Heinz Field
From Includipedia, the inclusionist encyclopedia
Template:Infobox Stadium Heinz Field (known as Steelers Stadium during construction) is a football stadium located in the North Shore neighborhood, just across the Allegheny River from downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the home stadium facility of the Pittsburgh Steelers NFL franchise and the University of Pittsburgh Panthers college football team. The stadium sits on approximately 12.4 acres (50,000 m²) of land and has a seating capacity of 64,450, including approximately 6,600 club seats and a capacity of approximately 1,500 in 127 suites[1]. It was built with a mixture of private and public funds to replace Three Rivers Stadium. Three Rivers was also the home of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team; they moved into PNC Park before Three Rivers was demolished. One purpose of building the new facilities was to provide each team with a dedicated building rather than a single shared-use stadium. Heinz Field and PNC Park were built opposite each other across the Three Rivers site, which is now a parking lot serving both stadiums and the site of several office building developments. The stadium sits directly across from "The Point" which is the confluence of the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers to form the Ohio River, on whose northern bank the stadium sits.
Heinz Field is primarily a football facility, though it has also hosted soccer games and concerts—in fact the first event at the venue was a concert by pop band 'N Sync shortly after the stadium opened in August 2001. The Steelers debuted there during the 2001-2002 NFL season. The stadium is a bowl design with an open end facing south. The open end allows views of the Pittsburgh skyline across the Ohio River.
The stadium's naming rights were acquired by the H. J. Heinz Company, and thus it is affectionately called "The Big Ketchup Bottle" by ESPN announcer Chris Berman and "The Mustard Palace" (a nod to its yellow seats) by many Pittsburgh-area sportscasters.[citation needed] The rights were acquired for $57 million, partially in a nod to the "57 varieties" claimed on its ketchup bottles. The main scoreboard at the south end of the stadium is flanked by neon red Heinz ketchup bottles, which rotate and appear to pour out ketchup when the Steelers enter the "red zone" during games.
Unlike Three Rivers, the playing surface at Heinz Field is a combination of Kentucky bluegrasses reinforced with polypropylene fibers[2]. The field features underground heating to help the grass survive Pittsburgh's winter climate. As a result, the field is known for its difficult kicking surface; the only non-NFL game-kicked field goal over 50 yards was 51 yards, kicked by Pat McAfee of the West Virginia Mountaineers during the Backyard Brawl on November 16, 2006. The NFL record for kicking was just 50 yards, set by Jeff Reed in the 2006 season in a 28-20 loss to Cincinnati. Recently, Green Bay Packers rookie Mason Crosby broke the record in a game against the Steelers by kicking a 52 yard field goal. In 2006, the NFL Players Association conducted a poll in which the grass at Heinz was selected as the worst grass field in the league.[3] The issue of the playing surface has recurred following a November 26, 2007 game between the Steelers and the Miami Dolphins, during which a rainstorm occurred, resulting in terrible field conditions.[4] Four high school football games and a college football game were played during the weekend before that game, with a new pitch being laid on top of the old surface prior to the Dolphins game.
Contents |
[edit] AFC Championship games
Heinz Field has hosted the AFC Championship Game twice:
- January 27, 2002 vs. New England Patriots with an attendance of: 64,704
- January 23, 2005 vs. New England Patriots with an attendance of: 65,242
[edit] Coca-Cola Great Hall
The hall is housed on Heinz Field's first two floors near the East Entrance. It serves as one of the city's two football history and hall centers (the other being at the Heinz Regional History Center in the Strip District), focusing both on the rich traditions of the Pittsburgh Panthers and Steelers. It also hosts post and pre-game audience shows. Among the notable features of the hall:
- Seven Interactive display columns (5 Steelers, 2 Pittsburgh Panthers) hosting trivia, web features and memorabilia.
- Five "giant" Lombardi Trophy column displays devoted to the 1970's Steelers Super Bowl teams and the recent 2005 Super Bowl team, complete with replicas of each trophy.
- Twelve graphic murals showcasing Steelers and regional football history, complete with video and music of the era, two of these are dedicated to the Pittsburgh Panthers.
- Eight tile murals created by local high school students depicting regional football history.
- Portable stage area that can seat up to 220 below an encapsulating Steelers helmet, and housing two large video projections.
[edit] Facts
- The Steelers were originally supposed to debut Heinz Field on national TV in a September 16th game versus Cleveland, but due to 9/11 the NFL postponed week 2 to the end of the season. (Flight 93 in particular hit close to home, as it crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, about an hour east of Pittsburgh.) The Steelers officially debuted in Heinz Field on October 7th against the Cincinnati Bengals.
- In addition to hosting the Steelers and Pitt, the stadium also serves for the WPIAL high school football championships.
[edit] Additional Images
Heinz Field people crowding entrance.jpg
Atop the west ramp looking down on Gate A entrance |
Heinz Field Gate A fisheye.JPG
Front of the Gate A entrance (fisheye). |
Heinz Field south ramp fisheye.JPG
Atop the south ramp looking west (fisheye). |
Heinz Field view from sect529 fisheye.JPG
View from Section 529 (fisheye). |
[edit] References
- ↑ a b Heinz Field Stadium Fact Sheet. Retrieved on 2007-03-10.
- ^ Template:Cite news
- ^ Template:Cite news
- ^ Template:Cite news
[edit] External links
- Official Heinz Field website
- Steelers Fever - Heinz Field
- Pittsburgh Steelers NFL website
- Pitt Panthers Heinz Field Site
- Heinz Field fact sheet
- Heinz Field Great Hall information
- REDIRECT Template:s-start
Template:Succession box Template:Succession box Template:End
Template:Pittsburgh Steelers Template:NFL Stadiums
| Football Stadiums of the Big East Conference |
|---|
es:Heinz Field fr:Heinz Field ja:ハインツ・フィールド pt:Heinz Field
Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | Articles with invalid date parameter in template | Big East Conference | 2001 establishments | Buildings and structures in Pittsburgh | College football venues | National Football League venues | Pittsburgh Panthers football | Pittsburgh Steelers | Soccer venues in the United States | Sports in Pittsburgh | Sports venues in Pennsylvania | Sports venues in Pittsburgh
