Riverfront Stadium

"The Home of the Big Red Machine" "The Jungle"
The Stadium in 1980
Interactive map of Riverfront Stadium
Former names	Riverfront Stadium (1970–1996) Cinergy Field (1996–2002)
Location	201 EastPete Rose Way,Cincinnati 45202
Coordinates	39°5′48″N84°30′30″W / 39.09667°N 84.50833°W /39.09667; -84.50833
Owner	City of Cincinnati
Capacity	52,952 (baseball, 1970–2000) 59,754 (football) 39,000 (baseball, 2001–02)
Field size	1970–2000 Left field – 330 ft (100 m) Left-center field – 375 ft (114 m) Center field – 404 ft (123 m) Right-center field – 375 ft (114 m) Right field – 330 ft (100 m) Backstop – 51 ft (16 m) 2001–2002 Left field – 325 ft (99 m) Left-center field – 370 ft (110 m) Center field – 393 ft (120 m) Right-center field – 373 ft (114 m) Right field – 325 ft (99 m) Backstop – 41 ft (12 m)
Surface	AstroTurf 8 (1970–2000) Grass (2001–2002)
Construction
Broke ground	February 1, 1968
Opened	June 30, 1970
Closed	September 22, 2002
Demolished	December 29, 2002
Construction cost	US$45 million ($364 million in 2024 dollars[2])
Architect	Heery & Heery FABRAP
Structural engineer	Prybylowski and Gravino, Inc.[1]
General contractor	Huber, Hunt & Nichols[citation needed]
Tenants
Cincinnati Bengals (NFL) (1970–1999) Cincinnati Reds (MLB) (1970–2002) Cincinnati Bearcats (NCAA) (1982–1988; part time, 1990; full time)

Riverfront Stadium, also known asCinergy Field from 1996 to 2002, was a multi-purpose stadium inCincinnati, Ohio. It was the home of theCincinnati Reds ofMajor League Baseball (MLB) from1970 through2002 and theCincinnati Bengals of theNational Football League (NFL) from1970 to1999. Located on theOhio River indowntown 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 less than $50 million. Riverfront's grand opening was held on June 30, 1970, an 8–2 Reds loss to theAtlanta Braves. Braves right fielderHank Aaron hit the first home run in Riverfront's history, a two-run shot in the first inning which also served as the stadium's first runs batted in.^[3] Two weeks later on July 14, 1970, Riverfront hosted the1970 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. This game is best remembered for the often-replayed collision at home plate between Reds starPete Rose and catcherRay Fosse of theCleveland Indians.

In September 1996, Riverfront Stadium was renamed "Cinergy Field" in a sponsorship deal withGreater Cincinnati energy companyCinergy. In2001, to make room forGreat American Ball Park, theseating capacity at Cinergy Field was reduced to 39,000. There was a huge in-play wall in center field visible after the renovations, to serve as thebatter's eye. The stadium was demolished by implosion on December 29, 2002.

Riverfront was a multi-purpose, circular"cookie-cutter" stadium, one of many built in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s as communities sought to save money by having theirfootball andbaseball teams share the same facility. Riverfront,Veterans Stadium inPhiladelphia,Busch Memorial Stadium inSt. Louis,Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium inAtlanta,Three Rivers Stadium inPittsburgh,Shea Stadium in New York andRobert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., all opened within a few years of each other and were largely indistinguishable from one another; in particular, it was often confused with fellowOhio River cookie-cutter Three Rivers Stadium by sportscasters because of the two stadium's similar names and similar designs.

One feature of Riverfront that distinguished it from other cookie-cutters was that the field level seats ("blue" seats) for baseball were divided in half directly behind home plate. For conversion to a football seating configuration, the third-base side stands were wheeled around clockwise on a track to the area of left field. The first-base side remained stationary. This setup provided a more rectangular zone for the football configuration.^[4] The AstroTurf panels covering the tracks could be seen in left field during Reds games.

The site Riverfront Stadium sat on originally included the 2nd Streettenement, birthplace and boyhood home ofcowboy singer and actorRoy Rogers, who joked that he was born "somewhere between second base and center field."

Riverfront Stadium's scoreboard was designed byAmerican Sign and Indicator, but in its last years was maintained byTrans-Lux. That scoreboard would be upgraded in the 1980s with the addition of an adjacent SonyJumboTron. The playing field was originally illuminated by 1,648 thousand-wattGTESylvania Metalarc lamps.^[5]

The Reds moved to Riverfront Stadium midway through the 1970 season, after spending over 86 years at the intersection of Findlay Street and Western Avenue – the last 57½ of those years atCrosley Field. Riverfront quickly earned a place in Cincinnati's century-long baseball tradition as the home of one of the best teams in baseball history. The Reds had only won three pennants in their final 39 years at Crosley Field (1939, 1940, 1961) but made theWorld Series in Riverfront's first year (1970) and a total of four times in the stadium's first seven years, with the Reds winning back-to-back championships in1975 and1976. The World Series would return in1990, with Cincinnati winning the first two of a four-game sweep of theOakland Athletics at Riverfront.

Baseball purists disliked Riverfront'sartificial turf, but Reds' ManagerSparky Anderson and General ManagerBob Howsam took advantage of it by encouraging speed and line drive hitting that could produce doubles, triples and high-bouncing infield hits. Players who combined power and speed likeJoe Morgan,Pete Rose andKen Griffey Sr. thrived there. On defense, the fast surface and virtually dirtless infield (see photo) rewarded range and quickness by both outfielders and infielders, like shortstopDave Concepción who used the turf to bounce many of his long throws to first.CatcherJohnny Bench andfirst basemanTony Pérez played here. The artificial turf covered not only the normal grass area of the ballpark but also most of the normally dirt-covered portion of the infield; the infield area boundary where dirt would normally be was denoted with a white lined arc. Only the pitcher's mound, the home plate area (in two circled areas), and cutouts around first, second and third bases had dirt surfaces (which were covered in five-sided diamond shaped areas). This was the first stadium in the majors with this "sliding pit" configuration. Most of the new stadiums with artificial turf that would follow (Veterans Stadium,Royals Stadium,Louisiana Superdome,Olympic Stadium (Montreal),Exhibition Stadium,Kingdome,Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome,BC Place,SkyDome) installed sliding pits as the original layout, and the existing artificial turf fields inSan Francisco,Houston,Pittsburgh, andSt. Louis would change to the cut-out configuration within the next few years after Riverfront's opening.

Riverfront hosted the MLB All-Star Game twice: first on July 14, 1970, with PresidentRichard Nixon in attendance (51,838 total attendance), and again on July 12, 1988 (55,837 attendance).

Despite Cincinnati's love of baseball, it was the prospect of a professional football team that finally moved the city to end 20 years of discussion and build a new stadium on the downtown riverfront. After playing for two seasons atNippert Stadium on theUniversity of Cincinnati campus, the Bengals built on the Reds' success in the stadium's first year when they recorded their first winning season and playoff appearance in1970, just their third year of existence.

Perhaps the most memorable football game at Riverfront Stadium was the1981 AFC Championship Game on January 10, 1982. The game became known as theFreezer Bowl and was won by theBengals over theSan Diego Chargers, 27–7. The air temperature during the game was −9 °F (−23 °C) and thewind chill was −37 °F (−38 °C), the coldest in NFL history. The win earned the Bengals their first of two trips to theSuper Bowl (XVI) while playing at Riverfront Stadium, and the first of three in team history overall.

Riverfront Stadium hosted the 1988 AFC Championship Game, as theBengals beat theBuffalo Bills 21–10 to advance totheir second Super Bowl appearance.

During the Bengals' tenure, they defeated every visiting franchise at least once, enjoying perfect records against theArizona Cardinals (4–0),New York Giants (4–0), andPhiladelphia Eagles (3–0). They posted a 5–1 record in playoff games played in Riverfront Stadium, with victories over theBuffalo Bills (twice),San Diego Chargers,Seattle Seahawks, andHouston Oilers. Their only home playoff loss came to theNew York Jets.

For most of the Bengals' tenure at the stadium, the field contained only the basic markings required for play. Until the late 1990s, there wasn't a logo at midfield or any writing in the end zone, which had long become standard in NFL stadiums.

During the 1988 season as the Bengals were making anotherSuper Bowl run, Riverfront Stadium was nicknamed the Jungle as the Bengals went a perfect 10–0 at home during the regular season and in the playoffs. With the new stadium nickname, the fans and team adopted theGuns N' Roses song "Welcome to the Jungle" as the unofficial theme song for the Bengals. WhenPaul Brown Stadium (now Paycor Stadium) opened in 2000, the Jungle theme was incorporated into the stadium design.

Between 1970 and 1990 Riverfront Stadium hosted 25University of Cincinnati football games to accommodate higher-caliber visiting teams and local rivals which would overwhelm demand in their usual on-campus home,Nippert Stadium (which then could only hold 28,000). Among the Bearcats' opponents were theUniversity of Maryland,University of Kentucky,University of Louisville,Boston College,West Virginia University,Penn State University, whose1985 game took place with the Nittany Lions number one in the coaches' poll, and theUniversity of Miami three times, twice while the Hurricanes were the defending national champions. It would be a temporary full-time home for the Bearcats during the 1990 season, when Nippert Stadium was undergoing renovations.

The Bearcats finished with a 12–13 all-time record at Riverfront.

^[31]

When the Bengals moved to Paul Brown Stadium in2000, the Reds were left as Riverfront Stadium’s only tenant. Prior to the2001 baseball season, the stadium was remodeled into a baseball-only configuration, and the artificial turf surface was replaced with natural grass.

To allow room for the construction ofGreat American Ball Park, which was being built largely over the grounds the stadium already sat on, a large section of the left and center field stands was removed and the distance to the fences was shortened by 5 feet (1.5 m). The new and old stadium were 26 inches (66 cm) apart at their closest point during this time. A 40-foot (12 m) wall was built in deep center field to prevent easy home runs and to serve as abatter's eye. It was nicknamed the "Black Monster",^[32] a play on theGreen Monster atFenway Park in Boston.

In the Reds' final two seasons in the stadium, ongoing construction on Great American was plainly visible just beyond the outfield walls while the team played their games. The stadium's final game was played on September 22, 2002, as theReds lost, 4–3, to thePhiladelphia Phillies before a crowd of 40,964. Reds third basemanAaron Boone hit the final home run in Riverfront's history in the loss, an eighth-inning solo home run off Phillies relieverDan Plesac.^[33]

The stadium was demolished by implosion on December 29, 2002. Part of the former Riverfront Stadium site is now occupied by Great American Ball Park (which opened the following April) and theNational Underground Railroad Freedom Center, along with severalmixed-use developments and parking facilities. A small portion of the site is now occupied by theReds' Hall of Fame and Museum and Main Street, which was extended when the new park was built and when the old park was demolished.

The stadium after the left and center field stands were removed (left) and during its implosion (right)

Bold indicates the winner of each game.

• The1988 All-Star Game had an attendance of 55,837

• First stadium to have its entire field covered byAstroTurf, except for the cutouts around the bases and pitcher's mound.
• First hit:Félix Millán, June 30, 1970.
• Firsthome run:Hank Aaron, June 30, 1970.
• FirstPresidential Visit:Richard Nixon, July 14, 1970.
• First upper deck home run:Tony Pérez, August 11, 1970.
• First World Series game ever played on artificial turf: October 10, 1970 (Reds vs.Baltimore Orioles).
• Firstno-hitter:Ken Holtzman, June 3, 1971.
• Firstpitcher ever to pitch a no-hitter and hit two home runs in the same game:Rick Wise, June 23, 1971.
• Hank Aaron ties the all-time home run record with number 714: April 4, 1974.
• First stadium to displaymetric distances on the outfield walls (100.58 meters down the lines, 114.30 to the alleys, 123.13 to center):1976.
• Highest season attendance, 2,629,708:1976.
• Firstrain checks issued: August 30, 1978.
• First player tohit for the cycle:Mike Easler, June 12, 1980.
• Pete Rose breaks the all-time hit record with number 4,192: September 11, 1985.
• First player ever to becaught stealing four times in one game:Robby Thompson, June 27, 1986.
• Perfect Game:Tom Browning, September 16, 1988.
• UmpireJohn McSherry collapsed and died on April 1, 1996.
• Ray Lankford hits two upper-deck home runs on July 15, 1997, becoming the only player to do so in the stadium's history to that point.
• Longest home run, 473':Mark McGwire, May 5,2000.

• Firsttouchdown:Sam Wyche, September 20,1970
• FirstField goal:Horst Muhlmann, September 20,1970
• Freezer Bowl: lowest wind-chill (2nd lowest temperature) in NFL history, January 10,1982
• Steve Largent becomes the first player in NFL History to catch 100 TD's in career, December 10, 1989.
• Corey Dillon breaks the single-game rookie rushing record with 246 yards on December 4,1997.

• The Kool Jazz Festival (now the Macy's Music Festival) was an annual fixture.

• TheJehovah's Witnesses hosted three conventions in the stadium, in 1971, 1974 and 1978.
• Promise Keepers held a meeting there in 1997.

• 
  Riverfront Stadium during a Cincinnati Reds game vs. the Chicago Cubs on May 23, 1988
• 
  Riverfront Stadium in July 1974
• 
  Riverfront Stadium in 1992
• 
  Riverfront Stadium during a Cincinnati Reds game vs. the New York Mets on April 27, 2001

• Dittmar, Joseph J. (1997).Baseball Records Registry: The Best and Worst Single-Day Performances and the Stories Behind Them. McFarland & Company.ISBN 0-7864-0293-8
• Munsey & Suppes (1996–2004).Riverfront Stadium.Ballparks.
• Smith, Ron (2000).Riverfront Stadium.The Ballpark Book. The Sporting News.ISBN 0-89204-703-8
• Riverfront Stadium Opens.BaseballLibrary.com.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toRiverfront Stadium.

• A Farewell to Cinergy Field.MLB.com.
• Cinergy Field: Kiss it Goodbye.Cincinnati.com.
• Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field.Ballparks of Baseball.
• Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field.Stadiums of Pro Football
• Cinergy Field.BaseballLibrary.com.

• 2002 disestablishments in Ohio
• American football venues in Ohio
• Baseball venues in Ohio
• Buildings and structures demolished by controlled implosion
• Cincinnati Bengals stadiums
• Cincinnati Reds stadiums
• Defunct Major League Baseball venues
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• Defunct American football venues in the United States
• Defunct baseball venues in the United States
• Defunct multi-purpose stadiums in the United States
• Demolished sports venues in Ohio
• Multi-purpose stadiums in the United States
• Sports venues completed in 1970
• Sports venues demolished in 2002
• Sports venues in Cincinnati
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