Three Rivers Stadium
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Opened on July 16, 1970. 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. It was the site of Roberto Clemente's 3,000th hit, September 30, 1972, and Franco Harris's legendary "Immaculate Reception," December 23, 1972. A multi-use facility, it also hosted many concerts and special events prior to demolition on February 11, 2001.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Opened in 1970 at the point where Pittsburgh's three rivers meet, Three Rivers Stadium became the shared home of the Pirates and the Steelers during a golden run of championships that earned the city its "City of Champions" nickname. Its turf saw Roberto Clemente's 3,000th career hit in 1972 and, that same year, Franco Harris's "Immaculate Reception," one of the most famous plays in football history. The multipurpose stadium was demolished in 2001.
Why it matters
For three decades the stadium was the stage for some of American sports' most legendary moments and anchored Pittsburgh's identity as a blue-collar city of winners.
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Related people
- · Roberto Clemente
- · Franco Harris
Related events
- · Immaculate Reception
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
First MLB All-Minority Lineup
Pittsburgh, PA · est. 2025
On September 1, 1971, Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh filled out a lineup card that made history, sending nine African American and Latino players onto the field at Three Rivers Stadium. It was the first all-minority starting lineup in Major League Baseball history, a quiet milestone that arrived without fanfare that night. That same season the Pirates went on to win the World Series.
Martin R. Delany (1812-1885)
Pittsburgh, PA · est. 1991
From an office near this spot in Pittsburgh, Martin R. Delany published The Mystery, an early African American newspaper, and became a leading voice for Black self-determination and emigrationist thought decades before such ideas were widespread. He studied briefly at Harvard Medical School, practiced medicine in the city, and during the Civil War was commissioned a major—among the first Black field officers in the U.S. Army.
George B. Vashon (1824-1878)
Pittsburgh, PA · est. 2026
George B. Vashon, who grew up near this Pittsburgh site, was a lawyer, poet, educator, and abolitionist who broke barriers throughout his life. In 1844 he became Oberlin College's first Black graduate and its valedictorian; denied admission to the Pennsylvania bar because of his race, he became the first Black lawyer in New York in 1848. He went on to help found and teach at Howard University and to serve as president of Avery College.
Dorothy Mae Richardson (1922-1991)
Pittsburgh, PA · est. 2019
On Pittsburgh's North Side in 1968, community activist Dorothy Mae Richardson refused to watch her neighborhood decline. She founded Neighborhood Housing Services, a pioneering model in which residents themselves—not distant officials—drove the work of rehabilitating homes and reinvesting in their community. Her approach proved so effective that it spread nationwide and led to the creation of NeighborWorks America.