The Steelers are done with training camp for 2026, and Monday’s final practice never happened after bad weather forced it off the schedule. But the bigger conversation around Latrobe has been less about the rain and more about whether the team’s long-running stay at St. Vincent College is headed for the exit.
That speculation picked up steam after a few familiar voices around the franchise made it clear they don’t exactly pine for the dorm life. Former head coach Mike Tomlin said during NBC’s Hall of Fame Game coverage, “I don’t miss that dorm room in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where I spent a calendar year of my life,”
Former Steelers edge rusher Bud Dupree was even more blunt while talking with current defensive captain Cam Heyward on Heyward’s podcast, Not Just Football.
“The best training camp we had was the COVID year,” Dupree said. “We stayed at our own house.
I hated the dorms. I hated it.”
Heyward shared that feeling and pointed to the same stretch as a missed opportunity to change the setup for good.
“The COVID year, we were trying so hard to win a Super Bowl so then we could tell Mr. Rooney and be like, Mr.
Rooney, we won a Super Bowl, we don’t need to go back to Latrobe,” Heyward said. “It did not work out in that way.
We were back in Latrobe the next year.”
All of that naturally led to questions about whether the Steelers might eventually move camp somewhere else. Mike McCarthy shut that down quickly.
“Not at all,” McCarthy said when asked if he’s considered not having camp in Latrobe in 2027. “Hell, we’ll see if we can stay longer next year.”
So if there were any fears that 2026 might be the final summer trip to St. Vincent College for Steelers fans, McCarthy’s answer made the message plain: Latrobe isn’t going anywhere.
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