Eagles Ready For Training Camp at Lehigh
The Philadelphia Eagles Begin 13th Year Training In Bethlehem
Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, will be the center of the universe for Philadelphia Eagles fans starting on Monday, July 21.
On that date. rookies and free agents will report to the college dormitories of the university in preparation for two-a-day, morning and afternoon workouts.
Training camp will go into full bloom when the veterans report on Thursday, July 24
The team will stay at Lehigh for four weeks before returning to their own Nova Care Complex near Lincoln Financial Field to prepare for the regular season opener on Sunday, Sept. 7, when the Eagles host the Saint Louis Rams.
Training camp is special for the fans because, like most teams, the Eagles allow spectators to watch the practice sessions free of charge. A media contingent will be there in force from local newspapers and television stations. WIP-AM, Philadelphia’s all-sports station, will broadcast live from Lehigh.
The Eagles have been training at Lehigh for 13 years. The university has four football practice fields for the team to train on, allowing coaches to work on different things at the same time.
Only two days are closed to the public; Friday, July 25 and Thursday, Aug. 7. Camp will break on Wednesday, Aug. 13 when the team returns to Nova Care.
Eagles first training camp at Hershey
The Eagles, which have been in the league since 1933, began the practice of pre-season training camp in 1951.
Hershey, Pa. and its HersheyPark Stadium was the site of the Eagles training camp for 16 years before the team moved to Albright College, in Reading. from 1968 to 1972.
In 1973, the Eagles started training a little closer to home when they chose Widener University in Chester, Pa. as their training camp. The site was featured in the movie “Invincible” about former Eagles player Vince Papale
The Eagles stayed at Widener until 1980 when they moved their training camp to West Chester University. The team stayed there until 1995 when they made the move to Lehigh.
Eagles make decisions at training camp
It is well worth the time of Eagles fans to go to training camp at least one time during the NFL preseason. A lot of personnel decisions are made based on training camp performances. Veteran players who are thought to be untouchable can play their way out of the lineup with sub-par performances.
Players can get hurt for the season at these camps. Rookies can step up to the starting lineup.
For the Eagles, all eyes will be on quarterback Donovan McNabb to see if he will be ready for the season.
