelers, though he said they don't pray for wins because God already knows that the fans want victories.
Father Paul said instead they pray for the team's overall success.
"We pray for the players, and the coaches and all of the organization," he said. "We pray for freedom from injury, for health, for our fans. That's what we pray for… It's going to be a great season, but no prophecies."
Steelers open training camp this afternoon - with the first open practice being scheduled for 1:55 p.m. and you can find a full rundown of training camp events on the team website.
