The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum is part of the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh; it is dedicated to numerous sports in the city from the famous to not-so-famous.
Probably the most famous baseball event of all time is second baseman Bill Mazerozki’s walk off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning in the final seventh game of the 1960 World Series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the highly favored New York Yankees. On October 13, 1960 at the Pirates’ old Forbes Field, with the game tied 9-9 in the bottom of the ninth, Billy Maz hit a homer over the left field wall securing the Pirates’ first championship in 35 years over the heavily favored Yankees. He only hit 11 homers during the regular season, but was later inducted into the Hall of Fame primarily on his defensive skills. On display is his uniform and bat used for that infamous home run game.
Next up is the infamous “Immaculate Reception” by Pittsburgh Steelers running back Franco Harris. Continually voted the most famous play in the National Football League, while NFL Films chose it as the greatest play of all time. It was a touchdown which occurred in the AFC divisional playoff game of the National Football League (NFL), between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 23, 1972. It happened on the last play of the game with a 4th down for the Steelers on their own 40-yard line and behind in score. After a failed pass attempt was deflected, Franco miraculously picked up the falling ball before hitting the ground and ran it all the way in for the touchdown and it happened to give the Steelers their first playoff win. A Franco Harris sculpture of the play and his cleats he wore that day are on display. Later in the 1970’s the Steelers won four Super Bowls.
Other famous NFL stars originally from Pittsburgh include Joe Montana, Larry Fitzgerald, Curtis Martin, Joe Namath, Mike Ditka, Tony Dorsett, Aaron Donald, Dan Marino, and Johnny Unitas.
Now on to hockey. Founded during the 1967 expansion, the Pittsburgh Penguins have qualified for six Stanley Cup Finals, winning the Stanley Cup five times – in 1991, 1992, 2009, 2016, and 2017. A replica of the Stanley Cup and sculpture of their Hall of Fame player and then owner on display is Mario Lemieux. The Penguins ultimately made it to the Wheaties Cereal box cover.
Lesser known Pittsburgh sports include Roller Derby where the best player then-league member Jennifer “Snot Rocket Science” Gaskins was a member of Team USA at the 2011 and 2014 editions of the Roller Derby World Cup.
Shooting marbles was something I did as a kid, but there were professional tournaments. After the national championships began in 1922, Allegheny County around Pittsburgh started using coaching to develop champions. The Pittsburgh County has produced more than 30 national marble champions since the competitions began. Have you ever heard someone say “this is for all the marbles” or “I lost my marbles”? I remember playing in marble shooting games and loosing my best cats-eyed marbles to fellow child competitors.
In 1963, Charles Young was the national hydroplane champion in the Class A-Alcohol division, and his P-3 hydroplane boat is on permanent display here. He was a local high school industrial arts teacher and his mother, Dorothy Marie Weeks Young, built the championship boat in the family dining room.
The Sokol Movement originated in Pittsburgh amongst the Slovakian, Polish and other Eastern European immigrants to participate in many sports.
In race car sports, local Floyd “Chip” Ganassi Jr. was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2016. He is the only team owner in history to have won the Indianapolis 500, the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring and most recently the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
More baseball. The Homestead Grays were a professional baseball team that played in the Negro leagues in the United States. The team was originally based in Homestead, Pennsylvania, adjacent to Pittsburgh. Their star player Joshua Gibson became the second Negro league player to be inducted in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. For a short span, Satchel Paige played for Pittsburgh Negro League teams and his team bus photo and glove are on display.
And let’s not forget the King of Golf, Arnold Palmer born and raised just outside of Pittsburgh. As a golf enthusiast, Arnold is my favorite golfer of all time. While many legends of golf after him ignored the fans, Arnold Palmer had an unprecedented, symbiotic relationship with his fans—known as “Arnie’s Army”—treating them with immense respect, warmth, and accessibility, which revolutionized fan engagement in golf. He famously signed every autograph, made eye contact with spectators, and I once heard he replied to every fan letter he received.
Pittsburgh is know as the “City of Champions” which grew from their four Super Bowl wins in the 1970’s with the infamous Steel Curtain and the Pirates’ Championships with star Willie Stargell. A label well deserved for my home town!
The History Center is located in the Strip District in Downtown, Pittsburgh. The address is 1212 Smallman Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. Parking is not free and can be found at a number of parking garages nearby or on the street. My sister Joanne and I stayed the night at the Hampton Inn directly across the street which included free parking with a room reservation.
General admission is Adult $20, Seniors over 65 $18, Students with valid ID $11, and youths under 17 years old are free.
The History Center is open daily from 10AM to 5PM.
