The NFL New Orleans Saints held their annual summer training camp at Dodgertown, Vero Beach, Florida for 10 years (1974 and 1976-1984). In August, 1982, Saints quarterback Bobby Scott (#12 center) leads this practice session for Head Coach Bum Phillips.
Football at Dodgertown
By Brent Shyer
Seven NFL teams utilized Dodgertown, Vero Beach, Florida for training camps and in preparation for postseason games for three decades.
Quarterback Archie Manning, who starred for the NFL’s New Orleans Saints, recalled about training multiple summers at Dodgertown, “I had never been to Dodgertown and I was a big baseball fan, and I thought it was fantastic. It had two golf courses there…I thoroughly enjoyed my time down there. I really, really thought Dodgertown was a great training camp place. When you came in, the main street was Jackie Robinson and my room was almost to the end. At the very end, was the pool and where (Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach) Hank Stram stayed (in 1976-77). We had two to a room. Our other facilities (for training camp) were dormitories. That was so great compared to a dormitory, it was like a motel room. A short walk across the street, you’ve got your cafeteria, our dressing room right there, our training room and you walk right out the back door to the practice fields. You couldn’t beat it.”
New Orleans Saints star quarterback Archie Manning stayed and trained at Dodgertown, Vero Beach, Florida between 1974 and 1976-1982. Manning was NFC Player of the Year in 1978 by UPI, a two-time Pro Bowl Game selection (1978 and 1979), a 1988 inductee into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Saints Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989.
Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Hank Stram and the 1976 New Orleans Saints coaching staff at Dodgertown, Vero Beach, Florida during July-August training camp. (L-R): front — Jim Garrett; Alvin Roy; Stram; John Beake; and Whitey Campbell. back — Doug Shively; Buck Buchanan; Dick Wood; Dick Stanfel; and Sam Rutigliano.
Photo courtesy John and Marcia Beake
As part of the O’Malley family’s expansion of the year-round training opportunities at Dodgertown, the following teams stayed and dined on “campus” and used its extensive facilities:
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (NFL)
SUMMER TRAINING CAMPS:
*NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (1974, 1976-1984)
PREPARATION FOR POSTSEASON:
*GREEN BAY PACKERS, December 17-21, 1985
*CLEVELAND BROWNS, December 28-31, 1985; December 30, 1986-January 3, 1987; January 2-5, 1988
*BUFFALO BILLS, January 6-11, 1987
*NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, December 23-27, 1987
*KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, December 19-23, 1989; December 31, 1990-January 4, 1991
*PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, January 1-6, 1996
CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE (CFL)
MINI CAMPS:
*MONTREAL ALOUETTES, April 15-17, 2014; April 15-17, 2015; April 10-12, 2017; April 16-18, 2018
*EDMONTON ESKIMOS, April 17-21, 2015; April 16-19, 2016
*SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS, April 10-12, 2016; April 25-27, 2017
YOUR CALL FOOTBALL
Two teams stayed and trained at Historic Dodgertown in 2018
May 2, 2018, Historic Dodgertown, Vero Beach, Florida, Your Call Football, (L-R): Lloyd Richards, Director, Football Operations; Katie Driscoll, Director, Brand & Product Marketing; Sue Develin, Vice President, Marketing; David Paro, Broadcast/Sponsor Consultant; Peter O’Malley, Chairman, Historic Dodgertown; Eric Galko, Owner/Director Optimum Scouting; Julie Meringer, President, Your Call Football; Rick Wilson, Social Media/Marketing Coordinator; and Collin Vataha, Vice President, Football Operations. In May 2018, three games were held at Historic Dodgertown using interactive competition and play-calling.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
*University of Miami, fall training, 1992, due to the extraordinary damage caused by Hurricane Andrew, Miami transferred its workouts to Dodgertown
*The Ohio State University, December 12-23, 1995 prior to 1996 Citrus Bowl
*University of South Florida, training camps, 2010-2013
*North Greenville University, November 17, 2016 preparing for NCAA Division II playoff game