The Stadium at the time was home to the western Pennsylvania professional sports teams and was a very popular location for major events. three rivers stadium home plate location. 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. . Three Rivers Stadium stood alone, literally, as another cookie cutter, or concrete donut, or bowl. [71] A Steelers symbol recognized worldwide, The Terrible Towel debuted on December 27, 1975, at Three Rivers Stadium. Many other witnesses agreed. The Steelers would move to Heinz Field after it was closed.[73]. 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. 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. 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. Adjacent Acrisure Stadium, clad with 68,000 yellow seats, retains the rabid enthusiasm of Steelers fans. Open now. June 30, 1995: Grateful Dead played their last Pittsburgh show. Three Rivers Stadium. Pittsburgh Pirates Team History A decade-by-decade history of the Pirates, the ballparks theyve played in, and the four people who are on the franchises Mount Rushmore. Stargell came alive with a career-high 48 homers (his previous high at Forbes was a relatively mere 33), but he wasnt alone on the star chart. Roberto Clemente tallied his 3,000th hit within its walls on Sept. 30, 1972. frozen kasha varnishkes. 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. Having just fallen behind at Three Rivers to the Oakland Raiders by a 7-6 score, the Steelers were 22 seconds away from defeat and facing fourth down 60 yards from the Raiders end zone. The home of the Steelers and Pirates had been rendered obsolete by the pair of stadiums now flanking the aging concrete cylinder. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for three Rivers Stadium Seats Set of 4 connected w/Cert from Free Markets HCS at the best online prices at eBay! Before each one of his appearances, the show plays a clip of Greg Brown and Steve Blass (complete with a train whistle) calling Wehner's home run that ended up being the very last in Three Rivers Stadium history. [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. This section was taken to Three Rivers Stadium for decoration in the Allegheny Club. 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". 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. Mary Ann and her husband were Steelers season ticket holders for 42 years until Paul, 61, passed away that year. Aerial view of the Golden Triangle and Three Rivers Stadium, with parking areas still under construction. Find what to do today, this weekend, or in March. But few expected the team to plummet deep into the Hades of Baseball. 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. [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. Despite polls which showed that the public was opposed to this plan as well, on February 3, 1999, the state funding portion of "Plan B" passed the Pennsylvania State House and Senate, clearing the way for construction. The left-field upper deck had been reached by Jeff Bagwell twice, and Bob Robertson, Greg Luzinski, Howard Johnson, Glenallen Hill and Devon White (his home run struck the facade) once each.[68]. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. A look at Three Rivers Stadium from the top of the upper-deck bleacher seats. Loc. Instead of allowing cars to park, the team instructed fans to park downtown and walk to the stadium over bridges or take shuttle buses. When the dust settled, the remains were visible. The Parrot was an instant hit and remains a popular asset to this day at PNC Park. 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. With 59,568 in attendance, the largest crowd to ever attend a baseball game at the stadium,[33] the National League won 87 in the tenth inning. 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. Now, Wagner stands guard in front of the home-plate entrance at PNC Park on the corner of General Robinson Street and Mazeroski Way. The university wanted the land for expanded graduate facilities. Three Rivers Stadium (sometimes referred to simply as 3RS or "TRS") was a multipurpose sports stadium and event facility located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. 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. Though spacious Forbes Field was perfectly suited for Clementes brand of line-drive hitting, he found Three Rivers to be no problem. It is in North Shore in Pittsburgh in Allegheny County Pennsylvania, Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, August 20, 2012. In a 1984 game, 18 fans at a Pirates game suffered burns of various degrees when a rocket from a fireworks display was accidentally fired into the crowd. The family paid about $800 for the seats at auction. A 16-year-old boy won a raffle to push the button that began the detonation. Fans had to walk down ramps to get to the field (blue) level of seats. Three months later, on New Year's Eve, this true hero died in a tragic plane crash en route to help earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Pittsburgh beats Oakland 13-7 in an AFC Divisional playoff game on Franco Harris' Immaculate Reception. Site of Three Rivers Stadium in background. Roberto Clemente, aging like fine wine at 37, batted .341 and dominated the postseason to followhitting .387, shining on defense from the outfield, and earning World Series MVP honors as the Bucs came back from an early 2-0 series hole to defeat the Baltimore Orioles in seven games. The outfield wall was a 10-foot wooden fence which eventually got covered with paddingand thank goodness for that when, in a 1998 game, the Pirates Turner Ward ran right through the right-field wall while (successfully) making a catch on a Mike Piazza fly ball. Returning the following year as a member of the Reds, the Pirates wasted no time abetting the acrimony from his former fans. If Three Rivers Stadium gave the Pirates an early boost, it completely transformed the Steelers into a long-term powerhouse. 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. Since completion, PNC Park has been hailed as one of the best ballparks in the country. The final game in the stadium was won by the Steelers on December 16, 2000. Steven Adams is a Tribune-Review manager/photography. [41][42] On August 11, 1985,[43] Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band hosted the largest concert in Pittsburgh history, when they performed for 65,935 on-lookers. The reverse could be said for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers during the first of three decades they called Three Rivers Stadium home: Seemingly, everything the gold (and black) touched turned them into kings. 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. [34] On December 23, 1972, Three Rivers Stadium was site to the Immaculate Reception, which became regarded as one of the greatest plays in NFL history. Verbal hostility from spectators in state of Pennsylvania wasnt just restricted to Philadelphia; Forbes Field was somewhat notorious as a place for fans who did more than boo. Except, according to the Post-Gazettes Robert Dvorchak, for a gas station which closed in 1980, unable to make a profit. 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). After getting used to Three Rivers for half a season in 1970, the Pirates first full campaign at the stadium a year later resulted in their first world title since their fabled 1960 run at Forbes Field. When the United States Football League placed a franchise at Three Rivers Stadium in 1984, a name-the-team contest was won by a local man who came up with Maulers. His prize was a lifetime pass to the teams home games; the Maulers lasted only one year. [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. 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. That brought instant sentimentality of a kind upon a facility derided for so long by fans, but now embraced as a much-needed link from the iconic days of Forbes Field to the future days that lay ahead at the new venues. [11] It originally seated 50,611 for baseball,[11] but several expansions over the years brought it to 58,729. The debt was finally retired by 2010. This is the greatest day of my life, he told reporters. [47][48] On October 1, 2000, the Pirates were defeated 109 by the Chicago Cubs in their final game at Three Rivers Stadium. [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. No-nonsense manager Jim Leyland presided over a young and highly talented outfield that included Bonilla, Van Slyke, and a tantalizing five-tool legacy named Barry Bonds, who omitted occasional raw flashes of greatness before ascending to more consistent MVP levels. The stadium opened in 1970 and was home to the Pittsburgh Steelers football team and the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team. [23][24] It would sometimes be called The House That Clemente Built after Pirates' right-fielder Roberto Clemente. Losing the view of downtown was a bitter bill for Ritchey to swallow; he would ultimately call Three Rivers Stadium his biggest disappointment as an architect. The statue was originally located in Schenley Park, just beyond the left-field fence of Forbes Field. They received the honor of hosting the very last event at Three Rivers, easily dispensing of the Washington Redskins, 24-3. Ground was broken for the new stadiums in 1999. Three Rivers Stadium, the Pirates' and Steelers ' home at the time, had been designed for functionality rather than "architecture and aesthetics". (The story is disputed, but its a good one.). The idea came from Forbes Field, Ritchey told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2001 of his ballpark design. [28] A parade was held before opening ceremonies. 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. Much like the Pittsburgh Penguins would do with the site of Civic Arena, the Steelers retained development rights to the site of Three Rivers, and would later build Stage AE on portions of the site, as well as an office building that hosts the studios for AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, the headquarters of StarKist Tuna, and the regional headquarters of Del Monte Foods. [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). The Steelers warmed up from scratch in their first two years at Three Rivers, with a young, taciturn head coach (Chuck Noll) who made bland wallpaper exciting, and a hotshot Louisiana-born quarterback (Terry Bradshaw) learning the ropes at the pro level. By the mid-1990s, nobody was making money at Three Rivers, except the Steelerswho continued to sell out every game. The dual-sport structure had been the epicenter of Pittsburgh sports for 30 years since opening on July 16, 1970. Marker is at the intersection of Art Rooney Avenue and North Shore Drive, on the left when traveling north on Art Rooney Avenue. 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. After its closing, Three Rivers Stadium was imploded in 2001, and the Pirates and Steelers each moved into newly built stadiums. George Strait's Country Music Festival 1999. The stadium was . On July 6, 1980, the Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 54 in 20inningsthe most innings ever played at the stadium. Outside of the gates, an homage to the past was erected with the placement of a Roberto Clemente statue. [14], Bobby Bonilla hit one of the only 13 home runs ever hit into the upper deck of Three Rivers Stadium, and one of the six to the right-field side. Three Rivers Stadium implosion seen from Point State Park on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001. Downtown Pittsburgh peaks over the top of the other side. 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. With both facilities have come collateral development only dreamed about a half-century earlier, with a modern mix of parking, dining, business and green space; per example, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has relocated its headquarters right at the point where Three Rivers southeast (Gate C) entrance was once located. The scoreboard was located above the centerfield seats in the upper deck. Meanwhile, the naming of Three Rivers Stadium didnt sit well with many Pittsburghers, who rather would have seen the facility named after David Lawrence, the mayor who first championed the idea of a stadium back in 1948. 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 his heyday, everything King Midas touched turned to gold. 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. 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. 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. Price: From $89.99 to $129.99. Three Rivers structural concrete was grounded down and recycled for nearby parking lots. [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. Though they would recover, the bulk of their remaining time at Three Rivers Stadium was largely an excruciating exercise in debt-ridden futilityand even though some of the circumstances that led to their misfortunes were self-inflicted, it was clear that by the Bucs third decade at Three Rivers, a new home was badly needed. Dave Parker had batteries thrown at him in the field; his Pirates teammate of five years, outfielder Lee Lacy, had bottles tossed toward him. three rivers stadium home plate location three rivers stadium home plate location. Nothing happens in Pittsburgh without fireworks. The final Pittsburgh Steelers home game was played on December 16th, 2000 vs. the Washington Redskins. PNC Park is a baseball park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. But topping all of the above has to be, by all accounts, the most bizarre incident in the history of Three Rivers Stadium. . Three Rivers Stadium. 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. Three Rivers Stadiums original scoreboard extends out above the outfield wall. Five years after local authorities said yes to a new stadium, there wasnt even a scope of work; the Fort Duquesne Bridge, conceptualized specifically to carry auto traffic from downtown Pittsburgh toward the stadium, was 90% completewith the last 10% on hold until there was actual progress 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. 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. This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 04:17. Meanwhile, the team found that their only way to replace Barry Bonds was to stick Al Martin in left field every night. The Pitt Panthers played at Three Rivers Stadium on multiple occasions. [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. Home, the place of origin or a destination point, is where the heart is. Without a hitch, a 1985 Bruce Springsteen gig at Three Rivers drew 65,000, the largest gathering for any event at the stadium. 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. In the aftermath of his death, fans and reporters alike lobbied to have Three Rivers renamed after Clemente, but the effort never gained enough traction. Essentially, Ritchey envisioned PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field) four decades before they were built. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).
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