Three Rivers Stadium

Lore & Background

Built to replace Forbes Field, which opened in 1909, the US$55 million ($482.9 million in 2025) multi-purpose facility was designed to maximize efficiency. Ground was broken in April 1968 and construction, often behind schedule, took 29 months. The stadium opened on July 16, 1970, with a Pirates game. In the 1971 World Series, it hosted the first World Series game played at night. The following year, the stadium was the site of the Immaculate Reception. The final game at the stadium was a Steelers loss to the Washington Redskins 24-3 on December 16, 2000. Three Rivers also hosted the Pittsburgh Maulers of the United States Football League and the University of Pittsburgh Panthers football team for a single season each. After its closing, Three Rivers was imploded in 2001, and the Pirates and Steelers moved into new dedicated stadiums: PNC Park and Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium), respectively.

In Their Own Story

October 1979. The roof hummed with the vibration of twenty thousand voices. The outfield wall was just a concrete slab, but tonight it felt like a fortress. You could smell the wet wool of a thousand caps, the faint metallic tang of the river air that crept in from the tunnel openings. A young kid on your shoulder—barely four, clutching a Pirates cap two sizes too big—whispered, "Are we gonna win, Dad?" You didn't answer. You didn't have to. The next pitch, the swing, the crack that the roof swallowed into a low boom, and then the sound: a wall-to-wall roar that shook the steel ribs of the structure. The kid screamed. You screamed. And Three Rivers, for one night, was the loudest, most beautiful, most imperfect place on Earth.

Reader's Guide

Three Rivers Stadium was located at the confluence of the Allegheny River and Monongahela River, which forms the Ohio River. It was named for that location. The stadium originally seated 50,611 for baseball, later expanded to 58,729, and in 1993 capacity was reduced to 47,687 by placing tarps on the upper deck. It featured 3M's Tartan Turf for opening day, later replaced by AstroTurf for the 1983 baseball season. The outfield fences were moved 10 feet closer to home plate in 1975. The stadium had a beverage contract with Coca-Cola throughout its history.

Did You Know?

• Three Rivers Stadium was the first multi-purpose stadium and the first in either the NFL or MLB to feature 3M's Tartan Turf.
• The stadium hosted the first World Series game played at night during the 1971 World Series.
• The Immaculate Reception occurred at Three Rivers Stadium in 1972.
• Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed the largest concert in Pittsburgh history at Three Rivers on August 11, 1985, with 65,935 attendees.
• The stadium was sometimes called 'The House That Clemente Built' after Pirates' right-fielder Roberto Clemente.