Three Rivers Stadium implosion seen from Point State Park on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2001. [34] After the game, former Pirate Willie Stargell threw out the ceremonial last pitch (he died the following April hours before the first regular season game was played at PNC Park). 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. With that said it is a wild river and when roaring . Due to lack of support, however, the arguments faded. [15] Construction continued, though it became plagued with problems such as thieves stealing materials from the building site. 7/30/1972. It hosted the World Series in 1971 and 1979 and the All-Star Game in 1974 and 1994. 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. 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. frozen kasha varnishkes. 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 was moved to Three Rivers Stadium, outside Gate C, on July 21, 1972. Three Dog Night. Three Rivers Stadium lives on in many different ways. 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. In 1979, the Pirates introduced the Pirate Parrot, a mascot patterned after the successful debut of the Phillie Phanatic in Philadelphia a year earlier. 7/13/1973. Dave Parker, who had the most hits at Three Rivers with 781, also had the longest hit streak in the stadiums history at 22 gameswhich he did twice, in 1977 and 1979. The stadium opened in 1970 and was home to the Pittsburgh Steelers football team and the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team. Perhaps the Pirates biggest fan at Three Rivers Stadium was Steelers owner Art Rooney, who worked by day for his football team and, every night, moved up to one of the box suites to watch the Pirates. Fifty years ago, on July 16, 1970, Three Rivers Stadium opened in Pittsburgh, Pa. Since completion, PNC Park has been hailed as one of the best ballparks in the country. Jun 06, 1999 -. While public agencies battled over the finances, a local consortium of architects focused on the stadiums aesthetics. Contents Three rivers stadium implosion february 11 2001 at 8 00 am One came out and delayed a 1986 game for seven minutes with his stinky presence. Stadium Concert. The Steelers were significantly better at the facility that turned them from laughingstocks to conquerors, winning 182 of 254 home games and another 13 of 18 playoff games. The 1970s: A crowning decade . 49 were here. After thirty years of being locked in at Three Rivers Stadium, who can blame them. Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. [51] The demolition cost $5.1million and used 4,800 pounds (2,180kg) of explosive. Pittsburgh mayor David L. Lawrence first brought up the idea of a civic-owned sports building in 1947, but it would take eight years for joint city-county agencies to seriously begin pondering where, when and how. Stargell was a man of such power, nothing at Three Rivers seemed to be outside of his reach. The first World Series night game was played at the stadium on Oct. 13, 1971. 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. You could sit in the stands and see Flagstaff Hill and Schenley Park. 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. Baseballs acceleration of free agency dollars exposed the widening gulf between big and small markets, and the Pirates clearly represented the latter. Three Rivers Stadium hosted the first MLB postseason game ever played on artificial turf (1970), the first World Series night game (1971), and the first League Championship Series night contest (1972). The Parrot was an instant hit and remains a popular asset to this day at PNC Park. Three Rivers Stadium, the Pirates' and Steelers ' home at the time, had been designed for functionality rather than "architecture and aesthetics". However, an archive of the original site still exists, albeit at a different domain name. [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. Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. Appears to be made of some kind of wood. Throughout their 31 seasons in Three Rivers Stadium, the Steelers posted a record of 182-72, including a 13-5 playoff record. 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.. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise and National Football League (NFL) franchise respectively. (The story is disputed, but its a good one.). The Steelers called Three Rivers Stadium home when they won four of their six Super Bowls. Spectators are easily distracted by mesmerizing views of downtown Pittsburgh, the Allegheny River and the Sixth Street Bridge, now named after Pirates legend Roberto Clemente. Twenty thousand people viewed the implosion from Point State Park on the morning of Feb. 11, 2001, with thousands more watching from Mount Washington. 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. Costing $1.5 million, the board would be replaced after just 13 years by a Jumbotron placed higher up in the top deck. You can still find it prestigiously located near the corner of General Robinson Street and Tony Dorsett Way, five spaces in from a green trash bin, which itself stands just over the guardrail from. Due to lack of support, however, the arguments faded. Three Rivers Stadium is imploded as the first rounds of dynamite go off. [14] The following season, the Pirates advanced to the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles. Driving directions. Tim McGraw / Kenny Chesney / George Strait / The Chicks (US) / Jo Dee Messina / Mark Wills / Asleep At the Wheel. When Parker, who once said, Money isnt everythingpeace of mind is important to me, hit free agency in 1983, he wasted no time fleeing Pittsburgh. 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. The prescript to Three Rivers Stadium is a familiar one: Aging ballpark, long ago gorgeous and glittering, is beginning to age beyond repair. The Pitt Panthers played at Three Rivers Stadium on multiple occasions. 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 family paid about $800 for the seats at auction. Crowds of spectators gathered to witness the end of an era. [14] A design was presented in 1958 which featured an open centerfield designthrough which fans could view Pittsburgh's "Golden Triangle". The park was not configured for baseball, so sightlines were not good. "No matter what happens, when they tear Three Rivers down, a monument ought to be built there. Pittsburgh Jazz Festival Aretha Franklin, the Staple Singers, Walt Harper, Roland Kirk, David Newman, and Herbie Mann. It was followed closely by crowds of 60,000-plus for the Rolling Stones and Genesis. The Pirates may have been overtaken by the Steelers as Pittsburghs most adored, but they still had Mojo; an aging but still dangerous Willie Stargell was joined by a colorful cast of characters that included burly MVP-level slugger Dave Parker, the tirelessly skinny and bespectacled reliever Kent Tekulve, and 67 starting pitcher John Candelaria, who threw the Bucs first no-hitter at Three Rivers in 1976. . 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. Madrid no se detiene en una maana plena de normalidad, aunque con menos gente en las calles y ms policas que cortan por momentos algunas calles . Three Rivers Stadium, home to the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1970 through 2000, was located in the North Shore section of Pittsburgh. 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. Delays and some disputation peppered the building phase of Three Rivers Stadium. But topping all of the above has to be, by all accounts, the most bizarre incident in the history of Three Rivers Stadium. This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 04:17. Former stadiums of the National Football League, Defunct ballparks in Major League Baseball, "Downtown: Images 10: Stadium over the Monongahela", "It's 'Play Ball' Tonight for Three Rivers lidlifter", "$55,000,000 Three Rivers Stadium tonight replaces", "Three Rivers Stadium (Pittsburgh, 19702000)", "Three Rivers Stadium to feature 'no-skin' look", "Yes, things are different at Three Rivers", "Stadium lights aren't burning city taxpayers", "Led Zeppelin, July 24, 1973, Pittsburgh, PA, Three Rivers Stadium", "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Google News Archive Search", "Pittsburgh brings down Three Rivers Stadium", "Multi Media: Adrien Brody going darker and deeper", "Steelers Break Ground for New Football Stadium", "City, Pirates break ground for PNC Park with big civic party", "PRO FOOTBALL; Steelers Rout Redskins in Last Three Rivers Game", "A Dynamite Drumroll and Three Rivers Stadium Bows Out", "PLUS: STADIUMS; Three Rivers Is Demolished at 30", Pens gone, but Igloo $9.3 million in debt, Three Rivers Stadium: The concrete will crumble but the memories will live on, "Pittsburgh Steelers unveil Immaculate Reception monument ESPN", "Post-Gazette newsroom leaves history Downtown with move to North Side", "The Grandstander: Standing with Clemente", "You can still access the Three Rivers Stadium website", "Pirates Open Their New Park, But Reds Celebrate 3-2 Victory", "Pittsburgh Pirates Attendance, Stadiums and Park Factors", "Where are they now? Games 3, 4 and 5 of the Series were played at Three Rivers. A three level parking garage accommodating 2,500 cars encased the stadium with the entry gates to the stadium on the second (green) level. [72] In the 1995 AFC Championship game, the Steelers' Randy Fuller deflected a Hail Mary pass intended for Indianapolis Colts receiver Aaron Bailey as time expired, to send the franchise to their fifth Super Bowl.