Three Rivers Stadium

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Three Rivers Stadium
Aerial view of Three Rivers Stadium, circa 2000
Location	300 Stadium Circle Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212
Opened	July 16, 1970
Closed	October 1, 2000
Demolished	February 4, 2001
Owner	City of Pittsburgh
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)
Seats
47,971 (baseball) 59,000 (football)
Dimensions
Left Field - 335 ft Left-Center - 375 ft Center Field - 400 ft Right-Center - 375 ft Right Field - 335 ft Backstop - 60 ft

Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose sports stadium and event facility located in Pittsburgh, PA 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.

Three Rivers Stadium opened on July 16, 1970, and was home to Pittsburgh's Pirates, Steelers, and the USFL Maulers, as well as to concerts, monster truck rallies, professional wrestling shows, Billy Graham-type revivals, high school football play-offs, and three other types of 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 In all, Three Rivers Stadium hosted over 5,000 events in its 30 years of existence, but it was seen as an outdated facility in the "luxury box" and "signature stadium" era of the 21st century.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 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" approach was employed (Washington, New York, Houston, Atlanta, St. Louis, 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 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.

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 Pittsburgh 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.

The Steelers fielded what was ostensibly the greatest NFL team of all time, culminating in four championship trophies in six years during the 1970's with wins in Super Bowl IX, Super Bowl X, Super Bowl XIII and Super Bowl XIV. 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 1990's 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 occurred on January 15, 1995, when the San Diego Chargers scored a last-second goal line stand and upset the Steelers in the AFC championship game, 17-13, negating a stellar performance by quarterback Neil O'Donnell.

For the 2000 football season, Three Rivers Stadium was the interim home for the University of Pittsburgh football team. During that season, the stadium played host to the last game of the longtime Pitt-Penn State rivalry, which Pitt won, 12-0 points.

Three Rivers Stadium was imploded on February 11, 2001. The Pirates moved into a baseball-specific facility, PNC Park, situated just east of the old stadium, along the north bank of the Allegheny River. Later that year, the Steelers moved into Heinz Field, built approximately west of the Three Rivers Stadium site.

[edit] External links

Preceded by Forbes Field 1909–1970	Home of the Pittsburgh Pirates 1970–2000	Succeeded by PNC Park 2001–present

Preceded by Royal Stadium	Host of the All-Star Game 1974	Succeeded by Milwaukee County Stadium
Preceded by Oriole Park at Camden Yards	Host of the All-Star Game 1994	Succeeded by The Ballpark in Arlington