Welcome to Pittsburgh! – The Sports Edition

Kristin
Kristin

This April Pittsburgh will host the 2026 NFL Draft! The event is anticipated to attract over 500,000 visitors to Steel Town. What better way to say welcome to Pittsburgh than books! For all the tourists, media personalities, and athletes venturing to the ‘Burgh we created a reading list to get to know us a little bit better. And because we love our sports teams, we had to make a whole list dedicated to the black and gold!  

Looking for more of our epic Pittsburgh sports history? Check out the extended list here or visit any CLP location to peruse the local history collections.  

Mar 25, 2026

You can sign up for a free library card here.

If you need help using our Digital Media tools to access these selections, visit our Online Resources Support page.

If you’re looking for more book suggestions, we’re happy to recommend them to you! Use this Book Recommendation form to send us some information about what you like to read and we’ll curate a list just for you.

If you have any additional questions, you can call us at 412-622-3114 or email us at info@carnegielibrary.org. You can find additional ways to contact us on the Need Help? page.

In the Catalog

Behind the Yoi

Behind the Yoi

The Life of Myron Cope, Legendary Pittsburgh Steelers Broadcaster

Dan Joseph

Biography of renowned Steelers radio announcer Myron Cope.

From the Catalog

From Libby

Fields of Play

Fields of Play

Sport, Race, and Memory in the Steel City

Robert Terry Hayashi

Combining this rigorous archival research with a poet’s voice, Hayashi vividly portrays how coal towns, settlement houses, municipal swimming pools, state game lands, stadia, and the city’s landmark rivers were all sites of struggle over inclusion and the meaning of play in the Steel City.

From the Catalog

From Hoopla

Hard Lessons From the Hurt Business

Hard Lessons From the Hurt Business

Boxing and the Art of Life

Ed Latimore

In Hard Lessons From The Hurt Business, former heavyweight boxer Ed Latimore takes readers on a journey from his hardscrabble childhood in Pittsburgh’s public housing projects to his signing with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sport.

From the Catalog

Heart and Steel

Heart and Steel

Bill Cowher

A poignant, inspirational story about football, family, and love from Bill Cowher, the Super Bowl-winning, Hall-of-Fame Pittsburgh Steelers coach, and cohost of CBS’s The NFL Today.

From the Catalog

From Libby

Hell With the Lid Off

Hell With the Lid Off

Inside the Fierce Rivalry Between the 1970s Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers

Ed Gruver

With its account of classic games, legendary owners, coaches, and players with larger-than-life personalities, Hell with the Lid Off is a story of turbulent football and one of the game’s best-known rivalries.

From the Catalog

No No

No No

A Dockumentary

Jeff Radice

In the 1970s Dock Ellis pitched a baseball no-hitter on LSD and his outspoken style courted conflict and controversy. Dock spent his latter years helping others in their addictions. A surprising and moving story of a life in and out of the spotlight.

From the Catalog

From Hoopla

On the Clock: Pittsburgh Steelers

On the Clock: Pittsburgh Steelers

Behind the Scenes With the Pittsburgh Steelers at the NFL Draft

Jim Wexell

In On the Clock: Pittsburgh Steelers, Jim Wexell explores the fascinating, rollercoaster history of the Steelers at the draft, from Terry Bradshaw through Troy Polamalu and beyond.

From the Catalog

From Libby

From Hoopla

Pittsburgh's Civic Arena

Pittsburgh’s Civic Arena

Stories From the Igloo

The Association of Gentleman Pittsburgh Journalists

Some of the biggest acts in music history have rocked the Igloo’s seats, including Elvis, the Beatles and frequent favorite, Bruce Springsteen. Join local sports and media writers as they recall the greatest moments in Civic Arena’s storied history.

From the Catalog

Pittsburgh's Historic Stadiums and Arenas

Pittsburgh’s Historic Stadiums and Arenas

Mark T. Fatla

Local writer and lifelong baseball fan, author Mark T. Fatla searched a wide variety of sources for photographs to illustrate this history, including team archives, museums, newspapers, and private collections.

From the Catalog

Pride of Smoketown

Pride of Smoketown

The 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords

Frederick C. Bush

The 1935 Pittsburgh Crawfords team, one of the dominant teams in Negro League history, is often compared to the legendary 1927 “Murderer’s Row” New York Yankees. The squad boasted four Hall-of-Fame players in outfielder James “Cool Papa” Bell, first baseman/manager Oscar Charleston, catcher Josh Gibson, and third baseman William “Judy” Johnson.

From the Catalog

From Hoopla

Tomlin

Tomlin

The Soul of A Football Coach

John Harris

The biography of a coaching pioneer. In 2007, at the age of thirty-four, Mike Tomlin was hired as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Replacing Hall of Famer Bill Cowher — and two years removed from the team’s first Super Bowl XL victory — there was immense pressure on the first-year head coach, who many fans and those in media were largely unfamiliar with.

From the Catalog

From Libby

Where Pittsburgh Played

Where Pittsburgh Played

Oakland’s Historic Sports Venues

David Finoli

Local authors and sports historians David Finoli, Tom Rooney, Robert Healy III, Douglas Cavanaugh and Chris Fletcher celebrate the glorious victories and heartbreaking losses throughout the history of Pittsburgh’s Oakland section, the epicenter of Steel City Sports.

From the Catalog