the difference between heinz field and pitt stadium are the seats.. pitt stadium had bench seating which means even though it might not have been a sell out, it looked fuller because people could spread out more.. at heinz field, an empty seat is an empty seat, there’s no disguising it. plus the shape of pitt stadium made it a more exciting atmosphere. lastly, it was pitt’s, not somebody else’s house.

Upittbaseball, Old Pitt Stadium wasn’t modern or comfortable, but it had great charm.The location and history made it a very special place. I resent anyone referring to it as a shit hole. Some of the all time greats of the game played and coached there. I saw some of my favorite players perform there and had some of the best times of my life there. I find your statement highly offensive and wonder if you ever saw a game there? Or are you just an idiot who doesn’t understand how stupid he sounds?

tedsptman – “He was jailed again July 20 and charged with barking at a police dog and resisting arrest.”

That deserves a whole article right there.

spirit, I liked it for what it was but it was old and had no amenities. Did you forget the lines to the bathrooms, no food choices, no box seats etc, no backs on the seats.

Nostalgia is fine, but the game day experience is far superior at Heinz. The Band’s pre-game march, the Great Hall, Club Seats, the Food, Tailgating.
Better restaurants, bars, the River access, the Hotels, the subway.

This week it’s Ribfest. Time marches on, quit whining and man up. Heinz is our home now. On Saturdays it is part of Pitt’s campus, just like the practice facilities on the SouthSide. You might be surprised to learn that as many students party on the SouthSide as in Oakland on weekends.

Pitt Stadium might have been all the things you say, but it is gone, never to return, same with Forbes Field and a lot of other places.

I saw plenty of great games and have great memories, but I don’t miss it at all.

Funny, I just saw an article about Harvard’s 100 year old stadium, that they all cherish.

Bobby Dodd Stadium at Georgia Tech was built around the same time as Pitt Stadium and GT like Pitt is an urban campus as is Harvard.

Did these two schools tear down their stadiums, well of course not, they refurbished them and cherish them. GT has a much better hoop program than PiTT pre 2000, did they tear down their almost 100 year old football stadium to build a state of the art basketball arena. No they didn’t.

Notre Dame Stadium opened a few years after Pitt Stadium in 1930. Do you think ND would EVER consider tearing down their stadium. It’s old, a bowl like Pitt Stadium, it’s had bench seats since it opened. Most college stadiums have bench seating. You’re supposed to stand and root your team on anyway. Not lounge in some seat and complain when ppl stand in front of you.

Still had to believe a college with 9 National Championships, most of them won in Pitt Stadium, would even contemplate tearing down that stadium.
The ghosts of Pop Warner, Jock Sutherland & Johnny Michelosen roamed those sidelines among many other former great players. All that tradition and history just plowed under by an idiot AD that didn’t even go to PITT.

You don’t destroy your history or tradition unless you never understood it to begin with.

I don’t go to football games worrying about where I’m going to take a leak. I’m there to watch a football game, not piss every quarter.

Nor do I go to a football game to eat. You go to a nice place for dinner either before the game (or lunch if it’s an early game) or you have dinner afterwards in a nice restaurant. Where they have good food, not garbage you typically find in sporting stadiums.

It sounds to me you guys are the whiners, ” I have to sit in seats with backs, I can’t stand in a line to piss, I need a nice bathroom to piss in, I need my nachos and beer, on and on.

Man up yourself and quit being a girl.

Emel, that is fine, but there are probably 50 others that have been torn down, replaced or removed.

Imagine frisking everyone going into Pitt Stadium.

Pitt Stadium should have been torn down and replaced on the spot, but there was no money. They looked at renovating and upgrading, again, too expensive. I don’t remember great protests when they tore it down. Nobody chained them self in front of the wrecking ball. Hell they tore down Yankee Stadium, Babe Ruth must be turning over in his grave.

I don’t hear anybody whining about not playing in Fitzgerald Field House. The Pete is a fabulous facility.

@emel,

100 percent agree with your two previous posts! we’ve become a spoiled lot…

FRisking….lol

What would they frisk you any different than they do at Heinz ?

And I don’t recall any colleges tearing down their football stadiums. Unless they were dropping out of D1 to a lower classification or dropping the sport altogether. However most want D1 teams because it’s a cash cow. UMASS is now D1, and UNC-Charlotte just built a brand new football stadium as they’ll be entering C-USA in the next year or two.

Who are these 50 colleges that tore down, replaced or removed their stadiums ??

Only one I can think of, that would be that idiotic is……wait……PITT !

I remember going up to Beaver Stadium in the 1970s’. Now that was a dump, did Ped State replace, remove or tear it down. Of course not, they kept making it better. It use to fill up with water in the stands when it rained, probably still does. If you want to watch the game up there when it rains, guess what…you stand in.. in standing water. But they have over 90,000 ppl that will do it at Creepy Valley.

No money, they spent over $200 million on The Pete.

Maybe closer to $300 when they had to replace the brand new roof….with another brand new roof.

Plus redo the whole lobby area twice.

It’s called “state of the art” Emel. All of the old stadiums have received major renovations costing big, big bucks. Do you drive a car from the seventies or are you spoiled in your late model BMW?

I agree with your approach with lunch or dinner, but I see a lot of Quaker State Wings and Primanti Sandwiches sold at the stadium. The all you can eat seats are pretty popular at PNC.

Not everyone rates nostalgia over comfort, or would put up with your spartan approach. I don’t think all the ladies you brag about would appreciate the lines at the ladies room, or the boiled dog on a soggy bun. Oh but the memories.

@gc,
just because someone drives a late model BMW, doesn’t make them spoiled..
no kidding, renovating costs money. it’s called investing. in my opinion, pitt would have been better served renovating and keeping history, rather than renting and showing potential recruits how we value the football program.

Where would the additional 400 to 600 mill come from for a football facility? We were very lucky to get the state to kick in for basketball. With Heinz and PNC being built they would never have approved another football stadium. The Pirates and the Steelers threatened to leave town. Pitt isn’t going anywhere.

Can’t believe they allowed a Bowl Game to be played in this dump.

Legion Field – Home of the UAB Blazers

Some stadiums in college football have a mystique. Some stadiums are home to great moments, classic games, and many great players. Legion Field is one of these stadiums – or at least, it was. Legion Field is still in use, however. In 1991, the University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazers began playing their home contests at the venue. The magic and mystique of Legion Field, however, has vanished. The stadium has deteriorated. Due to unsafe conditions, the upper deck had to be torn down. What was once a great place for football has become an old, rusty, lifeless facility, all due to the city of Birmingham’s inability to take care of it.

Goalie 44 you miss my point, it does not mean you are spoiled to want state of the art.

Maybe Pitt would have been better served to renovate, but it would have cost huge money.

Recently Tenn. spent 200 mil., Michigan 200 mil, Washington 280 mil, Cal 321 mil, and Texas AM 450 mil. All these were in far superior condition than Pitt Stadium.

Imagine just bringing Pitt Stadium up to handicap codes.

Renovation was evaluated and ruled out. You are entitled to your opinion that we would have been better off with renovation, but we still would have needed a place to play basketball and there was not enough money for both.

i get it, it was all part of the de-emphasizing football and elevating basketball. personally, i would of rather the hoops team play in the civic arena (at the time) now comcast, and the football stadium receive the renovation.

The money would come from fans, alumni, boosters, corporate sponsers, naming rights, prepaid advertising revenue, luxury box licenses and suites, and anyone in the community that benefits from a multi purpose facility because it wouldnt just be a football or Pitt thing. Pitt and the city would float a bond for the rest. It can be done but Pitt would need to find a few charismatic leaders for the fundraising that can reach out to various academic, business, athletic and transportation audiences as well as impacted neighborhood residents. Pitt would also need a new AD and a Chancellor with vision and guts. We have 15 years to raise the funds. If I buy one less 6 pack a month, I would have saved over 1500 dollars for donation to the cause. Now all we have to do is find another 270,000 people like me willing to make the pledge.

Found this website that rates all the college football stadiums in America.

They have PITT and Heinz Field at #56. Which I think he was generous with. Cause most I know can’t stand the incessant video’s and piped in, way to loud, crowd quieting music (can you call it that)
Kinda of doubt this guy was actually at a game, cause he says: “The fans are always optimistic before kickoff no matter who the opponent is or what the Panthers record is.” HUH !

Anyway we’re in a grouping that includes; GT, SMU, Wake Forest, Utah, AZ St., UTEP, BYU, Utah State, and Western Kentucky. Not exactly venues you think of when you think college football.

It is, what it is.

link to stadiumjourney.com

Although I agree an on- campus stadium is preferable, I am just not that passionate about it and think it was much more important to have a basketball facility on campus. Would the Oakland Zoo exist at Mellon Arena?

I would love to see a Panther Hollow Stadium, just don’t think I will live long enough.

Seems like the idiots in charge of the game atmosphere, would rather create fake noise than let the crowd generate it. Along with the band and the cheerleaders.

This imo is the biggest difference between Heinz atmosphere and real college stadium venue atmospheres.

Places with good college game atmospheres don’t pump in fake NOISE to make noise. That’s so Pro stadium. Despise it.

just reading some of the descriptions, it seems plenty of schools found money for renovations…

Then again, maybe because the crowd is constantly pissing and eating, they need the fake pumped in noise. haha 🙂

Yep goalie44

Plenty of schools are spending big bucks on their football stadiums being renovated, therefore their football program. Cause they know that’s where the money is. Everyone but PITT that is !

56 out of 124 isn’t that bad. I bet we move up being in the ACC. I agree about the piped in noise, not a fan. Not a fan of Sweet Caroline either.

But so many Pitt fans sit on their hands during the game, the noise is better than silence. I miss the days of the Let’s Go Pitt Chant without cue cards.

With over a $2 billion endowment, Pitt could have easily floated a 30 year bond to pay for a new PITT stadium. Still can.

With the $20 Million/year ACC revenue and let’s say the whole Athletic Dept has been getting by on far less, like 4 million/year. Even if you moved that up to say $10mil/year. The other $10/mil/year times 30 years would pay off the bond investors.

Like I said that guy was pretty generous because he makes no mention, Pitt shares the stadium with the Steelers, like he does when he mentions the U sharing Sun Life Stadium with the Dolphins and has them way down at #72. Nor does he mention Heinz frequently has 35K to 45K in it, in a 65K place, it looks like nothing but a Sea of Yellow Upper Deck.

So we lucked out being rated that high, imo.

I vote for EMel on the fundraising board. Now will my 1500 dollar pledge get me a brick with my name on it? How bout this…for 5000 dollars you not only get a brick but your own piss trough pass and the pleasure of either pissing on the likeness of Stevie P or Joe Pa. Sign me up!

i don’t expect pitt to be in the top ten, but honestly, i’m tired of being not bad in everything athletics. pitt has had some recent success in basketball, but even with the pete, we still haven’t been to a final four. baseball appears to be on an upswing, but time will tell there. back in the mid 70’s and early 80’s, PITT football was a team to be feared.

Guy must hate Oklahoma Sooners, he has them at #73, they sellout EVERY game at 82K, it’s a religion in Norman just as much as Alabama or LSU.

I’ve been to a couple games in Norman, the game atmosphere there is like 20 times better than Heinz Field. Not even close. Yea he must hate the Sooners, cause he didn’t even mention the Sooner Schooner, that thing is a riot.

I remember the time in the Orange Bowl the Sooner Schooner got a 15 yard penalty, lol.

@tx panther

or the wvu mountaineer..

Plus the EyeCandy at OU games is first rate !

thats the top 124 i want to see!!

@ TX Panther +1 lol

Now I would even wait in a piss line to make that piss. lmao

Pea on JoePedo or Cornhole. We could sell tens of thousands of raffle tickets to commemorate the Event.

The temp in Norman for kickoff expected to be 100 degrees.

Meaning the OU gals will be in their skimpiest attire.

Maybe a rain shower in the 2nd half would cool them off nice !!!

You build the Pete not because basketball is emphasized over football but because it is a facility that gets more use – men’s and women’s basketball, student recreation center, student athlete academic center, commencement, campaign rallies, concerts, and the 2004 Jeopardy College Championship.

Of course an on-campus football stadium would be preferable to playing off-campus even in a great place like Heinz Field (yeah, I like it). But there is no way, no matter how much you load into the structure, that an on-campus football stadium, particularly one built into the small footprint of the old Pitt Stadium, will ever get as much use as the Pete does.

Riddle me this…for over 15 years immediately following the greatest modern era of Panthers football Pitt played in the historic and charismatic Pitt Stadium. Most of those years even wearing uniforms with the script “Pitt”. How is possible that our Panthers were barely ever relevant, let alone national championship contenders? And how is it possible that over that time Pitt Stadium routinely was filled far below capacity? How do you guys square the past reality with your jaded memories?

Consider this also: What do the following generally historically mediocre Top 5 Conference football programs have in common? Minnesota, Illinois, Purdue, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Colorado, Colorado State, Washington State, California, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Boston College and Duke

Hell, use Kentucky as the perfect example. Off campus basketball facility that is sterile and void of any charm what-so-ever. Football stadium on campus, plenty of area for parking and tailgating, and recently updated to the tune of multi-million dollar improvements. How is it possible that UK routinely competes for national championships in basketball and just as commonly shits the bed in football?

Emel & tx – taking notes here.. Got to find a decal maker whose product is “urine-proof”. I think were are on to something… at least for fundraising.. they will need some back-lighting in a real stadium…

This “on campus stadium” and “script” crying is the ultimate cop out. You guys cry about the atmosphere and blame Heinz, blame the AD, blame the lack of parking, blame not being wedged in Oakland…blah blah blah. That’s all a giant excuse.

Nobody has ever complained that Steelers game atmosphere is lacking.

I just came through Pittsburgh International this afternoon and I saw dozens of FSU fans, wearing their colors and excited to be here. They have rabid fans. WE NEED RABID FANS!!

Be the change you want Panther Nation to be, people!! Buck-up little campers, get excited, get loud, get on your feet, and lets have some enthusiastic fun Monday night.

A new OCS with dorms, classrooms, lecture halls, business space, and a train station would get more use than the Pete. Plus if fundraising was phenomenal (and how could it not if you get the chance to piss on State or a Hoopie), you could dome it and have Pitt’s new D1 hockey team play there. Pitt and the city control the possibilities. Not some Pro corporation or family.

I agree ECH. But those schools are aided by traditions and sports being an important part of campus life and the college experience. Pitt fans don’t care because the Pitt administration doesn’t care and is incompetent while accepting mediocrity. I don’t blame the fans. I blame those individuals at the top who accept the status quo. An OCS is a game changer and shows a serious commitment to making athletics a priority. Or at least a more balanced relationship with academics on campus.

TX Panther – my point exactly. You could not have built a facility with all the features you mention on the site of the old Pitt Stadium. In particular, there would not have been a railroad station. No tracks.

More to the point, none of the venerable old college stadiums mentioned in this thread have anywhere near the other features you mention. Harvard Stadium, Yale Bowl, the Big House, the Horseshoe, etc. are all single purpose facilities – football stadiums. Perhaps an occasional outdoor event. Classrooms? Dorms? Nope.

Now, if you want to build a facility like that on the Schenley golf course or Southside, I’m with you. But that still doesn’t mean Pitt Stadium could be saved or that it wasn’t worthwhile to build the Pete.

An on campus stadium, dorms, classrooms, lecture halls, business space, a train station(!?!?!)????? Why stop there. You should include the development of Oakland International Airport with direct flights to all four corners of the earth and divert the Mon up the hill and through Oakland so boaters can sail right up to stadium.

ech
that’s why pitt football is in it’s current situation. all those “crying” examples you cite. “buckling up, getting excited” won’t make pitt win. recruits..talented recruits will make pitt a winner. again, what 5 star recruit wants to play in a half-filled shitty turfed stadium??

Thinking about what ECH said about the FSU fans coming into town wearing their colors.

Has any kind of color ‘out’ be it a ‘blue out’ or better a ‘gold out’ been ordered up by the mktg. dept in the AD’s office, for Monday nite.

A ‘gold out’ would hide, pretty good, any empty seats in the upper deck and in the 4rth quarter, when all the students are allowed to leave early by University provided buses (brilliant idea there).

Plus the maroons coming up from Yahooland(tallahassee) will be probably have some gold on as well, so ppl would just see them on TV as PITT fans as well.

And the Oakland Zoo kids could just wear their already owned gold shirts.

Has anyone heard anything about a ‘Gold Out’ or if they insist a “blue out” ???

For the record Emel, nearly every FSU fan I saw was wearing Garnet, not Gold.

has anybody heard of anything, i mean anything special regarding our historic move to the acc?? that’s why this athletic administration is a joke! a wasted marketing opportunity.

If you can’t build it on the present site of Trees Hall, Fitzgerald Field House Area (could be a basketball/combo Natatorium)Plan A or down in Panther Hollow(Plan B).

Plan C would be on the Mon on the Sousside, would make sense next to the UPMC practice facility.

No need to divert the Mon thru Oakland then ECH, lol

besides new acc logos on the turf which will be ripped up in one quarter…

my hope is stevie p will put the fantastic panther ?? logo back on the helmet..

Florida State University
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The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public research university located in the state capital city of Tallahassee, Florida, United States. Wikipedia
Address: 600 W College Ave, Tallahassee, FL 32306
Enrollment: 40,474 (2006)
Mascot: Seminole
Acceptance rate: 58% (2010)
Phone: (850) 644-2525
Colors: Garnet, Gold

thanks for the phone number emel!

I like those ideas ECH but it would probably add another 700 million to the price tag. A single purpose stadium wouldn’t have the support. But a multi purpose one stands a chance since its not just a Pitt thing. With new leadership comes new ideas. Here’s hoping the door does hit Stevie on his way out. Hopefully at least 50k Pitt fans actually show on Monday since FSU is probably going to have 15k of their own in attendance.

whoops (meant a football/Natatorium combo) obviously.

FSU is accepting phone calls from Pitt fans. haha

EMel – do you flood the field for swimming?

Personally, I’d favor either the golf course in the park or southside. It’s too congested to build a stadium with the features you suggest on the hill.

FYI

Dan is in charge of the ACC field logos. ha

Haven’t seen him in a while since JoeD-Dan83 vanished. (or was vanquished)

Call the phone number and ask for Jimbo’s cell number. 🙂

Tell them your Tino trying to locate your father.

@ Pitt Dad

Knowing Pitt they’d probably put the Natatorium above the Football Field. ha

Reminds me of my synagogue growing up. They built a huge new wing with classrooms and a basketball court/gymnasium. The geniuses put the classrooms downstairs so we could never use the gym after school because of Hebrew school.

Sounds like something our genius AD would do.

Scores of note**

Cincy pummeled Purdue 42-7
Hoopies eked past William & Mary 24-17
Pedo State slipped past Cuse 23-17
ND beat Temple 28-6 (must have been first matchup ever)
Ohio Fake not impressive 40-20 over Buffalo
North Dakota State 24 Kansas State 21 (biggest upset so far)

ECH: There is electricity for Steeler games at Heinz because Heinz is their stadium.

Why blame fans for decisions fans did not make?
Like refusing to give Sherrill what he wanted, which would have prevented Foge from being in charge to backtrack the program’s progress, not running off Mike Gottfried, being committed to winning football with both heart and checkbook.

Pitt administrations have been the biggest roadblock to Pitt football success. We need to keep saying it until alumni demand change.

Got it…the electricity comes from the yellow polymer seats.

This Va TEch QB is worse than he was last year.

5 for 26 58 yards.

No wonder d-bag looked adequate by comparison.

Check out this score

McNeese State 33
South Florida 7 @ Halftime

after Uconn got beat by Towson State, Thurs.

AAC looking sharp

Eastern Washington over #25 Oregon State 49-46. Big weekend for upsets!

Am I glad we don’t play Clemson this year.

Spiritofsection – Pitt Stadium was a dump, shithole, beyond its time, etc. the facts are facts. Yes, they should have torn it down and rebuilt it but to think keeping that place was smart is ludicrous. He’ll we even practiced in it and the stories I could tell. The smartest idea would have been tear it down and build a multi purpose football / basketball building. It could have looked like the a houston Texans stadium. Hope you guys took LSU easy money.

Back in the 80’s there were many rocking good games in Pitt stadium for several reasons not mentioned. The corporate ticket deals; companies bought large blocks then gave them to employees, Boy Scouts etc filling the stadium with vocal youth.The closeness of the fans. The year the NFL struck Pitt stadium attendance was up by 25/30 % (a pro athlete city). No Thursday/Monday night games. The farthest parking was Schenly park not across the river and uptown an hours walk away.Nostalgia is worth something also. My grandsons got to eat in the Tuck( Roy R.) and tour campus (and later attended Pitt).Today I am exhausted to get into Heinze Field. Walking cardiac was easier bcause it was a short distance up and downhill after.

@upittbaseball

another man’s shithole is another man’s palace. pitt stadium needed updating not doubt, but i’d still rather be playing there than heinz field. it may have been “a dump” ur words.. i disagree, but it was our dump where some of the greatest teams in school history made their mark. without their own stadium, wherever they put it, i believe the team will not achieve greatness as before.

Goalie – I’d take it over Heinz. My point is it was shitty and needed money spent on it. The ACC wouldn’t have allowed us to play there unless they dropped some coin to fix it up.

UPIttbaseball, How many national champions have you seen Pitt produce at Heinz Field? You can have your state of the art, piss twice a quarter, $15 bucket of wings bullshit. I liked passing a number after every touchdown, hornman and winning by more than 40 on a regular basis. Pitt Stadium may be a shithole by your standards but it was fun and crazy and special. Everybody brags about the Pete and the zoo but the Field House was one of the most intimidating places that any team ever played and the crowds there were every bit as loud and rowdy as the zoo on there best day. Those places might well be described as dumps, but I loved those dumps and miss them both. They were fun. Heinz field is all right but calling it fun is a stretch.