A baseball park in the city’s Oakland neighborhood from 1909 to 1971, Forbes Field was the third home of the MLB Pittsburgh Pirates and the first home of the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers. The stadium also served as the home football field for the University of Pittsburgh Panthers from 1909 to 1924. Baseball legend and Pirates Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente played 15 seasons at Forbes Field. The Pirates won three World Series there, and the other original tenant, the Panthers, chalked up five undefeated seasons at Forbes Field before moving in 1924.
Forbes Field was also the site of the only World Series Game 7 (1960) to end with a home run. Bill Mazeroski’s homer that clinched the game 10-9 over the Yankees and gave the Pirates their third World Series win is still the stuff of local legend in the ’Burgh. By any city’s standards, Forbes Field amassed a mighty track record during its 61 fan-bolstered years of operation (1909-1970).
In 1971, Forbes Field was demolished as plans evolved to build Three Rivers Stadium, but some elements of the old building survived. One artful example is an 80-lb terracotta haunch from the stadium’s façade, which will be auctioned on Nov 12 by Hake’s Americana of York, Pa.
Highly decorative, the haunch includes depictions of foliage and a florette, with a wreath encircling the insignia “PAC,” for Pittsburgh Athletic Company.
“We know of only one other example, and it resides in a museum,” said Hake’s Americana’s president, Alex Winter. “We believe it is the only one of its type available to the collecting community, so our hope is that it will be displayed in Pittsburgh, perhaps someplace where the city’s sports fans can enjoy it. It would make quite a conversation starter in a sports bar.”
To view the auction description and additional images, visit http://www.hakes.com/item.asp?AuctionID=97&ItemNo=137986.
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