Get this for your collection. Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. The Pitt Panthers played at Three Rivers Stadium on multiple occasions. Among visiting players at Three Rivers, the Phillies Mike Schmidt hit the most home runs with 25including his 500th career round-tripper in 1987. [38][39] The field originally used "Gamesaver vacuum vehicles" to dry the surface, though they were later replaced by an underground drainage system. Three Dog Night. Even if they end up building a hockey rink there, they should put some kind of a monument to that area where the Immaculate Reception took place. The Steelers moved a few yards away to their new home at Heinz Field, while the Pirates took a short walk upriver to PNC Park. The former home of the Pirates . As bad as sports fans were at Three Rivers, those attending concerts were even worse. Youre in a bowl.. Bradshaw, desperately escaping Oakland defensive linemen, somehow managed to heave a 35-yard throw down the middle toward running back John Fuquawho was drilled to the ground by hard-hitting Oakland defensive back Jack Tatum. The rancor became so R-rated that, by 1985, the Pirates set up a G-rated family section at Three Rivers that forbade profanity and alcohol. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. As for the game itself, the Cincinnati Redswho just 17 days earlier debuted in Riverfront Stadium, the appearance and name of which would confuse many with Three Riversedged out the Bucs, 3-2. It was at this venue in 1998 where Sammy Sosa hit his Cub-franchise record 57th homer of the season, besting Hack Wilson, whose record stood for 68 years. On September 30, 1972, Clemente collected his 3,000th career hit with a fourth-inning double; it would be his last hit of the seasonand, alas, the last of his career. Dock Ellis and Manny Sanguillen, the battery for the first game back in 1970, threw and caught the ceremonial first pitch. Doormats would have been more appropriate; as the Steelers bounced around Pittsburgh without its own stadium, they were traditional losers who made only one postseason appearance in 37 yearslosing 21-0before moving into Three Rivers. Jack Tatum hit the intended receiver, 'Frenchy' Fuqua, and knocked the ball back to Harris, who caught it and ran into the end zone. Ground was broken for the new stadiums in 1999. Some fans from out of town would reserve hotels in downtown Pittsburgh before attending an event at the Stadium. The plan was to build a whole mixed-use community around the stadium, including hotels, restaurants, a theme park, science center and marinaall connected by people movers. Pittsburgh, PA, US. [16] The stadium was located in a portion of downtown difficult to access;[11] political debate continued over the North Side Sports Stadium and the project was often behind schedule and over-budget. It was the site of Roberto Clemente's 3,000th hit, September 30, 1972, and Franco Harris's legendary "Immaculate Reception," December 23, 1972. Locals mocked it as the Bridge to Nowhere.. [11], In 1958, the Pirates sold Forbes to the University of Pittsburgh for $2 million ($18.8 million today). Sets of 2-3 Steel Seat Feet for Three Rivers Stadium Floor MOUNTING Seats from the former home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pirates lost the inaugural contest to the Reds, 3-2. The force of the collision ricocheted the ball back 10 yardswhere it was plucked inches off the ground by breakout rookie running back Franco Harris, who lumbered the final 45 yards down the sideline, barely evading numerous Raiders players and into the end zone with the winning touchdown. Stadium Concert. Realtime driving directions to Three Rivers Stadium Home Plate Location, Pittsburgh, based on live traffic updates and road conditions - from Waze fellow drivers. But the Steelers, benefitting from a generous NFL revenue sharing system badly lacking in MLB, played only 10 home games a year, not 81and so the stadium sat drowning in nearly $50 million in debt, while the Pirates were losing up to $10 million a year, borrowing more millions just to stay afloat and knocking heads with the stadium authority to sweeten the Three Rivers lease as they had been doing for years. Numerous strikes in a city heavily represented by unions pushed back the scheduled first game from Opening Day 1970 to midseason; Every day they delay making the move is taking money out of my pocket, complained Pirates star slugger Willie Stargell, who had enough of Forbes Field and its endless outfield dimensions. Forbes Field wasnt getting any younger, the Pirates patience was thinning, and the university was standing by with the wrecking ball, fingers tapping on the lever. Photographed By Harry S. Coughanour, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, circa 1970. Koch received most of the cocaine from a freelance photographer named Dale Shiffman, who in later grand jury testimony claimed that two-thirds of the Pirates roster were buyers. The initial chatter toward a modern stadium actually predated the universitys purchase of Forbes by a decade. Three Rivers Stadium implosion seen from Point State Park on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001. Fifty years ago, on July 16, 1970, Three Rivers Stadium opened in Pittsburgh, Pa. Breaking up the symmetry in the middle deck at left is the Allegheny Club, an expansive restaurant and lounge seating up to 700. The ballpark has a seating capacity of 41,500 with the main three tier grandstand stretching from the right field foul pole to home plate and down, and around the left field foul pole. But few expected the team to plummet deep into the Hades of Baseball. 2023 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved. Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000.It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).. Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds - Sightseeing on the Circle Line June 13, 2021; Sanford Field, Historic Sanford Memorial Stadium, and Sanford Museum May 17, 2020; Fleming Stadium and the North Carolina Baseball Museum April 11, 2020; The West Coast Wrigley Field April 5, 2020; Space Coast Stadium's New Frontier March 17, 2019 While the Pirates and the public powers couldnt tear down Three Rivers and copy Oriole Park at Camden Yards upon its footprintnot yet, anywaythey did try to give the stadium a more colorful and cozier vibe. When Parker, who once said, Money isnt everythingpeace of mind is important to me, hit free agency in 1983, he wasted no time fleeing Pittsburgh. The Steelers were significantly better at the facility that turned them from laughingstocks to conquerors, winning 182 of 254 home games and another 13 of 18 playoff games. [44] And in 1992, the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrated their second Stanley Cup victory at the Stadium. The initiative's defeat led to the development of "Plan B", an alternate funding proposal that used a combination of monies from the Allegheny Regional Asset District (an extra 1% sales tax levied on Allegheny County), state and federal monies and a number of other sources. [28] A parade was held before opening ceremonies. Five years after local authorities said yes to a new stadium, there wasnt even a scope of work; the Fort Duquesne Bridge, conceptualized specifically to carry auto traffic from downtown Pittsburgh toward the stadium, was 90% completewith the last 10% on hold until there was actual progress on the facility. Koch would even get high on his own supply while doing Parrot duty, which must have made for the most kaleidoscopic experience by an employee of the Pirates since Dock Ellis claimed he threw a 1970 no-hitter on LSD. I-79 restrictions begin Wednesday night in Allegheny County, Inbound Armstrong Tunnel closed as yearlong rehab project begins, Feds want Tree of Life suspect psychiatric examination, $320K makeover planned for Greenfield's Four Mile Run Playground, Models strut the runway with their canines for the Bark and Swagger Dog Fashion Show, Historic Hempfield cemetery seeks volunteers, donors to help care for grounds, 2nd annual 'Restaurant Ramble' features 10 downtown New Kensington eateries, Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan actor, dies after brain aneurysm, TV Talk: Mel Brooks History of the World, Part II belatedly arrives on Hulu, Western Pennsylvania's trusted news source. No team ever scored 20 or more runs in a game at Three Rivers Stadium. The 1970s: A crowning decade . Roughly a decade later, outfielder Andy Van Slyke had a cigarette lighter thrown in his direction; upon picking it up, Van Slyke read an attached message that said, Use this to light a fire under you. His teammate, Bobby Bonillain the midst of an All-Star season in 1988was heavily booed at Three Rivers because his home batting average was 100 points lower than on the road. Home plate is rocketed from Three Rivers Stadium to PNC Park after the final game. [34] On December 23, 1972, Three Rivers Stadium was site to the Immaculate Reception, which became regarded as one of the greatest plays in NFL history. A card-carrying member of the Cookie Cutter Society, Three Rivers Stadium was the cookie that needed a bite taken out of it to reveal downtown Pittsburgh for those inside. Touch for map. . [15] Construction continued, though it became plagued with problems such as thieves stealing materials from the building site. Three Rivers Stadium lives on in many different ways. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for three Rivers Stadium Seats Set of 4 connected w/Cert from Free Markets HCS at the best online prices at eBay! Pittsburgh Jazz Festival Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles B.B. In the 1971 World Series, Three Rivers Stadium hosted the first World Series game played at night. The Pirates move to Three Rivers Stadium failed to domesticate the base. 15 years later, the midsummer classic returned in 1994. In his heyday, everything King Midas touched turned to gold. Sunday 00:00 - 00:00. It was also the first playoff victory in franchise history. Flickr photos, groups, and tags related to the "threeriversstadium" Flickr tag. The first game at Three Rivers Stadium was also the first for organist Vince Lascheid, beginning a tenure with the Pirates that would last through 2008eight years into the PNC Park era. The Pirates werent complaining either; they all but bookended the decade hoisting a pair of World Series trophies, while winning four other National League East Division titles. Three Rivers Stadium * and N.N.L. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). This section was taken to Three Rivers Stadium for decoration in the Allegheny Club. You can still find it prestigiously located near the corner of General Robinson Street and Tony Dorsett Way, five spaces in from a green trash bin, which itself stands just over the guardrail from. Stadium Concert. But city leaders, leery of the trend in franchise shifts within Major League Baseball, didnt want to take any chances of losing its most fabled sports entity. When 70,000 peoplemany without ticketsattempted to force their way into a 1976 concert featuring ZZ Top and Aerosmith, leading to an injury count of at least 250, public officials debated whether to end rock music acts at Three Rivers. Over 20,000 people viewed the implosion from Point State Park. The Sporting News Leonard Koppett admitted that Three Rivers and its modern ilk were admirably practical buildings, containing creature comforts and working facilities undreamed of in the old days, but he well understood their flaws. This is the greatest day of my life, he told reporters. Having just fallen behind at Three Rivers to the Oakland Raiders by a 7-6 score, the Steelers were 22 seconds away from defeat and facing fourth down 60 yards from the Raiders end zone. Appears to be made of some kind of wood. At the groundbreaking for Three Rivers Stadium, April 1968, Steelers owner Art Rooney kicks a football, while Dan Rooney holds. Phil Hundley, a Deeter Ritchey Sipple architect who was not intricately involved in the Three Rivers Stadium project but was around in 2020 to talk about it, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: It had retail. This historical marker was erected in 2006 by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Delays and some disputation peppered the building phase of Three Rivers Stadium. After getting used to Three Rivers for half a season in 1970, the Pirates first full campaign at the stadium a year later resulted in their first world title since their fabled 1960 run at Forbes Field. Adjacent Acrisure Stadium, clad with 68,000 yellow seats, retains the rabid enthusiasm of Steelers fans. The Steelers would move to Heinz Field after it was closed.[73]. The only Pirate who wore a jersey for the very first game and this, the very last, was bench coach Richie Hebner, who started at third base in Three Rivers inaugural game, attracted ladies with his good looks and boos from everyone else for his subpar defense, and later criticized the stadium by stating, My fathers cemetery has more life in it than this ballpark. A crowd of 55,351, the largest ever to see a baseball game at Three Rivers, watched as the Bucs blew a late lead and bowed to the Chicago Cubs, 10-9. When Heinz Field opened, Coca-Cola also assumed the beverage contract for that stadium (the Pirates signed a deal with Pepsi for PNC Park before signing with Coke again in 2014), and also became the primary sponsor for the Steelers' team Hall of Fame, the Coca-Cola Great Hall. Pirates organist Vince Lascheid at Three Rivers Stadium on July 5, 1999. Yet in the 1970s, Three Rivers Stadium was a super bowl, literally so for the Steelerswho went on to conquer four National Football League titles in their first 10 years playing at the stadium. The final game in the stadium was won by the Steelers on December 16, 2000. Skunks were said to live under the stadium.