The stadium is named after Ernani Sátyro, who was the governor of Paraíba state from 1971 to 1975.

Amigão means Big Friend in Portuguese language and it refers to the way Ernani Sátyro called his voters, amigos velhos, meaning old friends.

The inaugural match was played on 8 March of that year, when Campinense and Botafogo drew 0-0.

The stadium's attendance record currently stands at 41,149, set on 7 February 1982, when Flamengo beat Treze 3–1.

In 2007, Nacional de Patos played its home matches during the Brazilian Championship Third Level final stage at Amigão stadium.