Pictures can capture moments in time, some remembered and others never seen. Steelers.com is sharing historical photos of the Pittsburgh Steelers through ‘Picture Perfect’ during the offseason.
In today’s feature, a scene from training camp at Saint Vincent College in the 1970s is highlighted. The Steelers have held their training camp there since 1966, except for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over time, facilities and technology have evolved significantly.
Bob McCartney, former video director for the team, recalled using “16-millimeter black and white reversal film” for games and practices in the 1970s. He mentioned that “video directors were independent contractors” who initially only filmed games until Coach Chuck Noll sought someone to film full-time practices.
“When Chuck came on board,” McCartney said, “I had Dan Rooney’s Kodak Brownie camera.” They would film practice with cartridges and then drive to Pittsburgh to develop them before returning to camp. Eventually, they acquired their own film lab at Saint Vincent’s.
The main dorm building used by the Steelers was Bonaventure Hall. It housed meeting rooms where players watched films before or after practice. McCartney described these rooms as student study lounges repurposed as meeting spaces.
A notable photo captures linebackers coach Woody Widenhofer with players like Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, and Andy Russell around a conference table with a reel-to-reel projector displaying practice films on a screen smaller than modern standards.
Due to sunlight streaming through windows during meetings, McCartney found creative solutions: “We went to the cafeteria…and we foiled the windows” using aluminum foil and athletic tape. This resourcefulness helped improve visibility despite limited resources.
McCartney emphasized their ingenuity: “Whatever we could do…we did it.”
