Three Rivers Stadium: Ten Years Later
I can still remember the morning. It was a cold winter morning in the burgh and I awoke to what I thought were bombs being dropped. It took me a second to realize what was actually going on and when I came to, I realized it was the stadium being imploded. On this day ten years ago the historic Three Rivers Stadium was imploded to the ground. The stadium opened on July 16, 1970, as the future home for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates, replacing their former home Forbes Field.
Three Rivers Stadium brought a lot of great memories for a lot of the loyal Pittsburgh fans. On this day we should take a few moments to remember the great times that we all had at Three Rivers Stadium. The 70’s
In 1971, Three Rivers Stadium and the Pirates hosted the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles. The Pirates won the World Series and history was made when the stadium held the first night game to be played during the World Series. The following year, On September 30, 1972, Roberto Clemente made history recording his 3,000 career hit. In 1974 Pittsburgh hosted its third All-Star Game and the first ever to be played at Three Rivers. “We Are Family” in 1979, was the soundtrack for the Pirates as they were able to win their 5th and final World Series to close out the decade.
Three Rivers Stadium was the site for arguably the greatest dynasty in the NFL’s history. The Steelers first made history on a frigid December evening in 1972, when the Steelers hosted the rival Oakland Raiders. Trailing 7-6 with 22 seconds remaining in the game, the Steelers needed a miracle. That miracle would come with the hands of Franco Harris, who was able to scoop up a deflected pass and run it in for a 45 yard Steelers touchdown and victory. In 1974, the Steelers won their first of an incredible four Super Bowl victories in the 70’s. The following year the Steelers defeated the Dallas Cowboys to win their second consecutive Lombardi trophy. In 1975, Myrone Cope introduced the Terrible Towel to Steelers fans, a tradition which remains to this day. The Steelers would again meet the Cowboys in the Super Bowl in 1978, and yet again, the Steelers would be victorious. To close out the decade, the Steelers achieved greatness by defeating the Los Angeles Rams to win their astonishing 4th Super Bowl of the 70’s. Since 1972 to this day, every Steelers home game has been sold out.
The 80’s
Throughout the 80’s, the Pirates much like today, were regarded as the worst team in baseball. As a rookie in 1982, Johnny Ray played in every game and was named the Rookie of the Year by the Sporting News. In 1988, the young team finished 85–75 and seemed ready to compete for a pennant. However, the 1989 season was a major setback, with injuries depleting the squad and leading to a 5th-place finish. Among the low points of the season was a game on June 8, 1989, where the Pirates became the first team in major-league history to score 10 runs in the first inning and nevertheless lose the game. The Pirates broadcaster (and former pitcher) Jim Rooker famously vowed that if the team blew the lead, he would walk home from Philadelphia—a vow he fulfilled after the season while raising money for charity. However, hope for the Pirates was not far away.
Much like the Pirates of the 80’s, the Steelers were able to share mild success. Three River Stadium witnessed the end of their famed dynasty as "Mean" Joe Greene retired after the 1981 season, Lynn Swann and Jack Ham after 1982's playoff berth, Terry Bradshaw and Mel Blount after 1983's divisional championship, and Jack Lambert after 1984's AFC Championship Game appearance. Soon after the Chuck Noll era would come to an end.
The 90’s
From 1990-1992 the Pirates were actually playing competitive baseball, advancing to the National League Championship. During these prime years for the Pirates, Three Rivers Stadium was filled with the ballplayers of Bobby Bonilla, Doug Drabek, and Barry Bonds. After the 1992 season, the Pirates let Bonds walk, and the curse began. Since 1992 the Pirates have been the laughing stock of the MLB by not recording a .500 winning record for the past 18 seasons. Three Rivers Stadium witnessed the largest crowd (59,568) to ever watch a professional baseball game in Pittsburgh during the 65th Major League Baseball All-Star Game on July 12, 1994. On April 7, 1999 the Pirates broke ground with their new stadium, PNC Park.
Three Rivers Stadium saw more success throughout the 90’s with the Steelers than the previous decade. In 1992 The Hall of Fame coach Chuck Noll retired, and in came the young, fiery Bill Cowher. During Cowher’s first six seasons, he reached the playoffs each year, and in 1995 made it to the Super Bowl against the Dallas Cowboys. However, even with the strength of the “Blitzburgh” defense, the Steelers fell short of their 5th Lombardi Trophy. After a few more successful seasons to close out the decade, Three Rivers Stadium closed its gates for the final time on December 16, 2000, to make room for the Steelers new home, Heinz Field.
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