Steelers report to training camp July 26; 1st of 16 open practices begin next day

Back at Saint Vincent for a 56th training camp, the Pittsburgh Steelers will report to the Unity Township campus July 26.

The first of 16 practices open to the public will be held the following day, per the camp schedule released by the team Thursday.

Among a dwindling number of teams that still go away for camp, the Steelers are at Saint Vincent for a second consecutive year after a two-year hiatus out of concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Steelers first held camp at Saint Vincent in 1966.

Reporting day for players comes 16 days before the Steelers’ preseason opener, Aug. 11 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Steelers’ final camp practice open to the public will be two days before their Aug. 19 preseason home opener. That Aug. 17 workout, at 10:30 a.m., is the only open practice at Saint Vincent that will not begin at 1:55 p.m.

The annual “Friday Night Lights” practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. Aug. 4. Typically one of the most anticipated days of the year in Latrobe, that practice hasn’t taken place since 2019. In addition to the covid years, last year’s event was canceled after torrential rains hit the area.

The camp tradition of Saint Vincent has extended so long that oddities such as father/son player duos can occur. Joey Porter was an outside linebacker who made the trek to Unity eight times for camps leading up to the 1999-2006 seasons.

This July, his son, Joey Jr., will report for his first as a Steelers player on the day of his 23rd birthday.

“It’s great,” Porter Jr., a rookie cornerback, said after an organized team activities practice session Thursday. “I used to be doing this for a long time. I used to be a ball boy and watching them practice, and now I’m going to be the guy out there running around. I’m happy.”

The Steelers will practice four consecutive days to begin camp. None of those, however, will be with shoulder pads. The first padded practice follows an off day and is scheduled for Aug. 1.

As always, weather can affect the schedule.

Aside from the July 31 idle day, the Steelers are scheduled to practice 10 of the first 11 days after reporting.

Admission to open practices is free, but a mobile ticket must be secured online via Ticketmaster. Season ticket holders and waitlist members first will be offered tickets beginning at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., respectively, June 27. Remaining tickets will be available beginning at noon that day.

Schedule of open practices

*Unless noted, all practices are 1:55 p.m. at Chuck Noll Field at Saint Vincent College

Wednesday, July 26, reporting day

Thursday, July 27

Friday, July 28

Saturday, July 29

Sunday, July 30

Tuesday, Aug. 1

Wednesday, Aug. 2

Thursday, Aug. 3

Friday, Aug. 4, Latrobe Memorial Stadium, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 5

Sunday, Aug. 6

Tuesday, Aug. 8

Wednesday, Aug. 9

Sunday, Aug. 13

Tuesday, Aug. 15

Wednesday, Aug. 16

Thursday, Aug. 17, 10:30 a.m.

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