Saint Vincent College. The suns first rays fight to burn off a morning mist that hangs low on the field and wraps its delicate fingers around the surrounding buildings and trees. Here….Here you can almost see the mist forming into the faint outlines of warriors locked in past grid iron battles.
If you stand still and close your eyes, you can almost hear the shouted echoes of their leaders pushing them towards excellence. It’s here, at this time of year that you can palpably feel the return of the very real mystique of Steelers football.
2015 marks fifty years that Saint Vincent has been the proving ground for the Steelers; a war time factory churning out weapons of destruction for the enjoyment of a rabid fan base. It has also produced five decades of shared experiences, grand memories, and the basis of stories told by an older generation of fans.
It’s a place of both birth and death. It’s where the storied careers of players like Jack Lambert and Terry Bradshaw were forged in the fires of training camp. It’s where draft picks and undrafted players alike have watched their dreams die amid the frustration and realization of limited potential, injuries and insurmountable odds.
2015 marks fifty years that Saint Vincent College has been a proving ground for the Steelers
Each year brings invited players from every corner of America; young men raised on the streets of big cities to corn-fed, backwoods hicks. Veterans come…some hoping to secure a spot for one more year and other veterans, more certain in their youth and abilities, eager to get even better.
Rookies come…excited at the chance of a lifetime but knowing that one missed opportunity might be the difference in fulfilling a lifelong goal or returning home.
Saint Vincent College. The next time you’re there, close your eyes. Smile at the remembered stories and the memories that others have shared with you. And if you listen… listen very closely… you just might even hear the echo of Coach Noll as he yells, “Good job, L.C. Good job”!
There are very few magical places left in this world….Saint Vincent is one of them.
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