On July 6, 1980, the Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 54 in 20inningsthe most innings ever played at the stadium. [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. The Pittsburgh Steelers played their first game in Three Rivers Stadium on September 20, 1970a 19-7 loss to the Houston Oilers. The Pitt Panthers played at Three Rivers Stadium on multiple occasions. 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. Rivers Stadium Club Features Enjoy Chicago Dogs baseball from the comforts of the Rivers Stadium Club. As bad as sports fans were at Three Rivers, those attending concerts were even worse. At the time, the stadium still had a debt of just less than . It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. 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. But few expected the team to plummet deep into the Hades of Baseball. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Three Rivers Stadium implosion as seen from Point State Park. Three Rivers Stadium. Stadium Concert. Pittsburgh Jazz Festival Aretha Franklin, the Staple Singers, Walt Harper, Roland Kirk, David Newman, and Herbie Mann. The prescript to Three Rivers Stadium is a familiar one: Aging ballpark, long ago gorgeous and glittering, is beginning to age beyond repair. 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 Games 3, 4 and 5 of the Series were played at Three Rivers. (The story is disputed, but its a good one.). Another question is the precise location of the monument to Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss . Due to lack of support, however, the arguments faded. 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 initial chatter toward a modern stadium actually predated the universitys purchase of Forbes by a decade. April 1985: General view of Three Rivers Stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, during a Major League Baseball game in April 1985 in Pittsburgh,. The final game in the stadium was won by the Steelers on December 16, 2000. Three Rivers Stadium stood alone, literally, as another cookie cutter, or concrete donut, or bowl. Forced to go back to the drawing board, Ritchey had no choice but to artistically cave to the tight budget, designing a fully-enclosed stadium with a symmetrical build that appealed to a more cost-effective solution. A three level parking garage accommodating 2,500 cars encased the stadium with the entry gates to the stadium on the second (green) level. 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. The formal closing ceremony centers on home plate. The National League won the game 72 and the Pirates' Ken Brett was the winning pitcher. Locals mocked it as the Bridge to Nowhere.. [49] Two months later on December 16, 2000, the Steelers concluded play at Three Rivers Stadium, with a 243 victory over the Washington Redskins.[50]. Arch. After reaching such heavenly highs in Three Rivers Stadiums first decade, the Pirates almost had nowhere to go but down in the 1980s. Many other witnesses agreed. Fans had to walk down ramps to get to the field (blue) level of seats. Three Rivers Stadium was the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League. Three Rivers Stadium had a beverage contract with Coca-Cola throughout its history. [42] The stadium hosted various Jehovah's Witnesses conventions, including international conventions in 1973 and 1978, and a centennial conference in 1984. 104 View Of Three Rivers Stadium Premium High Res Photos Browse 104 view of three rivers stadium stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Tuesday 00:00 . [66] In 1979, the Pirates again won a World Championship, yet again defeating the Baltimore Orioles in a seven-game World Series. Official fundraiser page for Pittsburgh Baseball HISTORY TRAIL, THREE RIVERS STADIUM HOME PLATE and Informational Marker As the development of the land. By the mid-1990s, nobody was making money at Three Rivers, except the Steelerswho continued to sell out every game. 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. Stadium Concert. The Ballparks: Forbes Field 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. 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. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, County of Allegheny Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, Southwestern Pennsylvania World War II Memorial. July 3, 2022 In consider how sergei reacts when yoni comes to the door. The Steelers won 13 home playoff games at Three Rivers Stadium. It was followed closely by crowds of 60,000-plus for the Rolling Stones and Genesis. Costing $1.5 million, the board would be replaced after just 13 years by a Jumbotron placed higher up in the top deck. [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. Initially, the grounds crew wore #3 on their backs to represent the three rivers. 7/13/1973. 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. The opening of Three Rivers marked the first time the Pirates allowed beer to be sold in the stands during a game since the early 1960s. Approximate Location of Three Rivers Stadium Left Field Corner Looking Toward Home Plate. 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. The Pirates may have been overtaken by the Steelers as Pittsburghs most adored, but they still had Mojo; an aging but still dangerous Willie Stargell was joined by a colorful cast of characters that included burly MVP-level slugger Dave Parker, the tirelessly skinny and bespectacled reliever Kent Tekulve, and 67 starting pitcher John Candelaria, who threw the Bucs first no-hitter at Three Rivers in 1976. Three Rivers Stadium. Terry Bradshaw was a frequent target of boosbut his successors at the quarterback spot fared far worse. You could sit in the stands and see Flagstaff Hill and Schenley Park. 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. [40], Due to Three Rivers Stadium's multi-purpose design, bands including Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, and The Who hosted concerts at the venue. They slapped tarps in the upper reaches of the top deck to reduce capacity by 10,000; placed ads on the outfield walls; opened a caf behind the left-field fence, which had slats cut out so patrons could view the game; replaced the original red-and-gold seats with new ones painted in blue; and opened a full-scale restaurant, featuring two bars serving microbrews, near the southeast entrance with glass windows looking out towards downtown Pittsburgh. Its enclosed nature was a necessity of compromise, a confluence of sports teams near a confluence of rivers, yielding a confluence of championship glory before tough times set inmost certainly for a Pirates team that found progress in the modern age a steep slope to climb. . Following the season on New Years Eve, Clemente boarded a DC-7 in his native Puerto Rico on its way to Nicaragua to provide aid for victims of a recent earthquake; the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean moments after takeoff, killing Clemente and four others onboard. Fans embraced the Steelers in a way never felt by the Pirates; blue-collar fans somehow scraped up enough cash to fill the joint over and over againfrom 1972 on, the Steelers sold out every game at Three Riversand formed rabid fan groups celebrating players from Franco Harris to placekicker Roy Gerela. 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. Numerous seats were auctioned off, including 3,727 of the blue field level seatssnapped up by the minor-league Long Island Ducks. He hit three of them before anyone else did it even once. It was named in February 1969 for its location at the confluence of the Allegheny and . Bid History for Three Rivers Stadium Seats Auction Start Date: 01/17/17 8:35 AM ET Auction End Date: 01/24/17 8:54 PM ET . The team proudly released a chart of the loudest decibel level counts during each of Parkers at-bats in his first game back at Three Rivers as a member of the Reds. [30][31] Due to their similar design these stadiums were nicknamed "cookie-cutter" or "concrete doughnut" ballparks. They received the honor of hosting the very last event at Three Rivers, easily dispensing of the Washington Redskins, 24-3. 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. Its not that the Pirates had a choice in Forbes Fields fateat least not after 1958, when they sold the ballpark to the adjacent University of Pittsburgh, which wanted to raze the structure for campus expansion. Delays and some disputation peppered the building phase of Three Rivers Stadium. In the 1971 World Series, Three Rivers Stadium hosted the first World Series game played at night. Aerial view of the Golden Triangle and Three Rivers Stadium, with parking areas still under construction. [36], In 1975, the baseball field's outfield fences were moved 10 feet (3 m) closer to home plate, in an attempt to boost home run numbers. boundtree continuing education; can you be charged under ucmj after discharge. Nothing. The longest game at the stadium was played on August 6, 1989, when Jeff King hit a walk-off home run 5hours and 42minutes into the 18-inning contest, as the Pirates once again beat the Cubs 54. Three Rivers Stadium is imploded as the first rounds of dynamite go off. Both the Pirates and Steelers won it all that year, capping a sensational first decade at Three Rivers Stadium in which both teams combined for six championship titles (Sports Illustrated). . This fantastic plate of Three Rivers stadium is a great piece of baseball history. Due to lack of support, however, the arguments faded. Wagner, Kiner and Clemente could all agree that excitement was never in short supply at the Old Lady of Schenley Park. [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). Stadium was still under construction due to labor disputes and later opened on 7.16.70 against the Reds. Skunks were said to live under the stadium. The reason for the only sellout in the short (one year) history of the United States Football Leagues Pittsburgh Maulers at Three Rivers was so that fans could rain boos and ice upon former Steelers QB Cliff Stoudt, appearing for the visiting Birmingham Stallions. [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. They are devoid of personality, emotionally indistinguishable even when one knows perfectly well their specific different characteristics, he wrote. (Historic Pittsburgh). Touch for map. The Steelers sold out every home game from 1972 through the closing of the stadium, a streak which continues through 2008. The Honus Wagner statue, which used to stand outside of Forbes Field, stood outside of Three Rivers Stadium. Three Rivers Stadium was simply not a good place to take in a game. 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. [38][39] The field originally used "Gamesaver vacuum vehicles" to dry the surface, though they were later replaced by an underground drainage system. The look of the stadium, meanwhile, would be the responsibility of Deeter Ritchey Sipple (DRS), which drew up the beautiful downtown plaza Mellon Square and the highly acclaimed Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, the first sports structure with a retractable roof. 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. Joe B. Fleisner (left) and Jared Castine stack seats removed from the stands at Three Rivers Stadium on Jan. 3, 2000, in preparation for the auction of the contents. 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. Marker is at the intersection of Art Rooney Avenue and North Shore Drive, on the left when traveling north on Art Rooney Avenue. [23][24] It would sometimes be called The House That Clemente Built after Pirates' right-fielder Roberto Clemente. 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". By the early 1990s, multipurpose stadiums had gone out of fashion. No team ever scored 20 or more runs in a game at Three Rivers Stadium. [34] Throughout their 31seasons in Three Rivers Stadium, the Steelers posted a record of 18272, including a 13-5 playoff record, and defeated every visiting franchise at least once from the stadium's opening to close, enjoying perfect records there against seven teams. You can see the top of Fort Pittsburgh Bridge (I-279) at the bottom. 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. 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. It's been 20 years since the home of the Pirates and Steelers was imploded before the new stadiums were opened. We had some immaculate times at Three Rivers Stadium.#SteelersHistory #ImmaculateReception pic.twitter.com/F5xEbYOd3j, Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) February 12, 2018. Contact us at This Great Game. An automatic tarp, which wasnt so much meant to replace the grounds crew as it was to make their jobs easier, made everyones life miserable one night late in 1970 when it crashed back into the trench where it was stored; a rain delay became a suspension of the game until the next day while the apparatus was fixed.

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