Riverfront Stadium

David Hegler
Jun 15
5 min read

Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium was synonymous with dominance in the 1970s. With the Reds making it to the World Series four times in the decade and the Bengals innovations, Riverfront Stadium stood out among the other cookie cutters in the 1970s.

The Conception

The Reds owners began talking about moving out of an aging Crosley Field and building a new ballpark as early as the 1940s, but nothing was ever done about it until talks intensified two decades later. At the time, owner Bill DeWitt and the city of Cincinnati were at a crossroads. While DeWitt wanted a domed ballpark inland near the Blue Ash area, the city wanted an outdoor venue on the banks of the Ohio River.

With rumors beginning to swirl around town that DeWitt was seriously considering moving the team to San Diego, the owner elected to sell the club to local investors instead in 1966. The good news kept coming to Cincinnati as the AFL awarded the city an expansion team, later to be called the Bengals. Ground broke on the new dual purpose stadium on February 1, 1968 and Riverfront Stadium opened to the public on June 30, 1970.

It was almost identical to its other cookie cutter siblings who had been designed by noted architect Osborn Engineering. In the fall, the stands would be moved in a way to accommodate a football game, increasing the stadium's capacity from 52,952 for baseball to 59,752 for football. But unlike structures such as Three Rivers Stadium and Veterans Stadium, Riverfront's parking was practically beneath it. At its base sat a three-level structure that accounted for 25,000 parking spaces. From there, fans could enter the stadium from the second level.

The Glory Years

The Reds opened up their new ballpark with an 8-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves in front of more than 51,000 onJune 30, 1970. Despite the thrashing, the stars of the games came to play that day. Hank Aaron recorded three hits, including Riverfront Stadium's first home run in the first inning. Cincinnati's Pete Rose also recorded three hits while posting a respectable .315 average.

The Bengals began their stay at Riverfront Stadium on September 20, 1970 by battling the mighty Oakland Raiders. Future Bengals coach Sam Wyche ran in the game's first points in the first quarter and Fred Biletnikoff took in a pass from Darryl Lamonica 20 yards to the house to tie the game up at the end of the first quarter. Back and forth the two teams went before the Bengals pulled off the upset, beating one of the era's most talented teams 31-21.

1970 was a very memorable year for the city of Cincinnati. With its gleaming new stadium providing the backdrop, both the Reds and the Bengals made the playoffs. Not just that, but it also hosted the All-Star Game, a 5-4 NL victory lowlighted by Pete Rose trampling over catcher Ray Fosse for the game winner.

The Bengals were especially stunning as they were woefully undermanned and began the year 1-6. Yet, coach Paul Brown and offensive coordinator Bill Walsh developed a nifty little system that spun defenses on their heads. Before they knew it, the Bengals were enjoying a seven game winning streak and claimed the AFC Central Division. Although they lost at Baltimore 17-0 in the first round, that year was a major turning point in the franchise's young history.

Meanwhile, the Reds made the World Series for the first time since 1961. They didn't win a single home game in that series, losing to the Baltimore Orioles in five. They returned to the Fall Classic two years later where they faced off against the Oakland A's. The Reds began the series in an ugly fashion by losing the first two games at home by a single run. Still, the Reds fought back, right up until they lost the seventh game 3-2, falling victim to Rollie Fingers late game heroics on the mound.

Just a year after hosting Hank Aaron's 714th homerun, the Reds finally won it all in 1975. Joe Morgan's single to center-filed drove in the game winner in front of a thrilled Riverfront Stadium audience in Game 3. Two days later, the Reds again won at home, beating the Red Sox 6-2 in Game 5 before winning it all in seven games at Boston. The following year, Tony Pérez's walkoff single in Game 2 at Riverfront Stadium propelled them to an eventual sweep of the Yankees to finish off a stellar run of utter dominance.

Meanwhile, the Bengals continued to make strides in the 1970s, making the playoffs twice more but never winning a playoff game or even hosting one. In 1981, they returned toe the postseason where they finally got their long awaited first home playoff game, beating the Bills 28-21. The Bengals hardly flinched in the face of frigid -58 degree windchill the following week as they dominated the powerful San Diego Charges 27-7. Their joyride ended in the Super Bowl when they lost to the 49ers.

The Bengals went through some growing pains over the next few years. Around the time that Pete Rose broke MLB's hits record in 1985, 1981 league MVP quarterback Ken Anderson retired and Boomer Esiason was drafted, coach Forrest Gregg was fired and Sam Wyche was hired. Paul Brown had always admired his old quarterback's mind and knew that Wyche could get the most out of his roster. Sure enough, by 1988, the Bengals were firing on all cylinders. Esiason was named league MVP and the Bengals won both of their playoff games at home before once again, losing to the 49ers in the Super Bowl. Although the Bengals would reach the playoffs again in 1990, the magic from that era was gone, never to be seen again in Riverfront Stadium.

Meanwhile, Riverfront Stadium hosted the All-Star Game one last time in 1988, a thrilling 2-1 AL victory. Two years later, the Reds put together one final championship season by sweeping the A's in the 1990 World Series. Just like that, the glory years of old Riverfront Stadium were over.

The Demise

Riverfront Stadium's demise began on December 12, 1999 when the Bengals beat the Cleveland Browns 44-28 to end their stay in their old stadium. After finishing the season a disappointing 4-12, they moved to a new stadium 0.3 miles west of their old home.

The Reds began building a new stadium soon after. Since it was so close to Riverfront Stadium, construction crews had to remove a large portion of the outfield bleachers. For a time, Riverfront Stadium looked less like a stadium and more like a ballpark as fans could watch construction going on while watching their beloved Reds. The Reds finished their stay at old Riverfront Stadium on September 22, 2002 by losing to the Phillies 4-3 in front of 40,964. The stadium was demolished shortly thereafter and the Reds still play on the same site at Great American Ball Park.

References

Riverfront Stadium

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