Sports

What's Your Favorite Three Rivers Stadium Memory?

The former home of the Pirates and Steelers opened 50 years ago today.

Three Rivers Stadium
Three Rivers Stadium (Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH, PA — Three Rivers Stadium opened a half-century ago today and the multipurpose facility provided many thrilling moments in its 30 years of existence. The stadium hosted its final even in 2001 was demolished in 2001, when the Pirates moved to PNC Park and the Steelers moved to Heinz Field.

What's your favorite memory of the stadium? Was it a sporting event or a concert? Perhaps one of these:

  • Game four of the 1971 World Series, the first night game in World Series history. The Pirates delivered a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on the way to their first championship since 1960.
  • The Immaculate Reception in 1972, which gave the Steelers a playoff victory against the Oakland Raiders and was selected as the greatest play in NFL history in the NFL Network's 100 series.
  • Roberto Clemente's 3,00oth - and final- hit in 1972, just three months before he tragically died in a plan crash.
  • The 1976 Pitt-Penn State game, a 24-7 Panthers victory that concluded a perfect regular season and propelled the team to its first national championship in 39 years.
  • The unforgettable 1979 "We Are Family" Pirates season that would conclude with the team's first World Series championship since 1971.
  • Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band playing before nearly 66,000 fans in 1985.
  • The Penguins celebrating their second Stanley Cup win at the stadium in 1992.
  • The 1995 AFC Championship game between the Steelers and Baltimore Colts, a 20-16 Steelers victory that wasn't decided until the Colts' last-second Hail Mary pass failed.

Was your favorite memory one of the above events or another one not listed? Post your favorite Three Rivers Stadium moments in the comments section.

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