The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t hit the practice field until tomorrow for their fourth OTA session of the offseason. On Monday, the only hitting might’ve been on the bumper cars. As is tradition under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers dedicated a day of their spring to team-bonding, spending the day at Kennywood, a popular amusement park just outside the city.
“If we’re going to have unique relationships, and that be displayed in our play, we’ve got to be willing to put time in together in an informal way in an effort to build camaraderie and get to know one another,” Tomlin said via Steelers.com’s writer and editor Teresa Varley. “That’s what days like today are all about.”
Tomlin also brought his family for the day, per the team website’s article.
Unlike past years, Pittsburgh didn’t use one of their listed practices for their day of entertainment. This season, the Steelers scheduled just two weeks of OTA practices instead of their normal three, beginning last Tuesday and running through this Thursday. The team will hold a three-day mandatory minicamp next week before breaking for their summer break, returning to St. Vincent College for training camp in late July.
Though he’ll need to be fearless on the field, quarterback Mason Rudolph turned down a chance to face the defense.
“I am not doing the Steel Curtain, though,” Rudolph joked via Varley, referring to one of the park’s popular roller coasters.
Kennywood is one of the United States’ oldest amusement parks, one of 15 in the country to open its doors before 1900.
Over the years, Tomlin has touted the importance of bonding as a team beyond just being teammates. The most successful Steelers’ seasons have come when the team was closest, including during their last two Super Bowl victories in 2005 and 2008.
Pittsburgh made a trip to Kennywood in 2024, too. Past trips included Go-Kart racing and arcade center Dave & Buster’s. The team will be back in helmets and cleats tomorrow, but Monday was about everything else.
