PITTSBURGH \u2014 We continue our look at how the north shore has transformed over the last 25 years.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no secret; Pittsburghers are nostalgic and don\u2019t like change.<\/p>\n
Saying goodbye to Three Rivers Stadium was hard. The last game played there was in December of 2000.<\/p>\n
Many of the athletes who made the transition, including Pittsburgh\u2019s own John Wehner, say it was easier than they thought.<\/p>\n
Few cities would turn a stadium implosion into appointment viewing, but Pittsburgh did almost 25 years ago – when Three Rivers Stadium came down on a cold February morning.<\/p>\n
Fans weren\u2019t the only ones who struggled to let go.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree Rivers was so great of a home-field advantage. I mean, it was loud and it just had an energy and a presence about it,\u201d said former Pittsburgh Steeler Jerome Bettis.<\/p>\n
It was an emotional goodbye for those who made history inside its walls, and few felt it more than former Pirate John Wehner.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t hit many home runs. I joked about it before the game with Greg Brown and Kevin Young. Actually, it\u2019s like, wouldn\u2019t that be something if I hit the last home run at Three Rivers?\u201d Wehner said.<\/p>\n
It was a moment manifested. At the bottom of the fifth on October 1, 2000. The Pirates were hosting the Cubs in the final game at Three Rivers Stadium. The Carrick native hit the last home run in Three Rivers history.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I could think about was the slowdown. I wanted to take it in.I wanted to last as long as I possibly could. I couldn\u2019t keep from tearing up when I got back out to the to the field, the third base, you know, the fans reaction\u2026When I jogged back out there, and, you know, there\u2019s tears in my eyes, and it was just\u2026it was because of the reaction,\u201d Wehner said.<\/p>\n
A small number of athletes lived through the last days of Three Rivers and were also among the first to step into the North Shore\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
In 2001, PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium, Heinz Field at the time, made big first impressions.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this stadium, you got a chance to see a little bit of the character of the city, which made it really impressive,\u201d Bettis recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI sat in that dugout, and I just looked over at the skyline and\u2026I couldn\u2019t take my eyes off of downtown Pittsburgh,\u201d Wehner said about PNC Park.<\/p>\n
Former Pitt Panther Lousaka Polite remembers when sharing a stadium with an NFL team was only a recruiting pitch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember being on my recruiting visit and kind of being told about the vision and what to expect in a couple years, and then to see it, you know, come to fruition, it was super cool,\u201d Polite said.<\/p>\n
Though Heinz Field hosted an NSYNC concert and a Steelers preseason game in the summer of 2001, it was the Panthers that played the first official game there.<\/p>\n
A 31-0 win over East Tennessee State on September 1st.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe students were actually rocking, and it was fun, and it was an exciting atmosphere, and then to come out there with a big win. I mean, that\u2019s how you really want to kick off such a monumental, grand opening like that,\u201d former Pitt Panther Shawn Robinson said.<\/p>\n
It is a moment that still resonates.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s super cool to just, you know, know that you were a part of something new that we, you know, our recruiting class came in off of a two or nine season, and we felt like, \u2018Hey, that doesn\u2019t matter. We feel like we can be a part of history. We can be a part of this movement.\u2019 And yeah, we were right,\u201d Polite said.<\/p>\n
As PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium continue to shape the next generation of historic moments for these athletes, the North Shore remains a bridge between where Pittsburgh has been and where it\u2019s going.<\/p>\n
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