The Pittsburgh Steelers will begin arriving at St. Vincent’s College in Latrobe, PA today to open training camp. Practices are set to kick off on Wednesday. The Steelers are returning to Latrobe for the first time since 2019 due to the pandemic and they have scheduled 18 public practices over the next three weeks.
It is an exciting time for fans and many of Steelers veterans who have expressed their appreciation for the intimate environment that training camp offers and for them to engage in the bonding that will hold the team together when they face adversity during the 2022 season.
One of my favorite movies is the classic baseball film Major League. I particularly enjoy the scene when the team arrives at spring training and some of the reactions that the manager, general manager, and players themselves have to the arrivals. I have not been part of a professional sports team and I doubt that it is exactly like the movies, but some of the Steelers players over the years have sure made it look like they stepped off the silver screen into St. Vincent’s.
Vince Williams confirmed on Twitter earlier this week that some players (himself included), really like to make an entrance.
Vince Williams just arrived dressed like Stone Cold Steve Austin. His car is playing the theme song. #Steelers @937theFan pic.twitter.com/PWMtN7CDIL
— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) July 25, 2018
In 2018, Williams arrived in Latrobe paying homage to the WWE Attitude era, sporting an iconic modified Austin 3:16 leather vest in his best "Stone Cold" Steve Austin impersonation. Williams, like many pro football players, was a huge wrestling fan. He not only arrived at camp dressed like Austin, but was blasting the theme music, driving a black pickup similar to the Texas Rattlesnake and had a replica WWE Championship Belt in tow. The only thing missing was good old Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler.
Yeah... @AB84 showed up in a helicopter. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/zTUBdLChI6
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 25, 2018
Not to be outdone, Antonio Brown decided to chopper in for the 2018 training camp. Wrestling intros are cool, but Brown decided to go full Hollywood. He was going to be the cover athlete for Madden 19 and Brown made an entrance befitting an A-List talent. Brown was asked if his arrival was a distraction and he responded simply:
“I don’t know what distractions you’re talking about. This is my lifestyle.”
Brown and Williams made epic entrances in 2018, but they are not the only Steelers who have made an impact with colorful arrivals. In 2012, Brett Keisel rolled up to training camp at St. Vincent in an orange Kubota Backhoe. Keisel arrived with a black Steelers hard hat to complete his ensemble, seemingly to indicate that he was ready to punch the clock and go to work. Keisel, a former seventh round draft pick of the Steelers, really went all out in his penultimate appearance as a player in Latrobe.
Chaz Palla / Tribune Review
My personal favorite was when James Harrison, perhaps the most frightening man in football at the time, arrived in a clown car after the Steelers sixth Super Bowl title in 2009. Okay it was not a clown car, but a smart car that had the smallest street-legal motor in a vehicle at the time. The site of the massive Harrison sitting in what appeared to be the back seat of the vehicle at a glance still makes me laugh to this day.
It is worth wondering if Harrison was poking fun at himself and his legendary 99-yard interception return in Super Bowl XLIII where he nearly ran out of gas near the goal line.
Chaz Palla / Tribune Review
Training camp is an important part of the NFL experience and Head Coach Mike Tomlin has instilled an atmosphere since his arrival that allows his players to express themselves upon arrival. The business of the NFL and the battles for roster spots will come calling on Wednesday. Dreams will come true for some and end for others, but let us hope that we get some good-natured creativity. It has been a tough road the last two years for the entire country, let’s hope the black and gold remind us all to have a little fun upon their arrivals.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Who is most likely to engage in some arrival antics? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
