With the resurgence of Cowboy football, sparked by the 2001 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the annual Bedlam Series game and the subsequent 2002 Houston Bowl season, interest grew for a major overhaul of Lewis Field.

An ambitious fund-raising project for the renovation dubbed "The Next Level" became the flagship effort of the Oklahoma State athletic department.

Lewis Field was relocated to its current site at Boone Pickens Stadium for the 1919 season, following a traditional north-south orientation.

Prior to the 1950 season, 10,600 seats were added to the north stands, increasing capacity to 39,000 (including temporary endzone bleachers).

This expansion, including a complete conversion to an artificial turf playing surface, cost $2.5 million and was financed through private donations.

Due to a conflict at Tulsa's Skelly Stadium, the Outlaws were forced to play their last Exhibition game in Stillwater, losing to the visiting Gamblers by a score of 34–7.

[14] Lewis Field was officially renamed Boone Pickens Stadium during a halftime ceremony at the 2003 football game versus the University of Wyoming.

The stadium’s name was changed to honor OSU alumnus T. Boone Pickens, a Texas oilman and entrepreneur who founded Mesa Petroleum Company in 1956 and served as its CEO from 1956 to 1996.

The funds used for the expansion of the stadium have been a topic of controversy and discussion among students and the public, including the city of Stillwater.

[15] Another hotly contested issue between the Stillwater city commissioners and OSU administrators was the closing of Hall of Fame Avenue, the street running parallel with the north side of the stadium.

With their success on the football field under Mike Gundy, the Cowboys have set numerous attendance records at Boone Pickens Stadium.