FOR USE AS DESIRED
NFL-28 7/8/98

It’s time, as MIKE DITKA says, to "get that lactic acid flowing."

In other words, it’s time for NFL training camps, the signal that football is back.

Teams begin opening their 1998 training camps next week with the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers the first to report on July 16. The Cowboys and Packers are followed by the San Francisco 49ers on July 17, St. Louis Rams on July 18 and Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on July 19.

Many of the NFL’s 30 teams will return to camps they have used for years (see chart below). Two teams -- the Cowboys and 49ers -- will report to new sites. All the communities hosting NFL teams will enjoy the excitement -- and economic boost – that come with NFL training camps.

The Cowboys report to Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, a Division II school of 5,800 students located 120 miles northwest of Fort Worth. MSU is thrilled to be hosting one of America’s most popular sports teams.

"It’s a win-win situation for everybody," says BOB MC BEE, Midwestern’s athletic director. Wichita Falls officials estimate the Cowboys’ presence in their city will produce an annual economic impact of at least $4 million.

The 49ers will encamp at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, thanks in part to San Diego Chargers owner ALEX SPANOS, an alumnus of the school. Spanos spearheaded a fund-raising drive for renovations of the school’s dormitories and weightlifting and conditioning centers to attract the 49ers to the school of 4,000 students.

In Wisconsin, the "Cheese League" will be in full bloom by the end of the month. The presence of four NFL teams -- Ditka’s New Orleans Saints, the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs -- pumps an estimated $15-20 million each summer into the state, according to the Wisconsin Sports Authority.

In Shreveport, Louisiana, a scrimmage between the Cowboys and Saints on August 11 is expected to draw 30,000 fans and add $2.78 million to the local economy.

What NFL training camps also offer fans is the chance to interact with NFL stars they mostly see from stadium seats or on living-room TVs during the season.

In DePere, Wisconsin, each Packer will "adopt" a youngster at the beginning of camp and borrow his or her bike every day to ride to practice while the excited youngster tags along carrying the player’s helmet. In Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Eagles in Bethlehem and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Latrobe will give fans a taste of the NFL by staging mini- versions of the NFL Experience, the interactive football theme park that is an annual highlight of the Super Bowl. In Cheney, Washington, the Seattle Seahawks will do the same.

"It’s a great feeling for a fan," says JIM PHILLIPS of Hagerstown, Maryland, who attends the Baltimore Ravens’ training camp at Western Maryland College in Westminster. "How many people can say, ‘Hey, I met the No. 1 draft pick.’? It’s very exciting to meet these guys who we usually only see with their helmets on."

Of course, the players do put their helmets on in camp, often for dreaded "two-a-day" practice sessions that can determine the makeup of a squad.

"It’s competitive," says Cincinnati Bengals head coach BRUCE COSLET. "It’s physical. It’s intense. And it’ll be hotter than the devil out there."

This summer, the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers will conduct their training camps at new sites.

But some teams keep coming back to the same college towns to begin the ritual of preparing for the season. The NFL training-camp longevity king? The Green Bay Packers will return this July 16 for their 40th consecutive summer at St. Norbert College in DePere, Wisconsin.

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That’s only the practices. Then the games start. Fans nationally will be able to see 11 preseason contests, highlighted by the traditional Pro Football Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio on August 1 between the Steelers and Buccaneers.

For the first time, the Hall of Fame Game televised by ABC-TV will be played in prime-time -- 7:00 PM ET. The telecast will carry highlights of the induction ceremonies of the Hall class of ’98 -- PAUL KRAUSE, TOMMY MC DONALD, ANTHONY MUNOZ, MIKE SINGLETARY and DWIGHT STEPHENSON.

Three hours later, the NFL’s return to Tokyo, Japan kicks off with the first of three 1998 American Bowls. The Packers against the Chiefs will actually be played on Sunday, August 2 at 11:15 AM Japan time, meaning the live telecast in the U.S. begins at 10:15 PM ET on August 1 on ESPN. It will be the ninth American Bowl in Tokyo, the most for any city since the NFL’s international series began in 1986.

The second full preseason weekend (Thursday, August 13-Monday, August 17) will feature two more American Bowls.

On Saturday, August 15, Vancouver, British Columbia becomes the 10th city -- and third Canadian city (Montreal and Toronto) -- to host an American Bowl when the 49ers face the Seahawks. The game will be televised live (8:00 PM ET) by CBS, the first NFL game for the network since the 1993 season.