Attend Steelers Fantasy Camp and This Isn’t Just For the Men

WHERE: Pittsburgh and Latrobe

WHEN: Men’s fantasy camp is held every year in early June; women’s camp is held during training camp in late July.

HOW TO DO IT: Keep an eye on the Steelers’ team website (www.steelers.com). The schedule and events section of the site keeps fans informed about what is coming up on the calendar. Register as early as possible for events such as these as they generally sell out. Information is also available by calling (412) 697-7713.

COST FACTOR: $$$–$$$$. The Steelers’ fantasy experiences are reasonably priced but most out of towners have the added expense of airfare.

DIFFICULTY FACTOR: If you have the money and register early there will be a spot for you.

BUCKET RANK:

Attending a game at Heinz Field and seeing the team up close at training camp is a good start for Steelers fans, especially with all that comes with each experience. But there is still a ton to do and we stay mostly in the Pittsburgh area in this chapter for bucket-list items with a couple of notable exceptions.

Steelers’ fantasy camp for men, what might qualify as cruel and unusual punishment for a Ravens fan, is held annually the weekend after Memorial Day when St. Vincent College is starting to get its campus ready for training camp.

Fantasy camp participants arrive in Pittsburgh—most fly into the area—on a Friday and are given a tour of Heinz Field. From there they head to St. Vincent, where they experience training camp, albeit on a different scale than the regular players.

The first night they attend a reception that features alumni players and a Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Yes, those attending their fifth consecutive camp are enshrined in the Steelers’ men’s fantasy camp Hall of Fame. Those attending their 10th camp overall receive prizes and tickets as well as a pair of pre-game sideline passes to a mutually agreed upon game.

The real action starts Saturday and it isn’t just a bunch of twenty-somethings running around, trying to emulate a favorite Steelers player or relive their glory days.

“We’ve got guys in their early seventies that come up here,” Steelers marketing manager of events John Simpson said.

All participants are put through a morning and afternoon practice on Saturday and there are six different stations, three for offense and three for defense.

Bridging the practices are lunch and a Q&A session with a Steelers coach. That night a banquet is held in the dining hall that includes a prime-rib dinner and guest speaker. In 2015, newly minted Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis was the featured speaker at camp.

A skills competition is held on Sunday in lieu of a flag-football game and there are different age groups to level the playing field since the minimum age to participate is only 23. Camp closes with lunch and a ceremony in which participants receive a Steelers jersey—black and white are given in alternate years—and a gift bag.

Fantasy camp is often the start of friendships between men who would have never met if not for their love of the Steelers.

“There’s guys from Vancouver, British Columbia, that are now buddies with guys from Louisiana and they met at Steelers camp,” Simpson said. “They all have their stories and Steelers rooms. It’s a lot of work but it’s a blast to put on with the guys.”

It’s a blast too for Steelers fans like Skip Brown.

Brown is in the fantasy camp Hall of Fame, and he has attended nine of them since his first one in 2004.

“It’s a Steelers fan’s dream come true,” said Brown, who is in his upper fifties and lives in the Pittsburgh suburb of Whitehall. “You get to interact with present and past Steelers and it really makes you appreciate the game and what these guys go through.”

Brown may be more equipped to handle the physical rigors of fantasy camp than most because of his background as an athlete. The 6’10”, 300-pounder—yes, you read that right—played college basketball at Davidson, the school Steph Curry put on the map.

His time in North Carolina never dulled Brown’s love for the Steelers and his family has had season tickets for more than 50 years. Brown’s father owned a grocery store in Castle Shannon and former Steelers cornerback and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jack Butler shopped there frequently and became a good friend of the family.

Brown later befriended former Steelers defensive end Dwight White through his line of work in computer software. Both were frequently on the same flights to and from Pittsburgh and found themselves seated next to one another in the exit row because of the extra leg room.

Brown has gotten to know more former Steelers players through fantasy camp. He has also made friends with Steelers fans he never would have met if not for fantasy camp.

“What’s really neat is I meet people from far away,” Brown said. “There’s people that come from Mexico and they come from just about every state in the union.”