Kenny Mullin drove 40 minutes from his home in North Versailles Thursday morning to Saint Vincent College near Latrobe to be one of the first in line for the first day of training camp for the Pittsburgh
“This is pretty much what I love to do,” said Mullin, who was first in line to park, even though the gates would not open until another six hours.
“It’s a waiting game,” said Mullin, 34, who was accompanied by family and friends.
He spent time talking with other Steelers fans in line about the players.
He also briefly spoke with Steelers general manager Omar Khan, who he saw early in the morning walking on the track around parking area.
The early-morning gathering is nothing new for Mullin and some of the 20 carloads of fans who were in line by 9 a.m. Mullin’s been doing it for about 10 years — arriving early for the first day of training camp — and it has become a tradition.
The advantage to being among the first in line at the gate is that they get a parking spot close to the entrance, Mullin said, so they can come back to their vehicle for food and drink. They also don’t have to wait for the other fans to go through security.
Closer to team
Another fan, Cary Feltman, came from White Oak Thursday morning to arrive at about 6:40 a.m., but his story is likely a lot different than other early arrivals.
“I moved here (Pittsburgh area) five years ago to be closer to the team,” said Feltman, who convinced his wife, Nicole, to uproot and make the move some 200 miles from Selinsgrove along the Susquehanna River in Snyder County.
Feltman has been a longtime fan. He recalled that his father took him to his first training camp at Saint Vincent in 1997, when Bill Cowher was coach and Kordell Stewart was the quarterback of a team that went to the AFC Championship game.
Years later, Feltman would get Stewart to sign his left forearm with a marker, as well as former Steelers star linebacker Joey Porter, father of Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Feltman got a tattoo artist to make the autographs permanent with tattoo over their signatures.
It was a father-son day for Chris Callan of North Versailles, who brought his 13-year-old son, Lennon. He’s been seeing the first day of training camp since 2012, Lennon said.
While his father took the early morning trip in stride, the youngster was not thrilled with the early end to sleep so they could reach camp by 6 a.m.
Lennon has been coming to camp since he was six months old, Callan said. He has a photo of Steelers safety Troy Polamalu holding baby Lennon at the Steelers Friday Night Lights practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium. He later got the Steelers NFL Hall of Famer to autograph the picture.
Rodgers debate
No gathering of Steelers fans could be complete without a discussion — or is it a debate —over Aaron Rodgers and what the aging future Hall of Famer will do this season.
Lennon Callan said he was not excited at the prospect of Rodgers leading the team, but his father held the opposite view.
“I’m excited for what he can do. I think he’s better than what we’ve had the last few years,” Callan said.
Feltman said he is looking forward not only to seeing Rodgers at quarterback, but also the new wide receiver, D.K. Metcalf, and the other players. One of the parts of training camp that he likes is the opportunity to chat briefly with the Steeler coaches as the enter and leave practice, he said.