View source for Riverfront Stadium

{{Short description|Former multi-purpose stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio}}
{{Other uses|Riverfront Stadium (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox venue
| stadium_name = Riverfront Stadium
| nickname = "The Home of the Big Red Machine"<br />"The Jungle"
| former names = Riverfront Stadium (1970–1996)<br />Cinergy Field (1996–2002)
| image = [[File:Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.jpg|220px]]
| caption = The Stadium in 1980
| location = 201 East [[Pete Rose]] Way, [[Cincinnati]] 45202
| coordinates = {{coord|39|5|48|N|84|30|30|W|type:landmark|display=it}}
| broke_ground = February 1, 1968
| opened = June 30, 1970
| closed = September 22, 2002
| demolished = December 29, 2002
| owner = [[Cincinnati|City of Cincinnati]]
| surface = [[AstroTurf|AstroTurf 8]] (1970–2000)<br />[[Grass]] (2001–2002)
| architect = [[Heery International|Heery & Heery]]<br />[[FABRAP]]
| structural engineer = Prybylowski and Gravino, Inc.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Cincinnati Riverfront Stadium|journal=Architectural Record|publisher=Record and Guide|date=1970|volume=147|page=54}}
</ref>
| general_contractor = [[Hunt Construction Group|Huber, Hunt & Nichols]]{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}
| dimensions = ''1970–2000''<br />'''Left field''' – {{convert|330|ft|m|abbr=on}}<br />'''Left-center field''' – {{convert|375|ft|m|abbr=on}}<br />'''Center field''' – {{convert|404|ft|m|abbr=on}}<br />'''Right-center field''' – {{convert|375|ft|m|abbr=on}}<br />'''Right field''' – {{convert|330|ft|m|abbr=on}}<br />'''Backstop''' – {{convert|51|ft|m|abbr=on}}<br /> [[File:RiverfrontStadiumBaseballFieldDimensions.svg|200px]]
<br />''2001–2002''<br />'''Left field''' – {{convert|325|ft|m|abbr=on}}<br />'''Left-center field''' – {{convert|370|ft|m|abbr=on}}<br />'''Center field''' – {{convert|393|ft|m|abbr=on}}<br />'''Right-center field''' – {{convert|373|ft|m|abbr=on}}<br />'''Right field''' – {{convert|325|ft|m|abbr=on}}<br />'''Backstop''' – {{convert|41|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| tenants = [[Cincinnati Bengals]] ([[National Football League|NFL]]) ([[1970 NFL season|1970]]–[[1999 NFL season|1999]])<br />[[Cincinnati Reds]] ([[Major League Baseball|MLB]]) (1970–2002)<br />[[Cincinnati Bearcats football|Cincinnati Bearcats]] ([[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]) (1982–1988; part time, 1990; full time)
| construction_cost = US$45 million<br />(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|45000000|1970}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}})
| former_names = Riverfront Stadium (1970–1996)<br />Cinergy Field (1996–2002)
| seating_capacity = 52,952 (baseball, 1970–2000)<br />59,754 (football)<br />39,000 (baseball, 2001–02)
}}'''Riverfront Stadium''', also known as '''Cinergy Field''' from 1996 to 2002, was a multi-purpose stadium in [[Cincinnati]], Ohio. It was the home of the [[Cincinnati Reds]] of [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) from [[1970 Cincinnati Reds season|1970]] through [[2002 Cincinnati Reds season|2002]] and the [[Cincinnati Bengals]] of the [[National Football League]] (NFL) from [[1970 Cincinnati Bengals season|1970]] to [[1999 Cincinnati Bengals season|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 less than $50 million. Riverfront's grand opening was held on June 30, 1970, an 8–2 Reds loss to the [[Atlanta Braves]]. Braves right fielder [[Hank 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Atlanta Braves at Cincinnati Reds Box Score, June 30, 1970|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN197006300.shtml|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=June 7, 2021}}</ref> Two weeks later on July 14, 1970, Riverfront hosted the [[1970 Major League Baseball All-Star Game]]. This game is best remembered for the often-replayed collision at home plate between Reds star [[Pete Rose]] and catcher [[Ray Fosse]] of the [[Cleveland Indians]].

In September 1996, Riverfront Stadium was renamed "Cinergy Field" in a sponsorship deal with [[Greater Cincinnati]] energy company [[Cinergy]]. In [[2001 Major League Baseball season|2001]], to make room for [[Great American Ball Park]], the [[seating 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 the [[batter's eye]]. The stadium was demolished by implosion on December 29, 2002.

==History==
Riverfront was a multi-purpose, circular [[cookie-cutter stadium|"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 their [[American football|football]] and [[baseball]] teams share the same facility. Riverfront, [[Veterans Stadium]] in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|Philadelphia]], [[Busch Memorial Stadium]] in [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]], [[Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium]] in [[Atlanta]], [[Three Rivers Stadium]] in [[Pittsburgh]], [[Shea Stadium]] in New York and [[Robert 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 fellow [[Ohio 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/RiverfrontStadium.htm|title = Riverfront Stadium - history, photos and more of the Cincinnati Reds former ballpark}}</ref> 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 Street [[tenement]], birthplace and boyhood home of [[cowboy]] singer and actor [[Roy Rogers]], who joked that he was born "somewhere between second base and center field."

Riverfront Stadium's scoreboard was designed by [[American Sign and Indicator]], but in its last years was maintained by [[Trans-Lux]].  That scoreboard would be upgraded in the 1980s with the addition of an adjacent Sony [[JumboTron]]. The playing field was originally illuminated by 1,648 thousand-watt [[GTE]] [[Sylvania Electric Products|Sylvania]] Metalarc lamps.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=xVQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=gte+%22metalarc%22+riverfront+stadium&pg=PA22 General Telephone & Electronics (GTE) print advertisement in the April 14, 1972 issue of ''LIFE'' (magazine).] Retrieved February 25, 2023.</ref>

===Big Red Machine===
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 at [[Crosley 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 the [[World 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 in [[1975 World Series|1975]] and [[1976 World Series|1976]]. The World Series would return in [[1990 World Series|1990]], with Cincinnati winning the first two of a four-game sweep of the [[Oakland Athletics]] at Riverfront.

[[File:RedsOpeningDay1995.jpg|thumb|The turf infield and dirt "slide pits" can be seen in this April 1995 photograph.]]Baseball purists disliked Riverfront's [[artificial turf]], but Reds' Manager [[Sparky Anderson]] and General Manager [[Bob 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 like [[Joe Morgan]], [[Pete Rose]] and [[Ken 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 shortstop [[Dave Concepción]] who used the turf to bounce many of his long throws to first. [[Catcher]] [[Johnny Bench]] and [[first baseman]] [[Tony 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 in [[Candlestick Park|San Francisco]], [[Astrodome|Houston]], [[Three Rivers Stadium|Pittsburgh]], and [[Busch Memorial Stadium|St. 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 President [[Richard Nixon]] in attendance (51,838 total attendance), and again on July 12, 1988 (55,837 attendance).

===Professional football===
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 at [[Nippert Stadium]] on the [[University 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 in [[1970 Cincinnati Bengals season|1970]], just their third year of existence.

Perhaps the most memorable football game at Riverfront Stadium was the [[AFC Championship Game|1981 AFC Championship Game]] on January 10, 1982. The game became known as the ''[[Freezer Bowl]]'' and was won by the [[1981 Cincinnati Bengals season|Bengals]] over the [[1981 San Diego Chargers season|San Diego Chargers]], 27–7. The air temperature during the game was {{convert|-9|°F|°C|abbr=on}} and the [[wind chill]] was {{convert|-37|°F|°C|abbr=on}}, the coldest in NFL history. The win earned the Bengals their first of two trips to the [[Super Bowl]] ([[Super Bowl XVI|XVI]]) while playing at Riverfront Stadium, and the first of three in team history overall.

Riverfront Stadium hosted the 1988 AFC Championship Game, as the [[1988 Cincinnati Bengals season|Bengals]] beat the [[1988 Buffalo Bills season|Buffalo Bills]] 21&ndash;10 to advance to [[Super Bowl XXIII|their second Super Bowl appearance]].

During the Bengals' tenure, they defeated every visiting franchise at least once, enjoying perfect records against the [[Arizona Cardinals]] (4–0), [[New York Giants]] (4–0), and [[Philadelphia Eagles]] (3–0). They posted a 5–1 record in playoff games played in Riverfront Stadium, with victories over the [[Buffalo Bills]] (twice), [[San Diego Chargers]], [[Seattle Seahawks]], and [[Houston Oilers]]. Their only home playoff loss came to the [[New 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 another [[Super Bowl XXIII|Super 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 the [[Guns N' Roses]] song "[[Welcome to the Jungle]]" as the unofficial theme song for the Bengals.  When [[Paycor Stadium|Paul Brown Stadium]] (now Paycor Stadium) opened in 2000, the Jungle theme was incorporated into the stadium design.

===College football===
Between 1970 and 1990 Riverfront Stadium hosted 25 [[Cincinnati Bearcats football|University 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 the [[Maryland Terrapins football|University of Maryland]], [[Kentucky Wildcats football|University of Kentucky]], [[Louisville Cardinals football|University of Louisville]], [[Boston College Eagles football|Boston College]], [[West Virginia Mountaineers football|West Virginia University]], [[Penn State Nittany Lions football|Penn State University]], whose [[1985 NCAA Division I-A football season|1985]] game took place with the Nittany Lions number one in the coaches' poll, and the [[Miami Hurricanes football|University 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.

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="text-align: center"
!colspan="5"|List of college football games at the stadium
|-
!Date!!Home Team!!Opponent!!Score!!Attendance
|-
| {{dts|1970|9|19}}
| '''[[1970 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]'''
| [[1970 Dayton Flyers football team|Dayton]]
| 13–7
| 19,781<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer-uc-fends-off-fly/182559423/|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|title=UC fends off Flyers' swoops to win, 13–7|date=September 20, 1970|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1975|11|8}}
| [[1975 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]
| '''No. 16 [[1975 Maryland Terrapins football team|Maryland]]'''
| 19–21
| 16,478<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer-major-upset-bare/139602257/|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|title=Major upset barely missed by Bearcats|date=November 9, 1975|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1982|9|11}}
| '''[[1982 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]'''
| [[1982 Louisville Cardinals football team|Louisville]]
| 38–16
| 14,324<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer-bearcats-breeze/166038145/|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|title=Bearcats breeze as Barrett hits four TD passes|date=September 12, 1982|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1982|10|9}}
| '''[[1982 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]'''
| [[1982 Long Beach State 49ers football team|Long Beach State]]
| 34–14
| 13,187<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-breeze-cincinnati-beats-long-b/166122649/|work=The Daily Breeze|title=Cincinnati beats Long Beach|date=October 10, 1982|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1982|11|13}}
| '''[[1982 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]'''
| {{cfb link|year=1982|team=Morgan State Bears|title=Morgan State}}
| 52–0
| 17,965<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-times-morgan-state-routed-by-c/166122849/|work=The Daily Times|title=Morgan State routed by Cincinnati 52–0|date=November 14, 1982|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1982|11|18}}
| '''[[1982 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]'''
| [[1982 Miami Redskins football team|Miami (OH)]]
| 20–10
| 26,101<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/bryan-times-cincy-tops-redskins/166123007/|work=The Bryan Times|title=Cincy tops Redskins|date=November 19, 1982|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1983|10|1}}
| '''[[1983 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]'''
| [[1983 Cornell Big Red football team|Cornell]]
| 48–20
| 13,840<ref>{{cite news |title=UC Lets Cornell Off with 48–20 Beating |first=Terry |last=Flynn |date=October 2, 1983 |page=B-1 |newspaper=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]] |location=Cincinnati, Ohio |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57043456/1983-cornell-cincinnati/ }}</ref> 
|-
| {{dts|1983|10|8}}
| '''[[1983 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]'''
| [[1983 Temple Owls football team|Temple]]
| 31–16
| 18,272<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-cincinnati-sen/166514024/|newspaper=The Philadelphia Inquirer|title=Cincinnati sends Temple reeling to fourth loss, 31–16|date=October 9, 1983|access-date=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1983|10|22}}
| [[1983 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]
| '''No. 8 [[1983 Miami Hurricanes football team|Miami (FL)]]'''
| 7–17
| 14,163<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-orlando-sentinel-strange-doings-don/166498482/|newspaper=The Orlando Sentinel|title=Strange doings don't stop Miami, 17–7|date=October 23, 1983|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1983|11|5}}
| '''[[1983 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]'''
| [[1983 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team|Rutgers]]
| 18–7
| 18,484<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-star-ledger-erring-rutgers-falls-to/166514314/|newspaper=The Star-Ledger|title=Erring Rutgers falls to Cincinnati, 18–7|date=November 6, 1983|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1983|11|12}}
| '''[[1983 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]'''
| [[1983 Memphis State Tigers football team|Memphis State]]
| 43–10
| 12,125<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tennessean-cincinnati-demolished/166503390/|work=The Tennessean|title=Cincinnati demolished|date=November 13, 1983|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1984|10|13}}
| [[1984 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]
| '''No. 10 [[1984 Miami Hurricanes football team|Miami (FL)]]'''
| 25–49
| 25,642<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times-canes-hold-big-4th-quar/166817304/|work=St. Petersburg Times|title='Canes hold big 4th-quarter lead vs. Cincinnati|date=October 14, 1984|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1984|10|27}}
| '''[[1984 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]'''
| [[1984 Louisville Cardinals football team|Louisville]]
| 40–21
| 15,767<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-park-city-daily-news-taylor-runs-wil/166816576/|work=The Park City Daily News|title=Taylor runs wild as UC routs Louisville 40–21|date=October 28, 1984|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1984|11|17}}
| [[1984 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]
| '''[[1984 Alabama Crimson Tide football team|Alabama]]'''
| 7–29
| 27,482<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71539887/listless-tide-strong-enough-to-sink/|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|title=Listless Tide strong enough to sink 'Cats|date=November 18, 1984|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1984|11|22}}
| [[1984 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]
| '''[[1984 Miami Redskins football team|Miami (OH)]]'''
| 26–31
| 15,211<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-post-miami-outlasts-uc-in/166817576/|work=The Cincinnati Post|title=Miami outlasts UC in shoot-out|date=November 23, 1984|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1985|10|5}}
| [[1985 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]
| '''[[1985 Temple Owls football team|Temple]]'''
| 16–28
| 12,103<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-record-owls-collect-second-victory/170216806/|work=The Record|title=Owls collect second victory|date=October 6, 1985|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1985|10|26}}
| '''[[1985 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]'''
| [[1985 Boston College Eagles football team|Boston College]]
| 24–17
| 17,217<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer-uc-defense-holds/170216145/|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|title=UC defense holds off Boston Col.|date=October 27, 1985|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1985|11|9}}
| [[1985 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]
| '''No. 2 [[1985 Penn State Nittany Lions football team|Penn State]]'''
| 10–31
| 33,528<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/press-of-atlantic-city-no-2-penn-state/170219250/|work=Sunday Press|title=No. 2 Penn State sinks Cincinnati|date=November 10, 1985|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1986|9|13}}
| '''[[1986 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]'''
| [[1986 Miami Redskins football team|Miami (OH)]]
| 45–38
| 23,709<ref>{{cite news|title=UC outslugs rival Miami in thriller: Taylor rushes for 259 yards to lead UC to 45–38 win|newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer|author=Tom Groeschen|date=September 14, 1986|pages=B1, B8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/92541718/uc-outslugs-rival-miami-in-thriller/|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1986|9|27}}
| [[1986 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]
| '''[[1986 Kentucky Wildcats football team|Kentucky]]'''
| 20–37
| 36,233<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer-interceptions-ru/135002509/|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|title=Interceptions ruin UC, 37–20|date=September 28, 1986|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1987|10|24}}
| [[1987 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]
| '''No. 3 [[1987 Miami Hurricanes football team|Miami (FL)]]'''
| 10–48
| 20,011<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-palm-beach-post-hurricanes-run-over/172082194/|work=The Palm Beach Post|title=Hurricanes run over Cincinnati 48–10|date=October 25, 1987|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1988|11|5}}
| [[1988 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]
| '''No. 4 [[1988 West Virginia Mountaineers football team|West Virginia]]'''
| 13–51
| 21,511<ref>{{cite news|last=Groeschen|first=Tom|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer/78802536/|newspaper=The Cincinnati Enquirer|pages=31, 46|title=W. Virginia survives mild UC uprising|date=November 6, 1988|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1990|9|2}}
| [[1990 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]
| '''[[1990 Bowling Green Falcons football team|Bowling Green]]'''
| 20–34
| 6,563<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-plain-dealer-freshman-gives-bg-a-big/175639105/|work=The Plain Dealer|title=Freshman gives BG a big lift|date=September 3, 1990|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1990|9|22}}
| [[1990 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]
| '''[[1990 Miami Redskins football team|Miami (OH)]]'''
| 12–16
| 9,794<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/dayton-daily-news-zimmer-comes-through-o/175639410/|work=Dayton Daily News|title=Zimmer comes through on cue as Miami jolts UC, 16–12|date=September 23, 1990|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| {{dts|1990|11|3}}
| [[1990 Cincinnati Bearcats football team|Cincinnati]]
| '''No. 25 [[1990 Louisville Cardinals football team|Louisville]]'''
| 16–41
| 23,575<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-paducah-sun-cummings-catches-louisvi/175639633/|work=The Paducah Sun|title=Cummings catches Louisville's spirit|date=November 4, 1990|accessdate=October 8, 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
|}

<ref>{{cite web |title=2009 University of Cincinnati Football Media Guide |url=https://gobearcats.com/documents/2015/4/30/09fbguide_151-198.pdf |publisher=gobearcats.com |access-date=March 27, 2020}}</ref>

===Final years as a baseball-only stadium===
[[File:Cinergy Field 1.jpg|thumb|right|Riverfront Stadium during a Cincinnati Reds game vs. the St. Louis Cardinals on August 23, 2001. Construction of Great American Ballpark is visible in the background.]]
[[File:Cinergylot.png|thumb|right|The Riverfront Stadium site in June 2006. This photo was taken from the western concourse of [[Great American Ball Park]]. The [[Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum|Reds' Hall of Fame and Museum]], Main Street, and the [[Cincinnati Bengals]]' [[Paycor Stadium]] (then known as Paul Brown Stadium) is in the distance.]]

When the Bengals moved to Paul Brown Stadium in [[2000 NFL season|2000]], the Reds were left as Riverfront Stadium’s only tenant. Prior to the [[2001 Major League Baseball season|2001]] 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 of [[Great 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 {{convert|5|ft|m}}. The new and old stadium were {{convert|26|in|cm}} apart at their closest point during this time. A {{convert|40|ft|m|adj=on}} wall was built in deep center field to prevent easy home runs and to serve as a [[batter's eye]]. It was nicknamed the "Black Monster",<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer-players-like-new/173224591/ |title=Players like new look at old ballpark |first=John |last=Erardi |newspaper=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]] |page=1 |date=April 2, 2001 |accessdate=May 26, 2025 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> a play on the [[Green Monster]] at [[Fenway 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 the [[2002 Cincinnati Reds season|Reds]] lost, 4–3, to the [[2002 Philadelphia Phillies season|Philadelphia Phillies]] before a crowd of 40,964. Reds third baseman [[Aaron Boone]] hit the final home run in Riverfront's history in the loss, an eighth-inning solo home run off Phillies reliever [[Dan Plesac]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Philadelphia Phillies at Cincinnati Reds Box Score, September 22, 2002|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN200209220.shtml|work=[[Baseball-Reference.com]]|access-date=May 19, 2021}}</ref>

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 the [[National Underground Railroad Freedom Center]], along with several [[mixed-use development]]s and parking facilities. A small portion of the site is now occupied by the [[Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum|Reds' Hall of Fame and Museum]] and Main Street, which was extended when the new park was built and when the old park was demolished.
{{multiple image
| footer    = The stadium after the left and center field stands were removed (left) and during its implosion (right)
| align     = center
| total_width = 500
| image1    = Cinergy Field 3.jpg
| image2    = Cinergy Field Implosion.JPG
}}
{{clear}}
==Seating capacity==
{{col-begin}}{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Baseball
|-
! scope="row" style="{{Baseball primary style|Cincinnati Reds}};"| Years
! scope="row" style="{{Baseball primary style|Cincinnati Reds}};"| Capacity
|-
! scope="row" style="{{Baseball secondary style|Cincinnati Reds}};"|1970
| style="text-align:center" | 51,500 
|-
! scope="row" style="{{Baseball secondary style|Cincinnati Reds}};"|1971
| style="text-align:center" | 51,744 
|-
! scope="row" style="{{Baseball secondary style|Cincinnati Reds}};"|1972–1974
| style="text-align:center" | 51,726 
|-
! scope="row" style="{{Baseball secondary style|Cincinnati Reds}};"|1975–1983
| style="text-align:center" | 51,786 
|-
! scope="row" style="{{Baseball secondary style|Cincinnati Reds}};"|1984–1991
| style="text-align:center" | 52,392 
|-
! scope="row" style="{{Baseball secondary style|Cincinnati Reds}};"|1992–2000
| style="text-align:center" | 52,952 
|-
! scope="row" style="{{Baseball secondary style|Cincinnati Reds}};"|2001–2002
| style="text-align:center" | 40,007 
|}
{{col-break}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Football
|-
! scope="row" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Cincinnati Bengals}};"| Years
! scope="row" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Cincinnati Bengals}};"| Capacity
|-
! scope="row" style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cincinnati Bengals}};"|1970–1980
| 56,200<ref>{{cite news |title=Capsule Preview of NFL Games|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/1946801702.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Sep+19%2C+1970&author=&pub=Boston+Globe+(1960-1979)&desc=CAPSULE+PREVIEW+OF+NFL+GAMES&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108050302/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/1946801702.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Sep+19,+1970&author=&pub=Boston+Globe+(1960-1979)&desc=CAPSULE+PREVIEW+OF+NFL+GAMES&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 8, 2012|newspaper=Boston Globe|date=September 19, 1970}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cincinnati Bengals}};"|1981–1991
| 59,754<ref>{{cite news |title=Expect Good Game|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0p9PAAAAIBAJ&pg=6136,590926&dq=riverfront+stadium+59754&hl=en|newspaper=Bryan Times|date=January 9, 1982}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cincinnati Bengals}};"|1992–1999
| style="text-align:center" | 60,389 
|}
{{col-break}}{{col-end}}

==Attendance records==
'''Bold''' indicates the winner of each game.

===Baseball===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
| colspan="5" style="{{Baseball primary style|Cincinnati Reds}};"|'''Highest Baseball attendance at Riverfront Stadium'''
|-
! style="{{Baseball secondary style|Cincinnati Reds}};"|Rank!! style="{{Baseball secondary style|Cincinnati Reds}};"|Attendance !! style="{{Baseball secondary style|Cincinnati Reds}};"|Date !! style="{{Baseball secondary style|Cincinnati Reds}};"|Game result !! style="{{Baseball secondary style|Cincinnati Reds}};"|Notes
|-
! 1
| 56,393 || October 16, 1975 || '''Reds 6''', Red Sox 2 || [[1975 World Series]], Game 5
|-
! 2
| 56,079 || October 12, 1990 || '''Reds 2''', Pirates 1 || [[1990 National League Championship Series|1990 NLCS]], Game 6
|-
! 3
| 56,040 || October 22, 1972 || '''Athletics 3''', Reds 2 || [[1972 World Series]], Game 7
|-
! 4
| 55,832 || October 17, 1990 || '''Reds 5''', Athletics 4 <small>(10)</small> || [[1990 World Series]], Game 2
|-
! 5
| 55,830 || October 16, 1990 || '''Reds 7''', Athletics 0 || [[1990 World Series]], Game 1
|}
*The [[1988 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|1988 All-Star Game]] had an attendance of 55,837

===Football===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
| colspan="4" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Cincinnati Bengals}};"|'''Highest Football attendance at Riverfront Stadium'''
|-
! style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cincinnati Bengals}};"|Rank!! style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cincinnati Bengals}};"|Attendance !! style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cincinnati Bengals}};"|Date !! style="{{NFLAltPrimaryStyle|Cincinnati Bengals}};"|Game result 
|-
! 1
| 60,284 || October 17, 1971 || Bengals 24, '''Browns 27''' 
|-
! 2
| 60,157 || December 20, 1970 || '''Bengals 45''', Patriots 7 
|-
! 3
| 60,099 || October 10, 1970 || Bengals 13, '''Dolphins''' 23 
|-
! 4
| 60,084 || December 9, 1990 || Bengals 17, '''49ers''' 20 
|-
! 5
| 60,067 || November 4, 1990 || Bengals 7, '''Saints 21''' 
|}

==Milestones==

===Baseball===
[[File:Bye-bye Riverfront Stadium.png|thumb|The logo the Reds used in 2002 for their final season at Riverfront Stadium]]
*First stadium to have its entire field covered by [[AstroTurf]], except for the cutouts around the bases and pitcher's mound.
*First hit: [[Félix Millán]], June 30, 1970.
*First [[home run]]: [[Hank Aaron]], June 30, 1970.
*First [[President of the United States|Presidential]] 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]]).
*First [[no-hitter]]: [[Ken Holtzman]], June 3, 1971.
*First [[pitcher]] 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 display [[SI|metric distances]] on the outfield walls (100.58 meters down the lines, 114.30 to the alleys, 123.13 to center): [[1976 in baseball|1976]].
* Highest season attendance, 2,629,708: [[1976 in baseball|1976]].
* First [[Rain check (baseball)|rain checks]] issued: August 30, 1978.
* First player to [[Hitting for the cycle|hit 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 be [[caught stealing]] four times in one game: [[Robby Thompson]], June 27, 1986.
*Perfect Game: [[Tom Browning]], September 16, 1988.
*Umpire [[John 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 Major League Baseball season|2000]].

===Football===
*First [[touchdown]]: [[Sam Wyche]], September 20, [[1970 NFL season|1970]]
*First [[field goal (football)|Field goal]]: [[Horst Muhlmann]], September 20, [[1970 NFL season|1970]]
*[[Freezer Bowl]]: lowest wind-chill (2nd lowest temperature) in NFL history, January 10, [[1982 NFL season|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 NFL season|1997]].

==Concerts==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! width=12% style="text-align:center;| Date
! width=10% style="text-align:center;| Artist
! width=10% style="text-align:center;| Opening act(s)
! width=16% style="text-align:center;| Tour / Concert name
! width=10% style="text-align:center;| Attendance
! width=10% style="text-align:center;| Revenue
! width=20% style="text-align:center;| Notes

|-
| August 4, 1976 || [[Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull]] || — || [[Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll Tour]] || — || — || 
|-
| August 16, 1978 || [[Eagles (band)|The Eagles]] || [[Eddie Money]]<br />[[The Steve Miller Band]] || [[Hotel California (Eagles album)|Hotel California]] Tour || 51,855 || — || 
|-
| September 14, 1989 || [[The Rolling Stones]] || [[Living Colour]] || [[Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour|Steel Wheels Tour]] || 53,555 / 53,555 || $1,522,536 || 
|-
| July 10, 1990 || [[New Kids on the Block]] || [[Perfect Gentlemen]] || [[The Magic Summer Tour]] || 48,000 / 48,000 || — || 
|-
| May 5, 1993 || [[Paul McCartney]] || — || [[The New World Tour]] || 38,000 / 40,000 || $1,156,513 || <ref>[http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/paul-mccartney/1993/riverfront-stadium-cincinnati-oh-73d242ed.html Paul McCartney Setlist Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA on 5 May 1993]</ref>
|-
| August 30, 1994 || [[The Rolling Stones]] || [[Lenny Kravitz]] || [[Voodoo Lounge Tour]] || 34,137 / 55,000 || — || 
|-
| May 21, 2000 || [[George Strait]] || [[Asleep at the Wheel]]<br />[[Lee Ann Womack]]<br />[[Mark Chesnutt]]<br />[[Kenny Chesney]]<br />[[Martina McBride]] || George Strait Country Music Festival || 42,000 || — || 
|-
| July 14, 2000 || [['N Sync]] || [[Sisqo]]<br />[[Pink (singer)|P!nk]] || [[No Strings Attached Tour]] || 48,234 / 48,234 || $2,091,097 || 
|-
| June 6, 2001 || [['N Sync]] || [[Dream (American group)|Dream]] || [[Pop Odyssey Tour]] || 36,371 / 42,285 || $1,947,461 || 
|}

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

==Religious gatherings==
*The [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] hosted three conventions in the stadium, in 1971, 1974 and 1978.
*[[Promise Keepers]] held a meeting there in 1997.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Redsvscubs.jpg|Riverfront Stadium during a Cincinnati Reds game vs. the Chicago Cubs on May 23, 1988
File:Riverfront Stadium Cincinnati Ohio 1974.jpg|Riverfront Stadium in July 1974
File:Riverfront stadium.jpg|Riverfront Stadium in 1992
File:Cinergy Field on April 27, 2001 with Great American Ballpark under construction in Cincinnati, Ohio.jpg|Riverfront Stadium during a Cincinnati Reds game vs. the New York Mets on April 27, 2001
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
*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). [http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/cinerg.htm Riverfront Stadium]. ''Ballparks''.
*Smith, Ron (2000). [https://web.archive.org/web/20040108172221/http://tsn.sportingnews.com/baseball/ballparks/riverfront.html Riverfront Stadium]. ''The Ballpark Book''. The Sporting News. {{ISBN|0-89204-703-8}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040413042704/http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/features/flashbacks/06_30_1970.stm Riverfront Stadium Opens]. ''BaseballLibrary.com''.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Riverfront Stadium}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20021015133107/http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/cin/ballpark/cin_cinergy_farewell.jsp A Farewell to Cinergy Field]. ''MLB.com''.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20020413094708/http://cincinnati.com/reds/goodbyecinergy/ Cinergy Field: Kiss it Goodbye]. ''Cincinnati.com''.
* [http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/past/Cinergy%20Field.htm Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field]. ''Ballparks of Baseball''.
* [https://www.stadiumsofprofootball.com/stadiums/riverfront-stadium/ Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field]. ''Stadiums of Pro Football''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040404111325/http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/ballplayers/R/Riverfront_Stadium.stm Cinergy Field]. ''BaseballLibrary.com''.

{{s-start-collapsible|header={{s-sta|et}}}}
{{succession box
 | title = Home of the<br />[[Cincinnati Bengals]] 
 | years = 1970&ndash;1999 
 | before = [[Nippert Stadium]] 
 | after = [[Paul Brown Stadium]] 
}}
{{succession box
 | title = Home of the<br />[[Cincinnati Reds]] 
 | years = 1970&ndash;2002 
 | before = [[Crosley Field]] 
 | after = [[Great American Ball Park]] 
}}
{{succession box
 | title = Host of the [[Major League Baseball All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] 
 | years = 1970<br />1988
 | before = [[Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium|RFK Stadium]]<br />[[Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum]]
 | after = [[Tiger Stadium (Detroit)|Tiger Stadium]]<br />[[Anaheim Stadium]]
}}
{{succession box
 | title = Host of [[AFC Championship Game]]
 | years = 1982<br />1989
 | before = [[Jack Murphy Stadium]]<br />[[Mile High Stadium]]
 | after = [[Miami Orange Bowl]]<br />[[Mile High Stadium]]
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Cincinnati Bengals}}
{{Cincinnati Reds}}
{{Cincinnati Bearcats football}}
{{Defunct MLB Ballparks}}
{{Defunct NFL stadiums}}

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