Acrisure Stadium is a
football stadium located in the
North Shore neighborhood of
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
, Pennsylvania, United States. It primarily serves as the home of the
Pittsburgh Steelers of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL) and the
Pittsburgh Panthers
The Pittsburgh Panthers, commonly also referred to as the Pitt Panthers, are the athletic teams representing the University of Pittsburgh, although the term is colloquially used to refer to other aspects of the university such as alumni, facu ...
of the
NCAA Football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most o ...
in the
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The stadium opened in 2001, after the
controlled implosion of the teams' previous home,
Three Rivers Stadium
Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).
Buil ...
, and was originally named Heinz Field because the once locally based
H. J. Heinz Company
The H. J. Heinz Company is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. Heinz manufactures thousands of food products in plants on six contin ...
purchased the
naming rights
Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...
in 2001. Heinz declined to sign a new deal after its naming rights expired in February 2022.
Funded in conjunction with
PNC Park
PNC Park is a baseball stadium on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the fifth home of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). It was opened during the 2001 MLB season, after the controlled implosion of the Pira ...
and the
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the $281 million (equivalent to $ million in ) stadium stands along the
Ohio River, on the
North Side of Pittsburgh in the
North Shore neighborhood. The stadium was designed with the city of Pittsburgh's history of steel production in mind, which led to the inclusion of 12,000 tons of steel into construction.
Ground for the stadium was broken in June 1999, and the first football game was hosted in September 2001. The stadium's natural-grass surface has been criticized throughout its history, but Steelers owners have kept the grass after lobbying from players and coaches. The 68,400-seat stadium has sold out for every Steelers home game, a streak that dates to 1972. A collection of Steelers and Panthers memorabilia is in the Great Hall.
The stadium has hosted two
outdoor hockey games: the
2011 NHL Winter Classic between the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
and
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...
, and the
2017 NHL Stadium Series game between the Penguins and
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Well ...
. The venue has also hosted numerous concerts; on May 18, 2019, a
Garth Brooks performance was attended by 75,000 people, the highest-ticketed show in Pittsburgh history.
History
Planning and funding
The Pittsburgh Steelers and the
Pittsburgh Pirates shared
Three Rivers Stadium
Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).
Buil ...
from 1970 to 2000. After discussions over the Pirates building a full-time
baseball park, a proposal was made to renovate Three Rivers Stadium into a full-time football facility.
Although the Steelers' owners disliked the idea, the proposal was used as a "fallback position" that would be used if discussions for a new stadium failed.
The Steelers' owners said failing to build a new stadium would hurt the franchise's chances of signing players who might sign with other teams, such as the other three in the Steelers division, who had all recently built new football-only stadiums.
In June 2001, the
H. J. Heinz Company
The H. J. Heinz Company is an American food processing company headquartered at One PPG Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company was founded by Henry J. Heinz in 1869. Heinz manufactures thousands of food products in plants on six contin ...
purchased the naming rights to the stadium.
Per the deal, Heinz will pay the Steelers a total of $57 million through 2021, the "57" being an intentional reference to
Heinz 57
Heinz 57 is a synecdoche of the historical advertising slogan "57 Varieties" by the H. J. Heinz Company located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It was developed from the marketing campaign that told consumers about the numerous prod ...
.
Despite Heinz later announcing its acquisition of
Kraft Foods Group to form
Kraft Heinz Company in 2015, the stadium's name was retained.
Originally, a
sales tax increase was proposed to fund three projects: Heinz Field, PNC Park, and an expansion of the
David L. Lawrence Convention Center. After the rejection of this proposal in a 1997 referendum known as the "Regional Renaissance Initiative", the city developed the alternate funding proposal ''Plan B''.
Similarly controversial, the proposal was labeled ''Scam B'' by opponents.
The Steelers' pledge toward the new stadium was criticized for being too little, even after it was raised from $50 million to $76.5 million.
Other local government members criticized the $281 million of public money allocated for ''Plan B''.
One member of the
Allegheny Regional Asset District
The Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD) is a special purpose unit of local government in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Its physical boundaries are the same as those of Allegheny County, and include the City of Pittsburgh.
History
The dist ...
board called the use of tax dollars "
corporate welfare
Corporate welfare is a phrase used to describe a government's bestowal of money grants, tax breaks, or other special favorable treatment for corporations.
The definition of corporate welfare is sometimes restricted to direct government subsidie ...
".
The plan, totaling $809 million, was approved by the Allegheny Regional Asset District board on July 9, 1998, with $233 million allotted for Heinz Field.
Shortly after Plan B was approved, the Steelers made a deal with Pittsburgh city officials to stay in the city until at least 2031.
The total cost of Heinz Field was $281 million.
Design and construction
HOK Sport designed the stadium.
HOK Sport's project manager for the project, Melinda Lehman, said that the
Rooney family asked for the stadium's design to "acknowledge the history of Pittsburgh and also bring in an element of looking forward, this is where Pittsburgh is going."
In order to accomplish this, HOK Sport used steel structurally and externally.
The stone used in Acrisure Stadium's design is
artificial, in order to decrease cost.
Of the glass used in the stadium's design, Lehman said, "The glass is a more modern building element, which ties into a lot of the buildings in
owntownPittsburgh and gives great views of the surrounding areas."
The Steelers and Panthers have their own locker rooms, which differ in size based on the number of players each team is permitted to dress for each game. The visitor facilities are modeled after the home locker rooms' design.
As with its predecessor, Acrisure Stadium's culinary service provider is
Aramark
Aramark Corporation, known commonly as Aramark, is an American food service, facilities, and uniform services provider to clients in areas including education, healthcare, business, prisons, and leisure. It operates in North America (United S ...
; over 400 eateries are located throughout the stadium.
A bronze statue of Steelers founder
Art Rooney
Arthur Joseph Rooney Sr. (January 27, 1901 – August 25, 1988), often referred to as "The Chief", was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, an American football franchise in the National Football League (NFL), from 1933 until his death ...
, similar to
those located outside PNC Park, was moved from its previous position outside Three Rivers Stadium.
In addition, a statue of a
Pitt Panther over a paved depiction of Pitt's
Cathedral of Learning
The Cathedral of Learning is a 42-story skyscraper that serves as the centerpiece of the University of Pittsburgh's (Pitt) main campus in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Standing at , the 42-story Late Gothic Revival Cat ...
was placed outside Gate A. Upon opening in 2001, Heinz Field's
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professiona ...
JumboTron was the largest scoreboard in the NFL.
In 2007, ESPN named the "tipping" of the oversized Heinz ketchup bottles atop the scoreboard one of the top ten touchdown celebrations in the NFL.
Ground was broken for Heinz Field on June 18, 1999, at a ceremony co-hosted by the Steelers and the University of Pittsburgh.
The stadium was constructed by
Hunt Construction Group
Hunt Construction Group is an American construction management firm based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company was formerly known as Huber, Hunt & Nichols was founded in 1944 by Paul B. Hunt, Arber J. Huber and Harry S. Nichols. The firm change ...
and Mascaro Corporation.
The two companies directed 1,400 workers over two years, in which there were no construction accidents or lawsuits.
The stadium is inspected yearly, along with PNC Park, by Chronicle Consulting, LLC, for structural defects and maintenance.
Opening
![Heinz Field Pittsburgh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Heinz_Field_Pittsburgh.jpg)
The first event held at Heinz Field was a concert hosted by
'N Sync
NSYNC (, ; also stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. Their self-titled debut album was successfully released to Europea ...
on August 18, 2001. Coincidentally, they were also the last band to perform at the Steelers' previous home, Three Rivers Stadium.
Before the
Steelers' regular season, the team played a
pre-season game against the
Detroit Lions on August 25, 2001.
Pittsburgh won the stadium's unofficial opening game 20–7, before 57,829 spectators.
The first official football game played in the stadium was between the Pittsburgh Panthers and
East Tennessee State, on September 1. The Panthers won the game 31–0, with
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
David Priestley scoring the first touchdown on an 85-yard run.
The Steelers were scheduled to open the regular season play at Heinz Field on September 16 against the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
; however, due to the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
, all NFL games of the week were
postponed,
thus moving the stadium's premiere to October 7, against the
Cincinnati Bengals.
Prior to the game, a speech from US President
George W. Bush, ordering attacks on
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...
-controlled
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
, was shown live on the stadium's
JumboTron.
The speech was met with much applause and support from the spectators in attendance.
Pittsburgh defeated the Bengals, 16–7. Steelers kicker
Kris Brown scored the first NFL points in the stadium on a 26-yard field goal, and quarterback
Kordell Stewart
Kordell Stewart (born October 16, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nicknamed "Slash", he played college football at Colorado ...
scored the first touchdown on an eight-yard run.
That same year, two
light-emitting diode
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (co ...
(LED) video displays from
Daktronics
Daktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video displays, scoreboards, digital billboards, dynamic message signs, sound systems, and related products. Founded in 1968 by ...
were installed at the field. The larger,
HD video
High-definition video (HD video) is video of higher resolution and quality than standard-definition. While there is no standardized meaning for ''high-definition'', generally any video image with considerably more than 480 vertical scan lines (N ...
display measures approximately high by nearly wide.
In 2007, writer Bill Evans named Heinz Field the second best stadium in the NFL, behind
Lambeau Field
Lambeau Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in the north central United States, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The home field of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), it opened in 1957 as City Stadium, replacing ...
, in an article for
ESPN.com.
Although both stadiums received a score of 54 out of 70, ''
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twi ...
'' named Heinz Field the second best stadium in the NFL, also behind Lambeau Field.
Future
![Heniz Field Pittsburgh PA](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Heniz_Field_Pittsburgh_PA.JPG)
While the Steelers continue to make capital improvements to Acrisure Stadium as well as expand seating, the future of the Pitt Panthers at the stadium has been more murky. Since the Panthers moved to the stadium, attendance for games has been varied, ranging from an average high of 59,197 people per game for the
2003 season to a low of 33,315 in
2007. Most recently, Pitt averaged 41,696 in home attendance during the
2018 season. It has been argued that Pitt's low attendance numbers are attributed to Acrisure Stadium being a distance from the Pitt campus in
Oakland,
with games being largely attended by alumni as well as fans of the opposing teams. Many of Pitt's students who live on or near campus either do not own a car or chose not to bring their car from home, leaving them to rely on the
Port Authority of Allegheny County or
vehicle for hire
A vehicle for hire is a vehicle providing private transport or shared transport for a fee, in which passengers are generally free to choose their points or approximate points of origin and destination, unlike public transport, and which th ...
companies.
While there has been talk of extending the
Pittsburgh Light Rail
The Pittsburgh Light Rail (commonly known as The T) is a light rail system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and surrounding suburbs. It operates as a deep-level subway in Downtown Pittsburgh, but runs mostly at-grade in the suburbs south of the ci ...
to Oakland, significant costs were cited during construction of the
North Shore Connector
The North Shore Connector is a light-rail extension opened in 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The connector extends the Pittsburgh Light Rail system from its previous terminus at Gateway Center Station in the Central Business District to the ...
, which terminates at Acrisure Stadium.
Another solution has mentioned moving the games back on campus with a purpose-built stadium, which has gained support from Pitt's administration.
In January 2021, just as the Heinz naming rights deal was set to expire, it was announced that
Kraft-Heinz decided to renew the naming rights for just one more year, ensuring the name would remain through at least the end of 2021. As the naming rights were allowed to expire in 2022, the future name of the stadium was uncertain. However, Steelers president
Art Rooney II
Arthur Joseph Rooney II (born September 14, 1952) is the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL).
Early life
Arthur Joseph Rooney II was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the eldest of nine children of Patricia (Re ...
has said he was "optimistic" about agreeing to another extension with Kraft-Heinz.
However on July 10, 2022, it was reported that Heinz would not sign a new deal with the Steelers, ending their 21-year business arrangement.
The naming rights were bought by Michigan-based insurance company
Acrisure in a deal initially reported on July 11, 2022. The decision to rename the stadium has received overwhelmingly fierce opposition by Steelers fans.
Kraft-Heinz did not remain outside of Steelers culture for much longer after giving up naming rights to the stadium itself, though; the company renegotiated with the Steelers to instead be the naming sponsor for Gate C, the closest gate to
Allegheny Light Rail station.
Notable events
In addition to football games, Acrisure Stadium has hosted other various activities.
Football
On August 4, 2012, Heinz Field hosted the
Women's Football Alliance
The Women's Football Alliance (WFA) is a professional full-contact Women's American football tackle minor league that began play in 2009. It is the largest 11-on-11 football league for women in the world, and the longest running active women's ...
's National Championship Game, becoming the first NFL stadium to host a title game for any
women's football league.
The quickest score in NFL history occurred on September 8, 2013, in the Steelers season opener against the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...
, when the Steelers scored a
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are two slightly dif ...
on the opening kickoff three seconds into the game.
Darius Reynaud of the Titans fielded the kickoff and took a short step backwards (into the south end zone) for what was ruled to be a safety, not a
touchback
In American football, a touchback is a ruling which is made and signaled by an official when the ball becomes dead on or behind a team's own goal line (i.e., in their end zone) and the opposing team gave the ball the momentum, or impetus, to tra ...
, because the ball was not in the end zone when it was fielded. The Steelers, however, lost the game 16–9, which was also their first home opener loss since the stadium opened.
The record for longest NFL field goal at Acrisure Stadium (regular season or preseason) is 59 yards and was kicked by Steelers kicker
Chris Boswell on October 2, 2022. In collegiate play, University of Pittsburgh kicker
Alex Kessman
Alex Thomas Kessman (born January 2, 1998) is an American football placekicker for the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League (USFL).
Career
He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers. He set the NCAA record for most ...
kicked a 55-yard field goal against the Syracuse Orange on October 6, 2018.
On October 7, 2018, the Steelers won their 100th regular season game at Heinz Field with a record of 100–38–1 at that point.
College Football
On September 1st, 2022, the
Backyard Brawl between the University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University met after an 11 year break of the rivalry, due to conference realignment. With an attendance of 70,622 fans, a new record was set for the largest sporting event in the history of Pittsburgh. With the previous record being held by Penn State versus Pitt in 2016 with 69,983 in attendance.
Concerts
Since its opening in 2001, bands and artists including 'N Sync,
Beyoncé,
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
,
Kenny Chesney
Kenneth Arnold Chesney (born March 26, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has recorded more than 20 albums and has produced more than 40 Top 10 singles on the US ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs and Country ...
, and
LeAnn Rimes have performed at the stadium. In addition, hometown bands
The Clarks and the
Povertyneck Hillbillies have played multiple shows at the stadium.
Soccer
On July 27, 2014, Heinz Field hosted a
soccer match between
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...
and
Manchester City which was part of the
2014 International Champions Cup
The 2014 International Champions Cup (or ICC) was a friendly association football tournament played in the United States and Canada. It began on July 24 when Olympiacos defeated Milan 3–0 at BMO Field in Toronto, and ended on August 4 at Su ...
and Manchester City won the match 5–1.
Heinz Field hosted a women's international exhibition match between the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and
Costa Rica on August 16, 2015. It ended in an 8–0 victory for the United States, in their first match since winning the
2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
The 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup was the seventh FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international soccer championship contested by the women's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament was hosted by Canada for the ...
, and set a new attendance record for a standalone women's friendly in the U.S. with 44,028 spectators.
NHL Winter Classic
![Heinz Field NHL Winter Classic](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Heinz_Field_NHL_Winter_Classic.jpg)
On May 28, 2010,
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
commissioner
Gary Bettman announced that Heinz Field would be the host of the
2011 NHL Winter Classic.
The game was played January 1, 2011, between the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
and
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...
. Pittsburgh native
Jackie Evancho sang the
Star Spangled Banner before local sports legends
Franco Harris
Franco Harris (March 7, 1950 – December 20, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A nine-time Pro Bowl selection ...
,
Jerome Bettis
Jerome Abram Bettis Sr. (born February 16, 1972) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nicknamed "the Bus" for his large size and runn ...
and
Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux (; ; born October 5, 1965) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played parts of 17 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins between 1984 and 2006, and he assumed ownership of the f ...
dropped the ceremonial puck. The Capitals won, 3–1.
The game was the highest rated NHL contest since 1996 and the highest rated regular season game since 1975.
It was also the first night Classic and the first to use "CableCam" technology.
In film & TV
The 2011 ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' Auditions chose Pittsburgh of one of six cities and scheduled signups at Heinz Field on July 12–13 and auditions on July 15, 2011.
Heinz Field served as the home field of the Gotham Rogues in the 2012 film ''
The Dark Knight Rises
''The Dark Knight Rises'' is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. The film is based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is th ...
''.
An estimated 15,000 unpaid extras filled the stadium during shooting on August 6, 2011.
During Episode 4 of
''The Bachelorette'' (season 12), eleven contestants competed in a five on five football game. In addition, they met with football players from the Steelers, including
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football ...
,
Hines Ward
Hines Edward Ward Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American football coach and former wide receiver of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Georgia and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ...
, and
Brett Keisel.
Other events
In 2002, the
Pittsburgh Marathon concluded at Heinz Field; the course was altered from past years to allow competitors to cross the finish line on the field.
In 2005, the Pittsburgh Wine Festival was held at Heinz Field, over 2,000 people attended.
Features
Playing surface
In June 2001,
Kentucky Bluegrass
''Poa pratensis'', commonly known as Kentucky bluegrass (or blue grass), smooth meadow-grass, or common meadow-grass, is a perennial species of grass native to practically all of Europe, North Asia and the mountains of Algeria and Morocco. Altho ...
was laid on the field,
at half the height of most NFL field's grass. The field is heated from below, using a mixture of
antifreeze
An antifreeze is an additive which lowers the freezing point of a water-based liquid. An antifreeze mixture is used to achieve freezing-point depression for cold environments. Common antifreezes also increase the boiling point of the liquid, all ...
and hot water, to keep the field at around 62 °F (17 °C) in order to keep the grass growing year-round.
The field was re-surfaced multiple times, until the synthetic-enhanced
Desso GrassMaster
GrassMaster is a hybrid grass sports playing field surface composed of natural grass combined with artificial fibres. The method was developed and patented by Desso Sports from the Netherlands in 1993. This hybrid grass system is now marketed an ...
was installed in 2003.
Debate continued over the surface after players began slipping during game play. Despite this players and coaches of Pitt, the Steelers, and their opponents supported keeping the current turf.
![Heinz Field02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Heinz_Field02.jpg)
On Friday, November 23, 2007, Heinz Field hosted four
WPIAL
The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) is an interscholastic athletic association in Western Pennsylvania. It is District 7 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.
History
The Western Pennsylvania Inte ...
championship football games which were followed the day after with a game between Pitt and
South Florida
South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...
. After discussion with the NFL,
the Steelers owners decided to re-surface the field for their
nationally televised game against the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
. A layer of sod was laid on the GrassMaster surface.
1½ inches of rain fell after the new sod had been laid,
which did not allow the tarp to be removed from the field until 70 minutes before the game began.
The field conditions were so bad that a
punt by Dolphins punter
Brandon Fields
Brandon David Fields (born May 21, 1984) is a former American football punter who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Michigan State University, and earned consensus All-American honors. He ...
stuck to the turf without bouncing.
The Steelers won the game 3–0, with a
field goal
A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...
by
Jeff Reed with 17 seconds remaining;
it was the NFL's first 3–0 game since 1993 and the longest two teams went without scoring since the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
and
Detroit Lions played to a scoreless tie on November 11, 1943.
Scott Brown, of the ''
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The ''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review'', also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Although it transitioned to an all-digital format on December 1, 2016, it rem ...
'', called the field a "veritable mud pit".
Gene Upshaw
Eugene Thurman Upshaw Jr. (August 15, 1945 – August 20, 2008), also known as "Uptown Gene" and "Highway 63", was an American professional football player for the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League (AFL) and later the National F ...
, head of the
National Football League Players' Association
The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is a labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by president J. C. Tretter and executive director DeM ...
, said a 2006 survey of NFL players ranked Heinz Field as the second-worst field in the league.
Steelers receiver
Hines Ward
Hines Edward Ward Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American football coach and former wide receiver of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Georgia and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the ...
called the playing conditions "horrendous" after the game.
However, the following day Ward and other Pittsburgh players lobbied to keep the natural surface, saying, "I think everybody wants to keep the grass."
Since that season, the Steelers have played their game on the weekend after
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...
on the road at the team's request.
Debate continued over the field later in the season when Jacksonville running back
Fred Taylor called the field "a lawsuit pending".
Pittsburgh's owners said the decision was up to the players, who once again defended the natural surface.
In February 2008, the Steelers announced that they would keep the Desso GrassMaster surface.
During the
2008 season, quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football ...
received a
concussion
A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...
from a hit at Heinz Field. He later said, "I'm glad we weren't on FieldTurf. That grass — you know, the soft Heinz Field — might've helped a little bit."
After the 2008 season, a poll of 1,565 NFL players rated the surface at Heinz Field as the worst of the 18 natural surfaces in the League.
The DDGrassmaster surface was removed in January 2009 and replaced with the old sod placed on top of the DDGrassmaster surface for the AFC Championship later that month.
Field design
When the outdoor sports venue opened in 2001, both end zones were painted athletic gold during Steelers home games (this also happened for the final five seasons at Three Rivers Stadium), with “PITTSBURGH” on the North side and “Steelers” on the South side; both words were painted black with white outlines. Either "Steelers" or "Panthers" was painted in the end zone, depending on the game, during the first three years.
For the 2002 Steelers regular season, the area covered by gold paint was reduced to just around the words. The design for the 2002 Wild Card matchup replaced the white letter outlines with athletic gold paint and removed it everywhere else.
In 2003, the Steelers played the Philadelphia Eagles in a preseason game with plain diagonal white lines in the South end zone, which were common in NFL end zones until the 1960s. Although the Steelers lost the game 21–16, team president
Dan Rooney
Daniel Milton Rooney (July 20, 1932 – April 13, 2017) was an American executive and diplomat best known for his association with the Pittsburgh Steelers, an American football team in the National Football League (NFL), and son of the Steelers' ...
liked the look of the South end zone being "plain", and decided to bring it back the next year. The 2003 season was the last year to date which contained “PITTSBURGH” and “Steelers” in black words with athletic gold outlines in both end zones.
Starting in 2004, the wordmark designs were flipped in paint color, “PITTSBURGH” in the North and “Steelers” in the South were now athletic gold with the former having either dark blue outlines for Pitt or black for the Steelers. The diagonal white lines in the South end zone during the college portion of the season began in this year too, with “Steelers” being added after Pitt has played their final home game of the year.
In the aforementioned Dolphins-Steelers Monday Night Football match of 2007, the surface conditions had become so deteriorated from the rain and gameplay itself that the field grid of hash marks, yard lines, mid-field logo, and wordmarks in both end zones were barely visible throughout the game. Sideline hash marks (painted orange) and yard lines were re-painted at halftime.
From 2001 through 2010, there was typically no midfield logo when both Pitt and the Steelers were in season; the Steelers had their logo painted on the sidelines when Pitt's football season was ongoing and transferred it to midfield after Pitt's football season ended (except for the first two seasons when it was only added for the postseason).
As of the 2011 season, Pitt and the Steelers in cooperation have their respective logos at midfield for their own homes games, being interchanged frequently.
Being a member of the
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference (AFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the highest professional level of American football in the United States. The AFC and its counterpart, the National Football Conference ...
(AFC), the grounds crew of Acrisure Stadium has painted the conference logo in both end zones for every Pittsburgh Steelers postseason home game to date.
Seating and tickets
As of 2018, the Pittsburgh Steelers have sold out every home game since the
1972 season.
Entering the
2008 season, the Steelers average ticket price of $69.47 was the 15th highest out of the NFL's 32 teams.
The majority of the 65,050 seats are colored "Steeler gold," though club seats are dark gray.
Acrisure Stadium features 1,500 seats in 129 luxury boxes, with prices ranging from $64,000 to $135,000 depending on location and size. These boxes were predicted to increase the Steelers' profits from $10 to $11 million per season over those at Three Rivers Stadium. The stadium also features 6,600 club seats that include a restaurant and an indoor bar, at prices up to $2,000 per person.
For the 2010 season, season ticket prices for Panthers games range from a maximum of $295 per club seat with required donations per seat between $250 and $500 depending on location, to as low as $87 per seat with no required donation for upper end zone sections. Individual game ticket prices ranged from $30 to $65 depending on the seat location and the opponent.
Great Hall
![GreatHallEntrance](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/GreatHallEntrance.jpg)
The Great Hall spans approximately on the east side of the stadium and houses a collection of Steelers and Pittsburgh Panthers memorabilia. The Hall includes a timeline of the Steelers franchise's major events, an oversized Steelers helmet hangs from the ceiling beside a video screen that shows entertainment for fans throughout game days.
The Great Hall also features the actual lockers of several former Steelers, including
Hall of Fame members Franco Harris
Franco Harris (March 7, 1950 – December 20, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A nine-time Pro Bowl selection ...
,
Joe Greene
Charles Edward Greene (born September 24, 1946), better known as "Mean" Joe Greene, is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1969 to 1 ...
, and
Bill Dudley
William McGarvey "Bullet Bill" Dudley (December 24, 1921 – February 4, 2010) was an American professional football player in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, and Washington Redskins. He was inducte ...
.
Six large
Super Bowl trophies-shaped display columns were erected and contain artifacts from each championship the Steelers have won including replica trophies.
Two display columns are dedicated to the University of Pittsburgh and contain memorabilia from the Panthers' teams. The floor is painted to resemble the post-baseball season football field at Three Rivers Stadium, with the word "Steelers" painted in black over a gold background.
University of Pittsburgh players are featured on two large murals within the Hall. Eight additional tile murals created by local high schools represent western Pennsylvania football history.
In 2007, the Great Hall was named the best concourse at an NFL stadium by writer Bill Evans, in an article for
ESPN.com.
Seating expansion
The Steelers notified the
Pittsburgh Stadium Authority in December 2010 of their intention to add up to 4,000 seats to the lower southern end of the stadium. The plan would increase seating up to 69,050 as soon as the 2012 NFL season.
Seating was added in that section for the
2011 NHL Winter Classic, which had an attendance of 68,111. The temporary seating was left in place for the 2010–11 NFL playoffs, with the AFC Championship game on January 23 having a record attendance of 66,662.
On April 12, 2012, the Steelers confirmed they would seek approval from the NFL to expand seating by 3,000.
On May 19, 2014, after more than two years, the Steelers and the SEA came to an agreement to add about 3,000 seats to the venue.
After contractors surveyed the complex the final number of 2,390 added seats with five additional suites including more parking, restrooms and concessions was determined in December 2014 to increase capacity to a total of 68,400. The seating was put in place by the summer of 2015.
On September 10, 2016 the then largest crowd of 69,983 to ever see a sporting event in Pittsburgh watched the Pitt Panthers defeat the Penn State Nittany Lions, 42–39 as they renewed their rivalry in football.
On September 1, 2022, a crowd of 70,622 fans broke the record attendance for a sporting event in Pittsburgh again, as No. 17 Pitt defeated the West Virginia Mountaineers 38-31 in the first Backyard Brawl since 2011.
Transportation access
Acrisure Stadium is located at Exit 1B of
Interstate 279
Interstate 279 (I-279), locally referred to as Parkway North, is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway that lies entirely within Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Its southern end is at I-376 at the Fort Pitt Bridge in Pittsburgh, a ...
within a mile of direct access to both
Interstate 376
Interstate 376 (I-376) is a major auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System in the US state of Pennsylvania, located within the Allegheny Plateau. It runs from I-80 near Sharon south and east to a junction with the Pennsylvania Tur ...
and
Interstate 579
Interstate 579 (I-579) is a north–south Interstate Highway entirely within Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The highway is long. I-579 is also known as the Crosstown Boulevard since it crosses the backside of Downtown Pittsburgh.
The northern term ...
. The stadium also has dedicated elevated walkway access to the
Allegheny Station of the
Light Rail/Subway system. On Steelers and Pitt Panthers game days, access is also provided from
Station Square
Station Square is a indoor and outdoor shopping and entertainment complex located in the South Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States across the Monongahela River from the Golden Triangle of downtown Pittsburgh. Station S ...
parking facilities via the
Gateway Clipper Fleet
The Gateway Clipper Fleet, founded by John E. Connelly, is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based fleet of riverboats. The fleet cruises the three rivers of Pittsburgh - the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio. The fleet is named after the city of Pit ...
.
See also
*
List of NCAA Division I FBS football stadiums
This is a list of stadiums that currently serve as the home venue for NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision college football teams. These include most of the List of U.S. stadiums by capacity, largest stadiums in th ...
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{good article
Music venues completed in 2001
Sports venues completed in 2001
Pittsburgh Steelers stadiums
National Football League venues
Pittsburgh Panthers football venues
College football venues
Ice hockey venues in Pennsylvania
Outdoor ice hockey venues in the United States
Sports venues in Pittsburgh
Music venues in Pittsburgh
American football venues in Pennsylvania
2001 establishments in Pennsylvania
Soccer venues in Pennsylvania