Forbes Field

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Lore & Background

Forbes Field was the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's NFL franchise. From 1909 to 1924, the stadium also served as the home football field for the University of Pittsburgh 'Pitt' Panthers. The stadium was widely considered the best in the league. Dreyfuss 'hated cheap home runs and vowed he'd have none in his park', which led him to design a large playing field for Forbes Field. The original distances to the outfield fences in left, center, and right field were 360 feet, 462 feet and 376 feet, respectively. The left field foul pole initially intersected the bleacher section about two-thirds of the way toward where the bleacher corner touched the fence, at a distance of 301 feet. In 1921, the seating capacity was increased by the addition of several rows of new box seats. In 1925, seating capacity received a bigger bump when the right field grandstand was extended into the corner and into fair territory, replacing a section of wooden bleachers. The change reduced the foul line distance from 376 feet to 300 feet but increasing the near-right center distance to 375 feet. In May 1930, Dreyfuss readily complied by erecting a 28-foot high screen. Even at this long distance from home plate, the fence stood 12 feet in height in left and center fields, with the new right field wall reduced to 9.5 feet following the 1925 construction. The backstop was set at 110 feet behind home plate, larger than the average of 60 feet in most stadiums of the time. Additional seating eventually cut down the plate-to-screen distance to a still larger-than-average 75 feet. With such a large outfield space, triples and inside-the-park home runs were common. The Pirates hit a record eight triples in a single game, on May 30, 1925. Babe Ruth hit the final three home runs of his career in Forbes Field on May 25, 1935; the third of these cleared the 89-foot right field roof and was considered the longest home run in the park's history. The last major change to the outfield came in 1946, when the fence in left and center was replaced by a brick wall. Ivy was planted at the base of the new wall, restoring the green background enjoyed by batters.

In Their Own Story

The fog rolled off the Monongahela, settling low over the Oakland neighborhood. It was November 1943, and the air smelled of damp wool and coal smoke rather than fresh-cut grass. On the field at Forbes Field, a group of men in Steelers jerseys—some missing teammates to the front lines, others playing on borrowed time—huddled near the third-base line. The grandstands were thin with fans, many seats empty due to rationing and travel restrictions. A player kicked a football toward the distant left-field wall, the leather thud echoing off the brick facade that had once witnessed Babe Ruth's home runs. There was no roar of the crowd, only the disciplined clatter of cleats on the warning track. In this borrowed cathedral of baseball, the Steelers fought not for a championship, but simply to keep the spirit of Pittsburgh alive.

Reader's Guide

For supporters of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Forbes Field represents a poignant chapter of resilience during the darkest days of World War II. While it was never the team's permanent home like Three Rivers or Acrisure Stadium, its role in hosting the franchise's wartime games is etched into the franchise's history. Fans visiting Pittsburgh today can view the iconic left-field wall preserved on the University of Pittsburgh campus near Schenley Park. It serves as a tangible link to the era when the team fought to keep their identity alive amidst global conflict.

Did You Know?

• Forbes Field was the first home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's NFL franchise.
• From 1909 to 1924, the stadium also served as the home football field for the University of Pittsburgh 'Pitt' Panthers.
• The stadium was made of concrete and steel, the first such stadium in the National League and third in Major League Baseball.
• Babe Ruth hit the final three home runs of his career in Forbes Field on May 25, 1935; the third cleared the 89-foot right field roof.
• The Pirates hit a record eight triples in a single game at Forbes Field on May 30, 1925.