Sports

Erected on the city's Northside in 1970, Three Rivers Stadium was Pittsburgh's home of champions for three decades. It hosted the first-ever World Series game played at night as the Pirates would win their last two titles there. The Pitt-Penn State rivalry in college football was never more heated than under the bright lights of Three Rivers. The Steel Curtain era of the Steelers brought Super Bowl wins and elevated the stadium to become one of the most feared venues in all of professional sports. Locally referred to as the "House that Clemente Built," the stadium was the site of the beloved right fielder's 3,000th hit. Join local sportswriters as they recall the roaring crowds, rocking stands and greatest moments of Three Rivers Stadium.

Ten years after a one-loss season and being ranked third in the nation, the University of Pittsburgh's historic football team had fallen on hard times. In 1973, the team hired former All-American Johnny Majors to right the ship, and he promptly recruited Tony Dorsett and Al Romano. Over the next four years, the new-look Panthers were brought back to prominence with stunning victories, culminating in the 1976 NCAA National Championship. Dorsett, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, became the first college running back to eclipse two thousand yards in a season and was awarded the Heisman Trophy in the championship year. Author David Finoli tells the story of one of the most dramatic turnarounds in college football history.

The Epicenter of Steel City Sports

From Forbes Field to Pitt Stadium, Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood has been home to some of the most iconic moments in sports history. Including the Fitzgerald Field House and the Duquesne Gardens, Oakland has drawn in both professional and college sports fans alike.

Local authors and sports historians David Finoli, Tom Rooney, Robert Healy III, Douglas Cavanaugh and Chris Fletcher celebrate the glorious victories and heartbreaking losses throughout the history of Pittsburgh's Oakland section, the epicenter of Steel City Sports.

Lovingly nicknamed the Igloo, the Civic Arena was home to the Pittsburgh Penguins until 2010 and hosted some of the most important sports and entertainment events in Steel City history. During the glorious Mario Lemieux era, the venue hosted four Stanley Cup Finals, including three championship-winning seasons. Muhammad Ali KO'ed Charlie Powell in 1963 there. It was home to Duquesne Basketball in the arena's early days and has hosted some of the University of Pittsburgh's most important basketball games as well. Some of the biggest acts in music history have rocked the Igloo's seats, including Elvis, the Beatles and frequent favorite, Bruce Springsteen. Join local sports and media writers as they recall the greatest moments in Civic Arena's storied history.

Baseball's Mr. Sunshine

A beloved son of Western Pennsylvania, Chuck Tanner spent a career in baseball both as a player and manager. He lead the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1977 to 1985 and helped capture the 1979 World Series. Tanner was key in developing the relief pitcher through his work with Goose Gossage and he played a role in the careers of numerous players such as Willie Stargell, Dave Parker and more.

Through extensive research and interviews, author Dale Perelman presents the life and career of Chuck Tanner.

The number 21 may be lucky in cards, but it is very unlucky for Western Pennsylvania sports fans. Only the Pittsburgh Steelers allow a player to wear this sacred number, while to the rest of the region's franchises the number means heartbreak. The Penguins retired it after budding superstar Michel Briere died in 1971 following an automobile accident. Hall of Fame Pirate shortstop Arky Vaughan, who drowned in 1952 while trying to save a friend, also wore unlucky 21. The tragic story of Roberto Clemente is well known and caused the team to retire the cursed number. A diverse group of Pittsburgh writers and sports lovers present those stories and more in twenty-one tales of Western Pennsylvania sports sorrow.

Countless groundbreaking moments in the nation's sports history were made on the gridirons, courts, fields, ice rinks and ballparks of Pittsburgh. Duquesne's Chuck Cooper was the first African American player drafted by the NBA. Beloved local radio station KDKA produced the first-ever broadcast of a Major League Baseball game. The Pittsburgh Stars were the first NFL champions in 1902. The first nighttime World Series game was played in the Steel City, and the only game seven World Series walk-off homerun happened there too. The city boasts compelling claims as the birthplace of pro hockey, pro football and college basketball. Some of the most preeminent authors and sports historians of Western Pennsylvania capture the vivid moments that make Pittsburgh a city of historic sports firsts.

Sports in the Steel City has never reached the highs and lows that fans in Pittsburgh experienced in the 1970s. Most remembered may be the multiple championships celebrated in city during the era, including two World Series titles, four Super Bowl victories and a NCAA football championship. Despite those successes, fans still recall major tragedies such as the deaths of Bob Moose, Roberto Clemente and others. Local authors present essays on the triumphs, tragedies and championships that defined the 1970s for the city of Pittsburgh and Steel City sports. 

Pittsburgh is synonymous with winning. From the Penguins and Steelers to the Pirates and Panthers, the Steel City knows championships.

There must be something special in the water to make Pittsburgh so particularly gifted with its sports teams. The most famous teams in the city's history would most likely be the 1970s Steelers, known as the Steel Curtain for obvious reasons, and the Penguins who raised the Stanley Cup five times. Names such as Lemieux, Crosby, Roethlisberger, Bradshaw, Clemente and Stargell are legends of American sport and members of Pittsburgh's most cherished franchises, but for every sports legend and multi-million dollar franchise, there are a dozen more talented players and long-past teams that have been forgotten to history; the Negro League's Crawford and Homestead Grays are too often overlooked in the city's sports history but were as talented as any team that has played there. Author Dave Finoli ranks the fifty greatest teams that won trophies, brought glory and lifted the hearts of Pittsburgh's devoted sports fans.

Author and sports historian David Finoli's inside look at the 50 greatest male and female athletes in Pittsburgh history.

Greatness in sport is both undefinable and immediately recognizable. Though it is rare, Western Pennsylvania has been graced with a long history of athletes who embody the essence of greatness. They have proudly represented the region in sports such as boxing, golf and track; carried their collegiate teams to victory; and worn the black and gold of the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins. Pittsburghers still recall how Mario Lemieux glided effortlessly through an opposing defense before befuddling the goalie or Arnold Palmer's unique swing that made the everyday duffer feel like he was one of them. Fans debate whether Terry Bradshaw or Ben Roethlisberger is the better quarterback and what the legacy of Barry Bonds is, while keeping Roberto Clemente among their most cherished icons. Take a deep dive into all of that and more and re-discover the best of the best in Pittsburgh sports history.

Steel City Sports as a Catalyst for Change Though Pittsburgh athletics had many of the same barriers to equality and racial discrimination as the rest of the nation for far too long, the city has celebrated some of the most important moments in the integration of sports in the country. Pittsburgh was the only city with two Negro League teams, fielding such future Hall of Famers as Josh Gibson, Cool Papa Bell, Oscar Charleston and Satchel Paige. Local high school basketball stars Chuck Cooper, Bill Nunn, Jr., Dick Ricketts, Maurice Stokes, and Jack Twyman held integrated pick-up games at local parks such as Mellon Park in Shadyside in the 1950s. In college football, Connellsville native Jimmy Joe Robinson became the first African American player on Pitt's football team in 1945 as the school continued to integrate its squad ahead of federal desegregation. The Association of Gentleman Pittsburgh Journalists present the compelling, heartbreaking and courageous history of how Pittsburgh's integration of sport helped lead the nation.

The Thoroughbred horse Sandsablaze made history in the 1970s, achieving numerous victories with his young owner and rider, William Buddy Brown of New York. Despite being deemed awkward in his early years, Sandsablaze began his journey to the top of the sport with a win at the AHSA Medal Finals at Harrisburg, the pinnacle of success in the junior equitation ranks. In an accomplishment that has yet to be duplicated, Sandsablaze--with Brown in the saddle--went on to win at the Grand Prix level and represented the United States at the Olympics. Some of his other key victories occurred at New York's National Horse Show and the Washington International Horse Show, as well as abroad. Nearly thirty-five years after his death, Sandsablaze remains a legend in the sport. Join equestrian author Kimberly Gatto as she tells this remarkable story of partnership and success.