Doug Harvey hands Roberto Clemente the ball after he doubled off the Mets' Jon Matlack for his 3,000th career hit on September 30, 1972. 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 . It had hotels. Youre in a bowl.. 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. Thousands of souvenirs had already made their way into the hands of fans. Home to the Pirates, who won two World Series, and the Steelers, who won four Super Bowl Championships, creating Pittsburgh's "City of Champions" identity. With that said it is a wild river and when roaring . Dave Nightengale wrote of the stadium having all the life of a funeral parlor. [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. Although the Pirates, in the midst of a two-decade stretch of losing unparalleled in pro sports, were awful over Three Rivers final two years, they managed to never draw a crowd under 10,000. THREE RIVERS STADIUM Pittsburgh, PA For three decades along the banks of the Allegheny River sat Three Rivers Stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Courtesy of Pittsburgh Steelers Collection. 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. [23][24] It would sometimes be called The House That Clemente Built after Pirates' right-fielder Roberto Clemente. Approximate Location of Three Rivers Stadium Left Field Corner Looking Toward Home Plate. Pirates outfielder John Vander Wal warms up in front of the Kiss It Goodbye sign showing zero games remaining during the final game at Three Rivers Stadium. Despite the last-game loss, Three Rivers ended up being very, very good for the Piratesat least on the field, where they finished with a 1,324-1,081 record. Three Rivers Stadium | Baseball Wiki | Fandom Three Rivers Stadium: The concrete will crumble but the memories will 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. Once the dust cloud dissipated, the crumbled remains become visible. three rivers stadium seats for sale | eBay It is in North Shore. 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. If 25,000 people go (to Three Rivers) for a game, said one-time Pirate Phil Garner to The Sporting News, most of them will still be there two hours after the game.. Maryland Baseball Park/Westport Park (Baltimore, MD) - Deadball Baseball He hit three of them before anyone else did it even once. = Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time 1 = A team used the stadium when their permanent stadium was unable to be used as a result of damage. This fantastic plate of Three Rivers stadium is a great piece of baseball history. The dual-sport structure had been the epicenter of Pittsburgh sports for 30 years since opening on July 16, 1970. [36] The bullpens were moved to multiple locations throughout the stadium's history; however, their first position was also their final onebeyond the right-field fence. [33][62] The first pitch was thrown by Dock Ellisa striketo Ty Cline. 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. A Collage Of Three Rivers Stadium | From This Seat At the time of the demolition, Three Rivers Stadium still had $27.93 million in debt ($42.7 million today), some of it from the original construction but the rest from renovations in the mid-1980s, bringing more criticism to the public funding of sports stadiums. Pittsburgh beats Oakland 13-7 in an AFC Divisional playoff game on Franco Harris' Immaculate Reception. After reaching such heavenly highs in Three Rivers Stadiums first decade, the Pirates almost had nowhere to go but down in the 1980s. Stadium Concert. Three Rivers Stadium (sometimes referred to simply as 3RS or "TRS") was a multipurpose sports stadium and event facility located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. 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. Three Rivers Stadium had a beverage contract with Coca-Cola throughout its history. The pentagon will be lifted out of its resting . [11], In 1958, the Pirates sold Forbes to the University of Pittsburgh for $2 million ($18.8 million today). Due to lack of support, however, the arguments faded. [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 Pirates were not using the pending eviction to leave town; the university would, in fact, be patiently gracious in letting Forbes Field remain standing and active as long as the Pirates needed it. 49 were here. A jury awarded Jones $125,000, but it was reversed on appeal. Stadium was still under construction due to labor disputes and later opened on 7.16.70 against the Reds. Joining a wave of sports construction that swept the United States in the 1990s, both the Pirates and Steelers began a push for a new stadium. The North Side, that industrial wasteland, was making a serious bid to become the place to see and be seen in Pittsburgh. You can see the top of Fort Pittsburgh Bridge (I-279) at the bottom. Oakland head coach John Madden often told the story of what happened next: The refs got on the phone and asked stadium officials if they could guarantee their safety off the field. [45] The venue also served as the premiere of the 1994 Disney film Angels in the Outfield which, despite being based around the California Angels, paid homage to the original 1951 film, which featured the Pirates in "heavenly" need.[46]. Appears to be made of some kind of wood. Three Rivers Stadium was demolished on February 11th, 2001 at 8 AM. 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 Steelers moved a few yards away to their new home at Heinz Field, while the Pirates took a short walk upriver to PNC Park. THREE RIVERS STADIUM - Ballparks of Baseball It was to call for a 70,000-seat stadium with hotels, marina, and a 100-lane bowling alley. 7/13/1973. A proposal for a new sports stadium in Pittsburgh was first made in 1948; however, plans did not attract much attention until the late 1950s. olivia tampa dress code; hydroponic farm names; . design Seat prox. Forty years earlier, Art Rooney had paid $2,500 he had floating around from winnings at the racetrack to purchase an expansion National Football League team in Pittsburgh. [37] Renovations for the start of the 1983 baseball season included replacing the Tartan Turf with AstroTurf, the center field Stewart-Warner scoreboard being removed and replaced with new seatingwhile a new Diamond Vision scoreboard with a White Way messageboard was installed at the top of the center field upper deckand the outfield fence being painted blue from the previous aqua. Terry Bradshaw was a frequent target of boosbut his successors at the quarterback spot fared far worse. All good things come to an end. Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. Monday 00:00 - 00:00. The Pitt Panthers played at Three Rivers Stadium on multiple occasions. Three Rivers Stadium | American Football Wiki | Fandom [11] The sight lines were more favorable to football; almost 70% of the seats in the baseball configuration were in fair territory. Open now. Site of Three Rivers Stadium in background. Stadium Concert. Three Rivers Stadium * and N.N.L. Due to lack of support, however, the arguments faded. Truist Park - pictures, information and more of the Atlanta Braves ballpark Ground was broken in April 1968 and an oft behind-schedule construction plan lasted for 29months. Ritchey was vetoed on the twin-stadium concept but, for the moment, was able to retain his open-air design for the multi-purpose concept. 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. But the debt needed to be paid and the crowds, as misbehaved as they often were, were massive. Contents Three rivers stadium implosion february 11 2001 at 8 00 am 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. DRS principal Dahlen Ritchey, who grew up a big Pirates fan and forever regretted the day he gave away his Game Seven tickets to the 1960 World Series (because he was sure the Pirates would lose), initially lobbied for separate side-by-side stadiums for the Pirates and Steelerswith the Bucs ballpark providing an open view beyond its outfield of downtown. PNC Park is a baseball park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Tim McGraw / Kenny Chesney / George Strait / The Chicks (US) / Jo Dee Messina / Mark Wills / Asleep At the Wheel. Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh is demolished by implosion, Feb. 11, 2001. [9] For their part, according to longtime Pirates announcer Bob Prince, the Pirates wanted a bigger place to play in order to draw more revenue. Contact us at This Great Game. 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. Buying was a consortium of private and public sources, meant as a stopgap to keep the team in Pittsburgh and buy time to find a longer-term owner who had yet to come along. Rivers Stadium Club - The Chicago Dogs The stadium opened in 1970 and was home to the Pittsburgh Steelers football team and the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team. Three Rivers Stadium - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - BallparkReviews.com It was a cold Sunday, Feb. 11 20 years ago that a demolition crew reduced Three Rivers Stadium to a heap of rubble and twisted steel. Three Rivers Stadium implosion seen from Point State Park on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001. It hosted the World Series in 1971 and 1979 and the All-Star Game in 1974 and 1994. But modern times also made for a strong presence. Three Rivers Stadium (demolished) - Virtual Globetrotting 7/30/1972. This section was taken to Three Rivers Stadium for decoration in the Allegheny Club. The son of a saloon owner who ran a favored watering home for baseball fans in the Exposition Park era, Rooneyhimself not too bad a minor league ballplayerfirst named his team after the Pirates before changing it to the Steelers in 1940. Three Rivers Stadium stood alone, literally, as another cookie cutter, or concrete donut, or bowl. Three Rivers Stadium Plaque | eBay [35][36] It had a dirt skin infield on the basepaths for baseball through 1972,[26] until converted to "sliding pits" at the bases for 1973. If the Pittsburgh Pirates sense that theyre being ignored by their faithful at PNC Park, they shouldnt take it personally; after all, the teams only competition isnt sitting in the visitors dugout. The stadiums only physical feature that remains where it once stood is an obelisk-style beacon for Gate D, which could be found in a grassy area outside the south end zone of Acrisure Stadium. Clem's Baseball ~ Forbes Field Ground was broken for the new stadiums in 1999. On Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001, with the temperature just 21 degrees, more than 20,000 people filled Point State Park to watch the implosion of Three Rivers Stadium. 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. 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. Three Rivers Stadium Concert Schedule - Pittsburgh Music History Call: (847)636-5450 After its closing, Three Rivers Stadium was imploded in 2001, and the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers moved into newly built dedicated stadiums: PNC Park and Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium), respectively. Driving directions to Three Rivers Stadium Home Plate Location Skunks were said to live under the stadium. Home - Three Rivers College Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. 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. 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. 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. Fifty years ago, on July 16, 1970, Three Rivers Stadium opened in Pittsburgh, Pa. Eventually the 1980s came along and concert crowds began to mellow with age. In the summer of 1998, Three Rivers Stadium receive its death sentence with the approval of PNC Park and Heinz Field, side-by-side facilities built exclusively for the Pirates and Steelers, respectively. Costing $1.5 million, the board would be replaced after just 13 years by a Jumbotron placed higher up in the top deck. The concourse areas were dark and dingy. It was the second ballpark to be located across the river from downtown Pittsburgh as the Pirates had played at Exposition Park from 1890 to 1909. Free shipping for many products! The broadcast crew consisted of the original MNF trio of Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell and Don Meredith. Three Rivers Stadium Plaque. It was moved to Three Rivers Stadium, outside Gate C, on July 21, 1972. The Steelers, surprisingly, were not immune to the fans bully ethic. [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]. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, County of Allegheny Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, Southwestern Pennsylvania World War II Memorial. Loc. 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 [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. The stadium was . It's been 20 years since the home of the Pirates and Steelers was imploded before the new stadiums were opened. [15] A site on the city's Northside was approved on August 10, 1958, due to land availability and parking space,[15] the latter of which had been a problem at Forbes Field. The fans celebrated in the streets to Sister Sledges We Are Family, the Pirates adopted theme song of the 1979 campaign; Stargell, for his combination of sage and vintage strength at age 39, won co-NL MVP honors (with St. Louis Keith Hernandez) and the straight MVP for both the NLCS and World Series. Ballpark Brothers | Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA This view of Three Rivers Stadium from Mount Washington, about a mile away on the south side of downtown Pittsburgh, shows Point State Park where the Allegheny River (next to the stadium) joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River. Photos: 20 years ago, Three Rivers Stadium came crashing down [52][53] With the newly constructed Heinz Field only 80 feet (24m) away, effects from the blast were a concern. Jun 06, 1999. PITTSBURGH STEELERS THREE RIVERS STADIUM TWO RED SEATS - 1 & 2 Pre-Owned $1,000.00 angelica1 (54,658) 99.6% Buy It Now Free local pickup 40 watchers Sponsored Franco Harris Signed Steelers Seat Bracket From Three Rivers Stadium W/COA $250.00 firstrounder1988 (420) 100% or Best Offer +$22.80 shipping Sponsored Sunday 00:00 - 00:00. 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. Nothing happens in Pittsburgh without fireworks. In 1979, the Pirates introduced the Pirate Parrot, a mascot patterned after the successful debut of the Phillie Phanatic in Philadelphia a year earlier. Three Dog Night. ", The Pittsburgh Steelers played their first game in Three Rivers Stadium on September 20, 1970a 197 loss to the Houston Oilers. Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. It was a winneruntil the construction bids all came in at $10 million above the projected $26 million cost. The debt was finally retired by 2010. Three Rivers Stadium lives on in many different ways. Rivers Stadium Club Features Enjoy Chicago Dogs baseball from the comforts of the Rivers Stadium Club. 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. Some fans from out of town would reserve hotels in downtown Pittsburgh before attending an event at the Stadium. [9] The same site had hosted Exposition Park, which the Pirates had left in 1909. [22] In January 1970, the new target date was set for May 29; however, because of a failure to install the lights on schedule, opening day was delayed once more to July 16. Photographed By Unknown, September 30, 1972. 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. Signup for our newsletter to get notified about sales and new products. [67] On September 30, 1972, Pirates' right-fielder Roberto Clemente got his 3,000th hit at Three Rivers Stadium, three months before his death. (FlickrJoel Dinda). The university wanted the land for expanded graduate facilities. The Steelers sold out every home game from 1972 through the closing of the stadium, a streak which continues through 2008. The Pirates lost the inaugural contest to the Reds, 3-2. By the time it put the team up for sale in 1986, the Galbreaths lost $18 million in 15 years at Three Rivers, making a profit only during the ballclubs first full season there (1971). Most of the stadium's former site became a parking lot for PNC Park and Heinz Field. It took 10 years to wipe it off the books. Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. A look at Three Rivers Stadium from the top of the upper-deck bleacher seats. Deciding the where was the easy part; little debate was spent on the choice to place a new stadium across from downtown on the north side of the Allegheny, an ugly hodgepodge of industrial blight strewn with abandoned warehouses and neglected trainyards. It was followed closely by crowds of 60,000-plus for the Rolling Stones and Genesis. In December 1987, an evidently deranged man managed to drive his car through the stadium and out on the fieldin the process, barely missing four employees but not several trucks carrying barrels of nacho cheese, much of which ended up covering his car.