Riverfront Stadium
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Riverfront Stadium (1970 - 2002) was the home of the Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball team from June 30, 1970 - September 22, 2002, and the Cincinnati Bengals National Football League team from September 20, 1970 - December 12, 1999. Located on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, the stadium was best known as the home of the "Big Red Machine," as the Reds were often called in the 1970s. Construction began on February 1, 1968 and was completed at a cost of $50 million. Just three weeks later, on July 14, Riverfront hosted the 1970 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
The World Series had visited the Reds' previous home, Crosley Field, just once in its last thirty years, but it came to Riverfront four times in the stadium's first seven years, with the Reds winning back-to-back championships in 1975 and 1976. It also was the site of the first two games of the 1990 World Series, also won by the Reds. In between, the stadium hosted its second MLB All-Star Game in 1988.
The most memorable football game at Riverfront was probably the American Football Conference Championship on January 10, 1982. The game became known as the "Freezer Bowl" and was won by the Bengals over the San Diego Chargers, 27-7. The air temperature was 9°, but the wind chill during the game was 59° below zero, the coldest in NFL history. The win earned the Bengals their first trip to the Super Bowl.
In 1996, the stadium was renamed "Cinergy Field" in a sponsorship deal with greater Cincinnati's power company, Cinergy Corporation. The Bengals moved to Paul Brown Stadium in 2000, leaving the Reds as the stadium's only tenant. Prior to the 2001 baseball season, the stadium was remodeled into a baseball-only configuration. The centerfield stands were removed and the distance to the fences was shortened by five feet to allow room for the construction of Great American Ball Park, while the artificial surface was replaced with grass. Two years later, the stadium was imploded on December 29, 2002.
Milestones
Baseball
- First Home run: Hank Aaron, June 30, 1970.
- First Presidential Visit: Richard Nixon, July 14, 1970.
- First stadium to display metric distances on outfield walls: 100.58 meters down the lines, 114.30 to the alleys, 123.13 to center.
- First stadium to have its entire field covered by AstroTurf, except for the cutouts around the bases and pitcher’s mound.
- Hank Aaron ties the all-time home run record with number 714: April 4, 1974.
- Highest season attendance, 2,629,708: 1976.
- First rain checks issued: August 30, 1978.
- Pete Rose breaks the all-time hit record with number 4,192: September 11, 1985.
- Robby Thompson sets the all-time record for times caught stealing in one game, four: June 27, 1986.
References
- Munsey & Suppes (1996-2004). Riverfront Stadium. Ballparks.
- Smith, Ron (2000). Riverfront Stadium. The Ballpark Book. The Sporting News. ISBN: 0892047038
- Riverfront Stadium Opens. BaseballLibrary.com.
External Links
- Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field. Ballparks of Baseball.
- Cinergy Field. BaseballLibrary.com.