Not even their rousing World Series season of 1960, capped by Bill Mazeroskis legendary walk-off homer in the seventh game against the New York Yankees, sped up the clock on any timetable. After thirty years of being locked in at Three Rivers Stadium, who can blame them. Returning the following year as a member of the Reds, the Pirates wasted no time abetting the acrimony from his former fans. (Historic Pittsburgh). [52][53] With the newly constructed Heinz Field only 80 feet (24m) away, effects from the blast were a concern. George Strait's Country Music Festival 1999. (FlickrJoel Dinda). Three Rivers Stadium Fun Facts: Opened in 1971 with a seating capacity of 59,000 for football. The dual-sport structure had been the epicenter of Pittsburgh sports for 30 years since opening on July 16, 1970. Alas, bureaucracy won the day over beauty and urban community. 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. Ground was broken in April 1968 and an oft behind-schedule construction plan lasted for 29months. They received the honor of hosting the very last event at Three Rivers, easily dispensing of the Washington Redskins, 24-3. [15] In April 1969, construction was behind schedule and the target opening of April 1970 was deemed unlikely to be met. 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. "A guy did get me the ball from the last home run, yes," said Wehner. Contact us at This Great Game. Steven Adams is a Tribune-Review manager/photography. Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. At the groundbreaking for Three Rivers Stadium, April 1968, Steelers owner Art Rooney kicks a football, while Dan Rooney holds. The Pirates lost the inaugural contest to the Reds, 3-2. Now, Wagner stands guard in front of the home-plate entrance at PNC Park on the corner of General Robinson Street and Mazeroski Way. 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. Three Rivers Stadium Three Rivers Stadium and sports on the Northside of Pittsburgh Operating as usual 10/01/2022 Remembering Roberto: Home plate memorial honoring his 3,000th hit to be placed in the North Shore https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/remembering-roberto-home-plate-memorial-honoring-his-3000th-hit-to-be-placed-in-the-north-shore/ 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. 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. When they were told no, they put up their hands and signaled touchdown. 15 years later, the midsummer classic returned in 1994. After his arrest and asked to explain his lapse into mental freefall to do all of these things, the man put the blame on Steelers quarterback Mark Malone, who was finishing up an awful (46% completion rate, six touchdowns, 19 interceptions) season for Pittsburgh. Three Rivers Stadium Home Plate Location. Three Rivers Stadium lives on in many different ways. Home, the place of origin or a destination point, is where the heart is. When 70,000 peoplemany without ticketsattempted to force their way into a 1976 concert featuring ZZ Top and Aerosmith, leading to an injury count of at least 250, public officials debated whether to end rock music acts at Three Rivers. [14] A design was presented in 1958 which featured an open centerfield designthrough which fans could view Pittsburgh's "Golden Triangle". [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. Franco Harris rushed for 27 100-yard games at Three Rivers Stadium. Three Rivers Stadium exhibited a number of growing pains from the first day on. Another question is the precise location of the monument to Pirates owner Barney Dreyfuss . Thousands of souvenirs had already made their way into the hands of fans. No perfect game was ever thrown at Three Rivers, but in 1981 the Pirates Jim Bibby retired 27 Atlanta batters in a row after allowing a leadoff single in the first inning. The Jumbotron scoreboard, which replaced the original board that extended below the upper deck behind center field, received a high bid of $475,000 from a Massachusetts company that carted it about for various events. [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]. Due to lack of support, however, the arguments faded. 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 Stadium Concert. 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. [11], In 1958, the Pirates sold Forbes to the University of Pittsburgh for $2 million ($18.8 million today). Realtime driving directions to Three Rivers Stadium Home Plate Location, Pittsburgh, based on live traffic updates and road conditions - from Waze fellow drivers. Ground was broken for the new stadiums in 1999. [6] The stadium opened on July 16, 1970, when the Pirates played their first game there. However, an archive of the original site still exists, albeit at a different domain name. The stadium was . Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh is demolished by implosion, Feb. 11, 2001. Three Rivers Stadium was imploded on February 11, 2001, at 8:03a.m. on a chilly 21F (6C) day. [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. 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. 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. It hosted the World Series in 1971 and 1979 and the All-Star Game in 1974 and 1994. June 30, 1995: Grateful Dead played their last Pittsburgh show. Koch received most of the cocaine from a freelance photographer named Dale Shiffman, who in later grand jury testimony claimed that two-thirds of the Pirates roster were buyers. Will the last baseball fan to leave Three Rivers Stadium please turn out the lights? [23][24] It would sometimes be called The House That Clemente Built after Pirates' right-fielder Roberto Clemente. Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000.It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).. 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. Almost as surprisingly, the fans returneddrawing over two million in both 1990 and 1991, the only two times they would reach the figure at Three Rivers. Photographed By Harry S. Coughanour, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, circa 1970. In the case of the Pirates, those good timesand high times, nudge-nudgecame crashing down upon them in a thoroughly depressing, scandal-ridden second decade to follow. [12] An early design of the stadium included plans to situate the stadium atop a bridge across the Monongahela River. [38][39] The field originally used "Gamesaver vacuum vehicles" to dry the surface, though they were later replaced by an underground drainage system. The statue was originally located in Schenley Park, just beyond the left-field fence of Forbes Field. Instead of allowing cars to park, the team instructed fans to park downtown and walk to the stadium over bridges or take shuttle buses. . The rubble of Three Rivers Stadium towers over passersby Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001 on the North Side. Sister Sledge, the We Are Family authors from the Bucs fabled 1979 campaign, reunited to sing the National Anthem. (Historic Pittsburgh), On July 16, 1970, they finally played ball at Three Rivers Stadium. July 3, 2022 In consider how sergei reacts when yoni comes to the door. (May or June, 1986) 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. If anything else, the threat brought the various public agencies together toward a budget agreement. The particular spot for the new stadium was, in fact, once upon a time the same site as Exposition Park, the Pirates first home. [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. [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. Mary Ann and her husband were Steelers season ticket holders for 42 years until Paul, 61, passed away that year. Touch for map. 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. The Three Rivers clubhouse was derisively nicknamed The National League Drugstore, the focal point for Baseballs biggest drug scandal; not only did it result in a 12-year prison sentence for Shiffman (Koch became an informant and ratted him out), but it also forged testimony from some of his major league clients, big names such as Dave Parker, Keith Hernandez and Tim Raineswho were all granted immunity to talk. They were located behind home plate. Fans had to walk down ramps to get to the field (blue) level of seats. Photographed By Unknown, September 30, 1972. 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. 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. 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. [64] The Pirates' lowest season of attendance was 1985, at an average of 9,085. That late surge fueled a 1979 season in which a lively unit, led by clubhouse father figure Stargell, won nearly 100 games, swept the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Championship Series and, in a virtual repeat of their 1971 world title, again faced the Oriolesand again came back from two games down, winning the final three contests for their second (and last) World Series conquest in the Three Rivers era. After thirty years of being locked in at Three Rivers Stadium, who can blame them? location, location, location. It was during the Steelers' stay in Three Rivers that the now famous "Mean Joe" Greene Coke commercial aired, leading to a longstanding relationship between the two. Phil Hundley, a Deeter Ritchey Sipple architect who was not intricately involved in the Three Rivers Stadium project but was around in 2020 to talk about it, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: It had retail. Mary Ann Wellener, with the help of her son Paul, places a pair of seats from Three Rivers Stadium on the grave of her husband Paul Wellener III, in Mount Lebanon Cemetery where they hope to have them permanently mounted, Jan. 6, 2001. Despite its ultimate reputation as a mundane hunk of concrete, Three Rivers Stadium did spark some personality with its exclusive Allegheny Club, located in the second level down the right-field line. 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. Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. On July 6, 1980, the Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs 54 in 20inningsthe most innings ever played at the stadium. It had hotels. [11] The sight lines were more favorable to football; almost 70% of the seats in the baseball configuration were in fair territory. For the Pirates, time seemed to stand still on any progress toward an actual stadium. [25], In their first game after the All-Star Break in 1970, the Pirates opened the stadium against the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, July 16; who won, 32. Three Rivers Stadium. The final game in the stadium was won by the Steelers on December 16, 2000. But modern times also made for a strong presence. 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. 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. Home plate is rocketed from Three Rivers Stadium to PNC Park after the final game. The park was not configured for baseball, so sightlines were not good. 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. 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). Three Rivers Stadiums original scoreboard extends out above the outfield wall. Three Rivers last concert featured NSync in July 2000, drawing 47,000. [57], On September 30, 2012, members of the Society for American Baseball Research marked and painted the home plate and first base of the former stadium on the 40th Anniversary of Roberto Clemente's 3,000th hit.[58]. Throngs of people gather at Point State Park to get a view of the implosion. Jun 06, 1999. 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. The Allegheny Club doubled as an ode to the past; it included a segment of Forbes Field famed brick wall, and a plaque honoring Babe Ruths final home run (hit at Forbes in 1935). The Steelers won 17 Monday Night Football games at Three Rivers Stadium. PNC Park is a baseball park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Site of Three Rivers Stadium in background. On October 1, 2000, the Pirates played their final game at Three Rivers. Over 20,000 people viewed the implosion from Point State Park. In 1979, the Pirates introduced the Pirate Parrot, a mascot patterned after the successful debut of the Phillie Phanatic in Philadelphia a year earlier. Approximate Location of Three Rivers Stadium Left Field Corner Looking Toward Home Plate. While the Pirates and the public powers couldnt tear down Three Rivers and copy Oriole Park at Camden Yards upon its footprintnot yet, anywaythey did try to give the stadium a more colorful and cozier vibe. 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. 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. [47][48] On October 1, 2000, the Pirates were defeated 109 by the Chicago Cubs in their final game at Three Rivers Stadium. The home of the Steelers and Pirates had been rendered obsolete by the pair of stadiums now flanking the aging concrete cylinder. [18] He was forced to go back to the drawing board when construction bids to realize his design were $10 million over budget. Three Rivers Stadium implosion seen from Point State Park on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001. He hit three of them before anyone else did it even once. A jury awarded Jones $125,000, but it was reversed on appeal. It was also the first playoff victory in franchise history. When Rooney passed away in 1988, his officealready drenched with reference books and memorabiliabecame a library. 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. 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. Three Rivers Stadium. [71] A Steelers symbol recognized worldwide, The Terrible Towel debuted on December 27, 1975, at Three Rivers Stadium. The field was artificial turf. 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. Stargell was a man of such power, nothing at Three Rivers seemed to be outside of his reach. . Even the four expansion teams from 1969 had recorded inaugural Opening Day victories.13 As for the Pirates, they had now played their final opener at Old Lady Forbes.14 They would play 41 more games in the historic ballpark before moving to their new home, Three Rivers Stadium, on July 16. This was a premier spot for other big name concerts as well. 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. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, County of Allegheny Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, Southwestern Pennsylvania World War II Memorial. 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. As bad as sports fans were at Three Rivers, those attending concerts were even worse. They were considered by many to be ugly and obsolete, as well as not financially viable. 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. The novel look, which would catch on throughout much of the major leagues in the years to follow, yielded plenty of odd looksand laughsfrom the home fans, comparing the Pirates look to that of a weekend softball team, while one sportswriter said the unis reminded him of long underwear.. Three Rivers Stadium implosion seen from Point State Park on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001. In his heyday, everything King Midas touched turned to gold. All good things come to an end. 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. [11] As part of the deal, the university leased Forbes back to the Pirates until a replacement could be built. Pirates organist Vince Lascheid at Three Rivers Stadium on July 5, 1999. It was perched right at the confluence of the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monongahela Rivers, walking distance from downtown Pittsburgh. 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". [9] The same site had hosted Exposition Park, which the Pirates had left in 1909. You can contact Steven at sadams@triblive.com. But a return to the championship podium, reviving memories of Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell, remained elusive; they lost the 1990 NLCS to the Reds in six games, led the 1991 NLCS against Atlanta three games to two before being shut out twice at Three Rivers to bow out, then lost again to the Braves in 1992 when, with a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the ninth in Game Seven, they gave up three runs to suffer a third straight pennant defeat. You or your group will be treated to an all-inclusive premium buffet while enjoying the game from one of the best vantage points in the ballpark. Stadium officials notated the spot where they landed by later painting numbers on it. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who had moved from Forbes Field to Pitt Stadium in 1964, were large supporters of the project. 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. But the debt needed to be paid and the crowds, as misbehaved as they often were, were massive. (It would take 10 years for that person, Kevin McClatchy, to fully purchase the Bucs.). However, the ushers' union declined the uniform change for female workers. A 1973 Led Zeppelin concert nearly turned into a riot; a year later, Eric Clapton was nailed in the face by a (perhaps) errant frisbee. After its closing, Three Rivers Stadium was imploded in 2001, and the Pirates and Steelers each moved into newly built stadiums. The Honus Wagner statue, which used to stand outside of Forbes Field, stood outside of Three Rivers Stadium. February 11, 2001, Pittsburgh said goodbye to Three Rivers Stadium. July 16, 2020 8:00 am ET. 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. It is in North Shore in Pittsburgh in Allegheny County Pennsylvania, Photographed By Mike Wintermantel, August 20, 2012. Forbes Field wasnt getting any younger, the Pirates patience was thinning, and the university was standing by with the wrecking ball, fingers tapping on the lever. 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. 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. You could sit in the stands and see Flagstaff Hill and Schenley Park. (Historic Pittsburgh). The perfect storm hit the Bucs after the 1992 season, facing an offseason in which free agents Bonds, ace pitcher Doug Drabek and Gold Glove second baseman Jose Lind all departed for richer teams in bigger markets because the Pirates simply lacked the capital to retain them.