ESPN College Football

LATROBE, Pa. -- Saint Vincent College has built a name in the football world for the last 40 years as the training camp home of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Now, the school will have a team of its own.

"I left the best assistant coaching position in Division III and bet the farm on this opportunity," said Bob Colbert, Saint Vincent's first head football coach in 44 years. "I left a well-paying job with good status to build a program from the bottom up. It was an opportunity I couldn't pass up."

The 59-year-old Colbert, a Pittsburgh native, was hired in January after being an associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Bridgewater (Va.) College.

"We recruited 26 kids who will be incoming freshmen," Colbert said. "We then held tryouts for any student currently attending Saint Vincent and found 31 kids who want to play. Some have played in high school, while others have never played but want to try."

While practice starts this fall, the games won't begin until 2007. Colbert wants a year to put the program in place without sacrificing a year of eligibility for his players.

Saint Vincent is reinstating its football program as part of a plan to leave the NAIA and join the NCAA Division III Presidents' Athletic Conference. The Bearcats will begin a four-year provisional schedule in every sport with the PAC.

"Schools that do not have a football program are often perceived as not having a full commitment to sports," Colbert said. "Having a football program puts a cap on Saint Vincent's athletic program."

The Bearcats' first game is scheduled for Sept. 1, 2007, at home against Gallaudet, the school that gave Colbert his coaching start. He was the nation's youngest coach in 1970 at age 23, taking the job while he was still a student at Maryland, where he played defensive back for the Terps.

Colbert said there may be a side benefit to the school's association with the Steelers.

"I'm going to ask [Steelers] coach [Bill] Cowher if he wants to scrimmage with us next year to get ready for our opener," he said.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press