Behind-the-scenes-look at the Pitt/Steelers changeover at Acrisure Stadium
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — It's an exciting weekend ahead on Pittsburgh's North Shore for football fans.
The Pitt Panthers prepare to face No. 20 Clemson on Saturday, and the Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, all at Acrisure Stadium.
But with the Panthers having a noon kickoff on Saturday and the Steelers scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday, there's a limited window of time between games for the stadium to be cleaned and ready to go, and it takes the work of hundreds of staffers working around the clock.
"For our staff, we arrive seven hours prior to kickoff. So, for us, our (deadline) is generally 6 a.m. for a 1 p.m. Steeler game," says Joe Simon, Acrisure Stadium's director of facility operations. "With a noon kick, a lot of the activity is done overnight. But it's not as stressed or compressed, so we are able to get it done well in advance of that 6 a.m. timeframe."
Simon says between preparing the field, cleaning the stands, and television networks from the respective games tearing down and then setting up, there's a lot of activity within minutes after the final whistle on Saturday.
"There's a lot of work right on the field with the signage change up. But obviously, that's a visible thing that a lot of people see," he said. "We'll bring in housekeeping staff as soon as we possibly can. The cleaning of the stadium takes all night long. So, those are the folks that are here the longest throughout the night, as well as our concessionaires, who are working throughout the night cleaning up."
Meanwhile, on the field, the logos are being re-painted and the markings are being converted from college rules to professional.
"The outline of the 'PITTSBURGH' in the North end zone, that outline color changes from a Pitt to a Steeler game," Simon said. "The pro hash marks are separate from the college hash marks, so as soon as the game is over, the grounds crew will be out here. They're out here late as well painting over the college hash marks, painting new pro hash marks."
Throughout the rest of the stadium and in the enclosed areas, signs are replaced from Pitt's blue and gold to the Steelers' black and gold.
"That takes the longest, to be really transparent," said Simon. "There's a lot of work on the signage because we work with Pitt, and we want Pitt to have their own unique experience on game day. So, we spend a lot of time putting up Pitt signage and obviously, we've got to transition that for Steelers signage."
Due to both teams having multiple games scheduled in prime time or on alternative dates this season (such as Mondays for the Steelers and Thursdays for Pitt), this is the second – and last – time in 2024 that both teams will play home games on the same weekend.
