The Pittsburgh Steelers have always found ways to give love back to their loyal fans. One of the more special customs has been the hosting of Men’s Fantasy Camp at St. Vincent’s College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, the long-time home of the Steelers “regular” training camp. The experience is a condensed version of the training camp regimen the Steelers players go through, allowing fans a taste of the rigors of professional football.
Pittsburgh alumni are brought in for the occasion to function as coaches for drills, as well as special guest speakers. The event was last held on the weekend of May 31-June 2 of 2019; but due to the pandemic, it was cancelled in 2020, ’21 and ’22. After not holding camp for three years, and receiving no updates on its future, Steelers fans must be wondering if it is truly the end of an era?
Men’s Fantasy Camp has been an honored tradition since its inception back in 2002.The price for the three-day event is not cheap at $800 dollars per person, but anyone who has ever attended would agree that the experience is always great and worth the money. If you are unfamiliar with this camp, or have never been able to go, below is a basic rundown of what you would be signing up for.
Just like the pros, you would be housed in the dorm rooms of St. Vincent’s College. Upon your arrival to camp, campers would receive dorm housing assignments, “team” assignments and a “swag” bag of goodies, including a black Nike custom replica jersey with the participant’s name and number of their choice. After dropping your stuff off in your room, you had the opportunity to see the Steelers alumni at the meet and greet, where you could get pictures with the players, as well as get memorabilia autographed before the start of the evening program which included dinner and speaker-coaches talking about their careers.
Steelers Alumni
The Steelers alumni from the 2019 camp included Hall of Famers Dermontti Dawson and Rod Woodson, as well as Steelers broadcasters Tunch Ilkin and Craig Wolfley. Chris Hoke, Arthur Moats, and Louis Lipps were also present for the event, with Rocky Bleier as the special guest. These players not only functioned as guest speakers during the afternoons and evenings, but also as coaches, running various drills for each of their respective positions they played for the Steelers.
In 2019, the camp also implemented a combine on the last day of camp. As part of the combine, you competed in events such as the 40-yard dash, the shuttle drill, a touchdown reception drill, and various others. While the camp is geared towards having fun, you would still be surprised at how physically demanding it is. Regardless of your physical ability and how much you can participate, all campers that attend are entered to win prizes on the final day of camp via a raffle. The prizes you could win include anything from game tickets for the upcoming season, all the way up to autographed jerseys and helmets.
This camp holds many great memories for those who have attended at least once from its inception to its last meeting. A number of these men have participated in every single camp and others come as “teams” with their own range of matching t-shirts. Fans travel from all over the country for this event, and some journey from other countries, like Canada, Mexico, and Germany just to name a few. Everyone enjoys meeting the players and connecting with them in ways that they never expected, whether it is the stories the alumni tell, or even just casual conversations about life in general.
We hope this event will be revived in the future, because no matter how many times you go, its always a special time to meet your fellow Steeler Nation brethren and bond over your love for the team and the game of football.
Have you ever been to Men’s Fantasy Camp? What was your experience like? Be sure to tell us about your thoughts in the comments below.
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