Pittsburgh Steelers president and owner Art Rooney II expressed his disappointment Wednesday that training camp will not be held this year at Saint Vincent in Unity.
The NFL informed teams Tuesday that training camps must be conducted at team practice facilities, which meant a change of plans for the 10 teams that took players to remote locations, including the Steelers.
The change was made out of concern for the coronavirus pandemic. The Steelers will conduct training camp this year at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side, where they train during the regular season.
“We are disappointed for our fans and the city of Latrobe that we will not be able to hold our annual training camp at Saint Vincent College in 2020,” Rooney said in a statement, “but we are adhering to the policies and guidelines set forth from the NFL for teams that travel from their facilities each year. We look forward to returning to training camp at Saint Vincent College in 2021.”
The Steelers have conducted training camp at Saint Vincent every summer since 1966. Their 54-year affiliation with the college campus is the second-longest in the NFL, exceeded only by the Green Bay Packers’ 60-year association with St. Norbert (Wisc.) College.
By remaining at the team facility this summer, the Steelers will conduct camp inside Pittsburgh’s city limits for the first time since 1937. The Steelers have three outdoor practice fields and one indoor facility at the complex they share with the Pitt football program.
The NFL hasn’t announced the date training camp will start, but the Steelers likely will get a head start on other teams because they are scheduled to play the Dallas Cowboys in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 6 in Canton, Ohio.
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