three rivers stadium home plate location. It was during the Steelers' stay in Three Rivers that the now famous "Mean Joe" Greene Coke commercial aired, leading to a longstanding relationship between the two. The final Pittsburgh Pirates home game was on October 1st, 2000 vs. the Chicago Cubs. Has signature of artists as shown in pictures and was made in 2001. An 8-by-12-foot area of the 406 marker section of the Forbes Field brick wall, 12 Romanesque window frames, and the Babe Ruth plaque showing where his 714th home run landed were in the Allegheny Club at Three Rivers. The first World Series night game was played at the stadium on Oct. 13, 1971. Roberto Clemente statue outside Three Rivers Stadium is shown on October 16, 1994 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Almost as surprisingly, the fans returneddrawing over two million in both 1990 and 1991, the only two times they would reach the figure at Three Rivers. The concourse areas were dark and dingy. Tuesday 00:00 . You can see the top of Fort Pittsburgh Bridge (I-279) at the bottom. [30][31] Due to their similar design these stadiums were nicknamed "cookie-cutter" or "concrete doughnut" ballparks. Providing the infrastructural design was Michael Baker International, a fast-growing firm which had a hand in the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, the Seattle Space Needle, and Pittsburgh International Airport, among many other projects around the planet. Three Rivers Stadium presented itself as a fairer alternative to Forbes Field with its boilerplate field dimensions; no longer did Willie Stargell nor any other player have to drive a ball 400 feet and then hope that it cleared the fence. 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. The North Side, that industrial wasteland, was making a serious bid to become the place to see and be seen in Pittsburgh. [70] The largest attendance for a football game was on January 15, 1995, when 61,545 spectators witnessed the Steelers lose to the San Diego Chargers. The first three years of the Pirates final decade at Three Rivers Stadium witnessed the fruits of their labor, winning the NL East each season from 1990-92. It was a cold Sunday, Feb.. On October 1, 2000, the Pirates played their final game at Three Rivers. The National League won the game 72 and the Pirates' Ken Brett was the winning pitcher. Three Rivers Stadium, home to the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1970 through 2000, was located in the North Shore section of Pittsburgh. Copyright20062023,Somerightsreserved. After being hotly debated throughout the entire southwestern Pennsylvania region the initiative was soundly defeated in all 11 counties; only in Allegheny County was it even close (58-42). Sister Sledge, the We Are Family authors from the Bucs fabled 1979 campaign, reunited to sing the National Anthem. The home of the Steelers and Pirates had been rendered obsolete by the pair of stadiums now flanking the aging concrete cylinder. Built as a replacement for Forbes Field, which opened in 1909, the US$55million ($406.4 million today) multi-purpose facility was designed to maximize efficiency. As delirious Steelers fans jumped the stands and flooded the Three Rivers turf, referees sought to determine which player Bradshaws pass had deflected off of; at the time, an offensive player could not legally catch a ball deflected directly from a teammate. (The story is disputed, but its a good one.). [56] In 2015, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette moved into a new office building also built on a portion on the site after 53 years in the former Pittsburgh Press building and more than two centuries in Downtown. . In the 1971 World Series, Three Rivers Stadium hosted the first World Series game played at night. Explore Academic Pathways Upcoming Events See All Events Mar 03 Cinderella 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm, Tinnin Fine Arts Center View Event Mar 05 Everyone Is a Raider Day 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm View Event Mar 07 Join Choir Jam 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm [25], In their first game after the All-Star Break in 1970, the Pirates opened the stadium against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, July 16; who won, 32. 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. The Panthers played their full home schedule there for the 2000 season, going 74. 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. When the dust settled, the remains were visible. Three Rivers Stadium Home Venues Rock Doo Wop Radio Jazz Pop Blues Thirty Years of Stadium Rock Three Rivers Stadium during its short 30 year existence from 1970 to 2000 hosted almost 50. The idea came from Forbes Field, Ritchey told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2001 of his ballpark design. There was some old-timey substance to the proceedings, as 71-year-old Pirates legend Pie Traynor threw out the ceremonial first pitch; Hollywood crooner and long-time Bucs fan/part-owner Bing Crosby was among the notables in the VIP section. It was also the site of the very first broadcast of ABCs Monday Night Footballexcept that it was a preseason game held on a Friday night between the Steelers and New York Giants. Marker is at the intersection of Art Rooney Avenue and North Shore Drive, on the left when traveling north on Art Rooney Avenue. Pittsburgh Pirates, 1970-2000Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL), 1970-2000Duquense University (college football), 1971University of Pittsburgh (college football), selected gamesPittsburgh Maulers (USFL), 1984, 792 W. General Robinson Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Deeter Ritchey Sipple (DRS), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Left field line: 335 feetLeft-center field: 375 feetCenter field: 400 feetRight-center field: 375 feetRight field line: 335 feet, July 16, 1970Cincinnati Reds 3, Pittsburgh Pirates 2, October 1, 2000Chicago Cubs 10, Pittsburgh Pirates 9, August 14, 1971Bob GibsonAugust 9, 1976John CandelariaJuly 12, 1997Francisco Cordova (9), Ricardo Rincon (1), 1974National League 7, American League 21994National League 8, American League 7 (10 innings). You could even throw in the University of Pittsburgh football team, which abandoned their own stadium on campus and borrowed Three Rivers for big games, most notably in a 1976 championship campaign featuring Heisman Trophy running back Tony Dorsett. Perhaps a live ball was helping to bring the fans in; Three Rivers yielded a stadium-record 171 home runs in 1999then 172 in 2000. Fifty years ago, on July 16, 1970, Three Rivers Stadium opened in Pittsburgh, Pa. 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. But few expected the team to plummet deep into the Hades of Baseball. Three Rivers Stadium implosion seen from Point State Park on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001. The Steelers would lose the following week at Three Rivers to the Miami Dolphinson their way to being the first undefeated team in the Super Bowl erabut the Steelers permanently shed their loser image, beginning a brilliant run of football that would net them four Super Bowl trophies over a six-year period. Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. If anything else, the threat brought the various public agencies together toward a budget agreement. Three Rivers Stadium hosted the first MLB postseason game ever played on artificial turf (1970), the first World Series night game (1971), and the first League Championship Series night contest (1972). There was much initial praise for Three Rivers as a civic stadium meant to pull the Pirates and Steelers out of far more rustic times, but the compromised tedium many would ultimately slam it and other so-called cookie-cutter stadiums for was still hardly lost on some even as it doors opened for the first time. [22] The stadium was named in February 1969 for its location at the confluence of the Allegheny River and Monongahela River, which forms the Ohio River. [29], Three Rivers Stadium was similar in design to other stadiums built in the 1960s and 1970s, such as RFK Stadium in Washington, Shea Stadium in New York, Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, the Houston Astrodome, Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, and Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis, which were designed as multi-purpose facilities to maximize efficiency. . Never mind the possibility of the 100-year flood wreaking havoc on such a complex structure; the U.S. Department of Defense was more concerned with the potentially devastating impact from an act of terrorismbefore that word became a thingand nixed the idea. She sued the Pirates and their subsidiary that managed the stadium, arguing that the Baseball Rule, which usually prevents spectators at baseball games from holding teams liable for foul ball injuries, did not apply because she was away from the seating areas and not watching what was going on on the field. Past skippers including Jim Leyland, Chuck Tanner and Bill Virdon joined manager Gene Lamont to deliver the Pirates lineup. (It would take 10 years for that person, Kevin McClatchy, to fully purchase the Bucs.). Despite its ultimate reputation as a mundane hunk of concrete, Three Rivers Stadium did spark some personality with its exclusive Allegheny Club, located in the second level down the right-field line. Since completion, PNC Park has been hailed as one of the best ballparks in the country. Removed from downtown Pittsburghs choking smoke and untamed rivers, elegant Forbes Field was built in a vernal, cultural paradise on the outskirts of town, where three was the magic numberfrom three Pirates world titles to Babe Ruths last three homers to the last tripleheader to all those triples. TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox. 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. Two months later, on Dec. 16, the Steelers played their final game at Three Rivers, defeating the Washington Redskins 24-3. In 1979, the Pirates introduced the Pirate Parrot, a mascot patterned after the successful debut of the Phillie Phanatic in Philadelphia a year earlier. [15][17] Arguments were made by commissioner (and former Allegheny County Medical Examiner) Dr. William McCelland that the Pirates and Steelers should fund a higher percentage of the $33million project ($275.6 million today). Ritcheys unique design, using many customized components, was part of the reasonbut so was inflation and an expected excess of overtime wages to build a stadium on a relatively fast turnaround. The Steelers won 17 Monday Night Football games at Three Rivers Stadium. Try restaurant style recipes at home. A look at Three Rivers Stadium from the top of the upper-deck bleacher seats. [64] The Pirates' lowest season of attendance was 1985, at an average of 9,085. Things to Do in Three Rivers, California: See Tripadvisor's 15,126 traveler reviews and photos of Three Rivers tourist attractions. Even the pleasing evergreen views beyond the fences from inside Forbes Field were rapidly being overcome by industry and other inevitable forms of development. While Three Rivers was receiving its late prepping up as the fight over whether to build a new ballpark continued, the area surrounding the stadium remained dormant, a head-shaking lack of mixed-use development promised by the stadium authority decades earlier. [9] The Pittsburgh Pirates played their home games at Forbes Field, which opened in 1909,[10] and was the second oldest venue in the National League (Philadelphia's Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium was oldest, having opened only two months prior to Forbes). Its spaciousness was evident from the outside; tall windows stretched upward and across, allowing patrons on cascading levels of table seating and barstools to enjoy the game while eating and/or imbibing. We had some immaculate times at Three Rivers Stadium.#SteelersHistory #ImmaculateReception pic.twitter.com/F5xEbYOd3j, Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) February 12, 2018. 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 man got out, ran onto the field and began kicking footballs through the goalposts. Crowds of spectators gathered to witness the end of an era. names for church food ministry three rivers stadium home plate location. Baseball team, wallowing in a decrepit locker room, is growing restless for something new. Dave Nightengale wrote of the stadium having all the life of a funeral parlor. Stadium Concert. 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. The Steelers won 13 home playoff games at Three Rivers Stadium. [26][27] The team donned new uniform designs for the first time that day, a similar plan was for new "mini-skirts" for female ushers. Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. Initially mocked for looking like everything from a softball jersey to pajamas, the synthetic unis would start a trend that virtually every other major league team would catch on with during the 1970s and beyond. While the Pirates represented baseball tradition, the Steelers represented PittsburghTough, hard-nosed, grim-featured, not so fancy, wrote The Sporting News Furman Bisher. This includes 4,000 premium seats that can be found in the Truist Club, Delta Sky360 Club and Terrace Club. Another 3,000-4,000 viewing from atop Mount Washington and an uncounted number of people viewed the demolition from various high points across the city. In 1972, the Steelers made the postseasonwhich itself was big newsbut the franchises coming-of-age moment occurred in their first playoff game with, arguably, the most memorable play in NFL history. On August 9, 1970less than a month after Three Rivers openingStargell deposited his first of four home runs he would launch into the stadiums upper deck. The longest unofficial home run in Three Rivers Stadium was a 519-foot drive unleashed well into the upper deck by the Chicago White Sox Frank Thomas during the 1994 Home Run Derby. Built as a replacement for Forbes Field, which opened in 1909, the US$55 million ($406.4 million today) multi-purpose facility was designed to maximize . Pittsburgh mayor David L. Lawrence first brought up the idea of a civic-owned sports building in 1947, but it would take eight years for joint city-county agencies to seriously begin pondering where, when and how. [51] The demolition cost $5.1million and used 4,800 pounds (2,180kg) of explosive. Skunks were said to live under the stadium. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, County of Allegheny Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, Southwestern Pennsylvania World War II Memorial. But postwar America had moved on from baseballs Gilded Age; decaying relics of yesteryear had no place in a society focused on suburbia, interstates and 707s. After reaching such heavenly highs in Three Rivers Stadiums first decade, the Pirates almost had nowhere to go but down in the 1980s. It was moved to Three Rivers Stadium, outside Gate C, on July 21, 1972. George Strait's Country Music Festival 1999. [67] On September 30, 1972, Pirates' right-fielder Roberto Clemente got his 3,000th hit at Three Rivers Stadium, three months before his death. Mark Loizeaux of Controlled Demolition, Inc. pushed the button that set off the 19-second implosion, while Elizabeth and Joseph King pushed the "ceremonial old fashioned dynamite plunger". Brett's All-Star win a big thrill", "Fun Facts About Pittsburgh's Ball Parks", "The house that the 'Immaculate Reception' built", "Steelers' former radio announcer Myron Cope dies at 79", Thirty Years of Stadium Rock Pittsburgh Music History, Baseball's Last Hero: 21 Clemente Stories, Bill Mazeroski's 1960 World Series home run, District of Columbia Stadium/RFK Memorial Stadium, Frankford High School's Community Memorial Stadium, Municipal Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Three_Rivers_Stadium&oldid=1142567592, Multi-purpose stadiums in the United States, Defunct American football venues in the United States, Defunct baseball venues in the United States, Defunct multi-purpose stadiums in the United States, Buildings and structures demolished by controlled implosion, Short description is different from Wikidata, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, July 30, 1972: Three Dog Night (2nd tour), July 13, 1973: Pittsburgh Jazz Festival (featuring, July 14, 1973: Pittsburgh Jazz Festival (featuring, July 19, 1975: World Series of Rock (featuring, June 15, 1988: Monsters of Rock Tour featuring. The model of the stadium, revealed at the end of 1964, was eye candy on a prime level; a 54,000-seat venue with an overhang that protected 70% of the fans, thinning out and angling downward toward the river; private suites; and two restaurants, one open year-round. Willie Stargell is the all-time leader in upper deck shots at the stadium, hitting four of the remaining five right-field blasts; Mark Whiten hit the other. For the Pirates, time seemed to stand still on any progress toward an actual stadium. Three Rivers has the educational foundation you need to transfer your credits or get specialized career training. And while the Bridge to Nowhere did get complete and got somewhere, some of the other promised access roads around the stadium never materialized. This fantastic plate of Three Rivers stadium is a great piece of baseball history. Delays and some disputation peppered the building phase of Three Rivers Stadium. Not even their rousing World Series season of 1960, capped by Bill Mazeroskis legendary walk-off homer in the seventh game against the New York Yankees, sped up the clock on any timetable. It also featured a Pirates Hall of Fame which, at one stage, included wax figures of Honus Wagner, Pie Traynor and Roberto Clemente wearing the uniforms of their times. Even after its implosion, Three Rivers Stadium continued to live on in the bills of taxpayers, who still had to help pay off $40 million of debt on the facility. Away from the North Side, one wild thought was to build a massive land bridge over the Monongahela River that would hold a stadium sitting on top of a multiple-story parking garage accompanied by twin skyscrapers. Taken from former site and placed in front of Heinz Field. They are devoid of personality, emotionally indistinguishable even when one knows perfectly well their specific different characteristics, he wrote. [63] The Pirates lifted their television blackout policy for home games so that local fans could see the inaugural game.