Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Steelers offensive lineman Max Starks waves to the crowd as he makes his way to the practice field yesterday.

Clark Haggans knew it was a crazy day when he emerged from the portable toilet next to the practice field at St. Vincent College and the crowd erupted in a thunderous ovation.

		Multimedia Slideshow: Drills begin Video: First peek for the fans

"It's almost a football career highlight," said Haggans, an outside linebacker for the Steelers.

That's the kind of atmosphere that existed yesterday at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, where one of the largest crowds to flock to the campus showed up to welcome back the Steelers and express their appreciation -- if not their maniacal fervor -- for the Super Bowl champions.

To be sure, it was the first time the team has been together in pads since the Super Bowl, and the crowd of nearly 10,000 people wasn't going to let them forget about it -- even though coach Bill Cowher's training-camp mantra is to put 2005 in the past. That may be the message for the players, but it was not adhered to by the people who began lining up as early as 8 a.m. for the first practice of 2006.

And it began the moment players began emerging from the locker room to head to the practice field, getting showered with screams and applause as if they were rock stars -- the biggest being reserved for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and safety Troy Polamalu.

"Maybe Jon Bon Jovi is hiding out here somewhere," Haggans said, referring to the person who headlined last week's championship celebration concert at Heinz Field. "This is huge. That's what you get for winning the Super Bowl."

"We're not coming off a disappointing season or a bad season, you know," guard Alan Faneca said. "We're coming off a good season."

Crowds at St. Vincent College have been good in recent years, especially on weekends. But the Steelers have only two weekend days when they will practice in Latrobe this summer, and the other one is 12:30 p.m. Saturday when they will have their traditional goal-line drill.

"I was thinking they would have come next Saturday when we have all that goal line and everybody gets all fired up," Haggans said. "Not the first day."

Peter Diana, Post-Gazette A fan uses binoculars to keep a close watch on Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and a T-shirt to keep the sun off his head at yesterday's practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe. Click photo for larger image.

This was the first time for the public to see the entire team together since Detroit, when the Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. And it was also the first time people in Western Pennsylvania could get a personal look at Roethlisberger since he was injured in a motorcycle accident June 12.

When Roethlisberger, the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, came out of the locker room and headed down the path to the practice field, the decibel level was Lambert-esque -- exceeded in these parts only when the Blue Angels are taking part in the Westmoreland County air show.

"It was great, it was awesome, to have them cheer like that," Roethlisberger said after his first practice with his teammates since the accident.

Probably the only people who were disappointed yesterday were the ones who staked out seats on the west hillside, only to have the Steelers move practice to the lower fields because the other were too wet.

"I apologize to those people," Cowher said, smiling. "This was the best field we had and we had to move it down here."

Because the fans were stretched the entire length of the practice fields, the crowd did not appear as large as anticipated. But team president Art Rooney II, who is attending his 40th training camp with the team, said the turnout was as large as any he could remember.

Same with Cowher, who begins his 15th season.

"It's been fantastic," he said. "We have an unbelievable fan base and it's greatly appreciated they come out here for these days. It was loud and they were cheering for any little thing that happened."

Including a trip to the bathroom.