Heinz Field makes comeback at 'The Pit' as Kraft Heinz donates $1.3M to Aliquippa School District

Members of the Aliquippa football team played more games at Heinz Field than just about anyone not wearing a Pitt or Steelers uniform over past decade-plus.

Now, that tradition will continue closer to home.

Kraft Heinz donated $1.3 million to Aliquippa School District and will have naming rights for Aliquippa’s newly renovated high school stadium, the company announced Tuesday.

Known as “The Pit,” the stadium will be called Heinz Field.

“Kraft Heinz is proud to call Pittsburgh home as our co-headquarters, and we’re excited to bring Heinz Field back to the community in a new and meaningful way,” said Carlos Abrams-Rivera, executive vice president and president, North America at Kraft Heinz, in a news release. “We look forward to seeing Heinz Field live on as part of the Aliquippa community.”

A Heinz Field arching sign will be featured at the stadium entrance, and a banner will be stationed in the end zone.

Kraft Heinz’s donation also will help construct an academic and athletic center attached to the stadium.

The academic and athletic center will feature offices, lockers, weight rooms, training and therapy rooms, and a large collaborative creative space for hands-on learning, according to a news release. Community groups and local residents will have access to the flexible space and weight rooms for programs and classes.

“Our beloved stadium has recently undergone a complete transformation, and we’re thrilled to continue this momentum with a new academic and athletic center for our students and community members in partnership with Kraft Heinz,” superintendent Phillip Woods said in a statement.

“Kraft Heinz’s donation will help us further our legacies together and will impact Aliquippa, a deserving community, for generations to come.”

One of the WPIAL’s most successful football programs, Aliquippa has won 19 district titles. The Quips have played in the past 15 championship games, many of which were played at Heinz Field.

Kraft Heinz lost naming rights to the North Shore stadium last summer when the facility was renamed Acrisure Stadium.

“We know how important the original Heinz Field was to the people of Pittsburgh,” said Peter Hall, President, U.S. Away From Home and Kraft Heinz Ingredients at Kraft Heinz. “By working with Aliquippa — a community that has truly inspired us — we’re making our dream of a Heinz Field reboot a reality. Driven by our company purpose ‘Let’s Make Life Delicious,’ we look forward to giving Aliquippa’s hard-working students and community members new opportunities to learn, grow and thrive, while also continuing the legacy of Heinz Field.”

Aliquippa’s Carl A. Aschman Stadium, which was built in the 1930s, was renovated over the past year-plus to revive “The Pit,” which had deteriorated in recent decades. The school had to condemn sections of crumbling, concrete bleachers.

Concrete stands have been replaced by metal bleachers, and the playing surface has gone from grass to artificial turf. The light towers and goal posts also were replaced, and a video scoreboard was added, thanks to a $250,000 grant from the NFL Foundation and other donations.

The school district also secured $3.5 million in financing to make the construction project a reality.

“Over the past year, we’ve been thinking about how we could bring Heinz Field back to the Pittsburgh area in a meaningful way,” a company spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “So, when Mike Warfield, head coach at Aliquippa, reached out to us with a similar dream to create a new Heinz Field, we were thrilled with the opportunity to support the Aliquippa community and carry on the field’s legacy.”

The stadium is one of the most historic in Western Pennsylvania and was home to three Pro Football Hall of Fame players: Mike Ditka, Ty Law and Darrelle Revis, who was inducted Saturday in Canton, Ohio.

Aliquippa played home games at Freedom’s Bulldog Stadium last season while the work was being done but still managed to win the WPIAL Class 4A title and advance to the PIAA championship game.

The new Heinz Field will open at the start of the 2023 football season. Aliquippa’s home opener is Sept. 1 against Armstrong.

Construction of the new academic and athletic center is expected to be completed in 2025.

“We’ve seen the undying love from Pittsburghers for the original Heinz Field,” the Heinz Kraft spokesperson said. “It’s been a dream of ours over the past year to find a way to bring Heinz Field back to the Pittsburgh area and continue to invest in the community. Not only does this partnership with Aliquippa allow us to carry on the legacy of Heinz Field, but by allocating our donation to build a new academic and athletic center, we can continue to actively support the Pittsburgh community.”