Three Rivers Stadium

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Three Rivers Stadium
Stadium of Champions
Location	300 Stadium Circle Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212 (now demolished)
Opened	July 16, 1970
Closed	December 16, 2000
Demolished	February 11, 2001
Owner	City of Pittsburgh
Operator	SMG
Surface	Tartanturf (1970-1982) AstroTurf (1983-2000)
Construction cost	$55 million
Architect	Deeter Ritchy Sipple, Michael Baker, Jr. and Osborn Engineering
Tenants	Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB) (1970-2000) Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL) (1970-2000) University of Pittsburgh (NCAA) (2000) Pittsburgh Maulers (USFL) (1984)
Capacity	47,971 (baseball) 59,000 (football)
Field dimensions	Left Field - 340 ft (1970), 335 ft (1975) Left-Center - 385 ft (1970), 375 ft (1975) Center Field - 410 ft (1970), 400 ft (1975) Right-Center - 385 ft (1970), 375 ft (1975) Right Field - 340 ft (1970), 335 ft (1975) Backstop - 60 ft

Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose sports stadium and event facility located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 through 2000.

The stadium's name was derived from the junction of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers, where they formed the Ohio River, the "Golden Triangle". The stadium was located on the north side of the confluence.

[edit] Design

The stadium's design was nearly circular, attempting to facilitate use by the Pirates and Steelers with equal accommodation. Unfortunately, as was the case with other cities in which this so-called "cookie cutter stadium" approach was employed (Washington, New York, Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, Oakland, San Diego, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia), the fundamentally different shapes of the playing fields made the stadium inadequate to the needs of either sport. Even by "cookie cutter" standards, the upper deck at Three Rivers (known to regular stadium-goers as "Peanut Heaven") was exceptionally high, making for steep climbs by event attendees and adding to its cavernous feel. By the 1990s, the use of multiple low-bid contractors in its construction began to show, as parts of the concrete began to turn differing shades of brown.

[edit] History

In 1958, the Pirates sold Forbes Field to the University of Pittsburgh, who wanted the land for expanded graduate facilities. Pitt then leased Forbes back to the Pirates until a new multipurpose stadium could be built. The Steelers opted to play at Pitt Stadium in the meantime.

A site on the North Side had been chosen earlier in the year, but it took until April 25, 1968 to finally break ground. Three Rivers Stadium opened on July 16, 1970, and was home to the Pirates, Steelers and the USFL Maulers, as well as to concerts, monster truck rallies, professional wrestling shows, Billy Graham-type revivals, high school football playoffs, and other events. In all, Three Rivers Stadium hosted over 5,000 events in its 30 years of existence, but it was seen as an outdated facility in the "luxury box" and "signature stadium" era of the 21st century.

The Honus Wagner Statue outside Gate C

The stadium did have its moments of glory and drama, mostly in its first decade of existence. The Pirates won the 1971 and 1979 World Series while playing here, upsetting the favored Baltimore Orioles in both series. The 1971 World Series featured the first night game in World Series history (Game 4). Roberto Clemente ended his career while playing here, garnering 3,000 hits before his death in a plane crash while transporting earthquake relief supplies in December 1972. Slugger Willie Stargell established himself as a fan favorite. The Pirates also made the playoffs during 1990-1991-1992, only to be defeated by the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves. Since then, the competitive disproportions of the big-contract era in baseball has made it extremely difficult for small market teams like the Pirates to be competitive. Three Rivers also hosted the 1974 and 1994 Major League Baseball All-Star Games. Pirate pitcher Ken Brett was the winning pitcher (and only Pirate) in the 1974 game. On October 1, 2000, the Pirates held their last game ever at Three Rivers Stadium against the Chicago Cubs when they lost 10-9. The Pirates threw a celebration after the game when the team moved home plate to PNC Park while it was under construction. Both Superstation WGN and FSN Pittsburgh were among the networks that televised the last game ever at Three Rivers.

The Steelers enjoyed their greatest era while playing at Three Rivers, culminating in four championship trophies in six years during the 1970s with wins in Super Bowl IX, Super Bowl X, Super Bowl XIII and Super Bowl XIV. No NFL team has since replicated or bettered the feat of winning four Super Bowls in six years. The Steelers, coached by Chuck Noll, featured quarterback Terry Bradshaw, running back Franco Harris, receiver Lynn Swann, and defender "Mean" Joe Greene, who anchored the "Steel Curtain." The "Immaculate Reception" occurred here, in a 1972 AFC playoff game against the Oakland Raiders. In the 1990s the Steelers, coached by Bill Cowher, again made the Super Bowl (Super Bowl XXX), only to lose to the Dallas Cowboys. One of the biggest upsets in NFL history (as well as one the worst losses in club history) occurred on January 15, 1995, when the San Diego Chargers scored a late-game goal line stand and upset the Steelers in the AFC Championship Game, 17-13, despite a then-AFC Championship Game Record 347 passing yards by quarterback Neil O'Donnell. A year later, on January 14, 1996, the franchise clinched its fifth conference title with a 20-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game, surviving a last-second Hail Mary pass attempt by the Colts' Jim Harbaugh that just barely fell incomplete. The stadium would go on to host one more conference title game, on January 11, 1998, as the Steelers fell, 24-21, to John Elway and the eventual Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos. As it turned out, it was the last NFL playoff game ever played at Three Rivers Stadium.

For the 2000 football season, Three Rivers Stadium was the interim home for the Pittsburgh Panthers football team, after Pitt Stadium shut down in 1999. Penn State and their storied coach Joe Paterno visited Three Rivers during this season, with Pitt winning 12-0 in the last game to date between these old rivals. The stadium officially shut down for good following the Steelers' 24-3 win over the Washington Redskins on Saturday, December 16, 2000. Prior to the start of the game, the Steelers honored all of their greatest players to ever play at Three Rivers Stadium. The last game ever was broadcast by FOX. Eight weeks later on the early morning of Sunday, February 11, 2001, Three Rivers Stadium was imploded. The Pirates moved into a baseball-specific facility, PNC Park, situated to the east of the old stadium site, along the north bank of the Allegheny River. Later that year, the Steelers, along with the University of Pittsburgh football team, moved into football-specific Heinz Field, built right next to the old stadium site to the west, along the north bank of the Ohio River. The "Gate D" sign to the stadium, near Heinz Field, is what is left of Three Rivers Stadium. Fans were allowed to take home Three Rivers Stadium's seats and turf, among other things after the implosion in 2001. The UPMC Sportsworks Center contains seats from Three Rivers Stadium. On November 26, 2007, an historical plaque was dedicated by the "Gate D" area in honor of Three Rivers Stadium.

• Hosted 20 NLCS games: 1970-Games 1 & 2, 1971-Games 3 & 4, 1972-Games 1 & 2, 1974-Games 1 & 2, 1975-Game 3, 1979-Game 3, 1990-Games 3, 4 & 5, 1991-Games 1, 2, 6 & 7 and 1992-Games 3, 4 & 5. The 1971, 1975, 1979 and 1991 National League pennants were clinched at Three Rivers Stadium. The Cincinnati Reds (1975) and Atlanta Braves (1991) were the only opposing teams to clinch pennants at Three Rivers.
• Hosted 6 World Series games: 1971-Games 3, 4 & 5 and 1979-Games 3, 4 & 5. Both series ended in Baltimore.
• Hosted 18 NFL playoff games (Steelers were 13-5), including 7 AFC Championship Games: 1972, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1994, 1995 and 1997. The Miami Dolphins (1972), San Diego Chargers (1994) and Denver Broncos (1997) were the only opposing teams to clinch conference titles at Three Rivers.
• Hosted 14 Backyard Brawl college football games between Pittsburgh Panthers and West Virginia University: 1970, 1972, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1998, and 2000

Bold indicates won by the Pirates, Steelers, and Pitt.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Three Rivers Stadium

• Steelers Fever - Three Rivers Stadium
• Three Rivers Stadium Statistics
• Pittsburgh Pirates official website
• Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Official website
• Pirates Ballparks website
• Three Rivers Stadium website

Coordinates: 40°26′47.5″N, 80°0′45.5″W