It opened on September 13, 1969 and was named in 1973 after Robert C. Dix, former publisher of the Record-Courier and a member of Kent State's Board of Trustees for more than three decades.

The stadium hosts high school football games on a regular basis and served as the host of the 2001 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship, the 1998 and 2003 Mid-American Conference Field Hockey Tournaments, and the 2016 Mid-American Conference Women's Soccer Tournament.

On either side of the east grandstands are spaces for party tents, and the south end zone features the scoreboard and an open plaza.

In early 2008, the south end zone bleachers, another remnant of the old stadium, were razed as part of a two-phase renovation of the facility.

Enrollment growth and construction of new academic buildings in the 1950s and early 1960s meant that the Memorial Stadium site, which had previously been the edge of campus, was instead becoming its physical center.

Preliminary plans call for an athletic complex centered on a new stadium seating between 40,000 and 55,000 people to be opened in 1969, with parking for 9,000 cars.

A new grandstand on the west side of the stadium, with seating for over 12,000 people and locker room and press facilities, was constructed on the new site, along Summit Road just over 1 mile (1.6 km) east of campus.

[8] For the first season, the teams dressed in the locker rooms at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center and were bused to the stadium.

[12] A new scoreboard and artificial turf were installed in 1997, which allowed the field hockey team to begin play at the stadium.

Phase one included construction of a large canopy over the press box, new entrance gates, and a ticket office, all completed prior to the 2007 season opener.

[14] Dix Stadium is laid out with the football field running north–south, with separate seating areas on the west, north, and east sides.

The north end zone, which is the original grandstand of old Memorial Stadium, is also entirely made up of bleacher seats.

The original east stands, which were wooden bleachers considered temporary, were to be removed by 1973 and replaced with permanent seating.

[15] The first official game listed as a sell-out occurred on October 9, 2010 when 24,221 fans were on hand for the Flashes' 28–17 win over arch-rival Akron in the Battle for the Wagon Wheel.

While the track is no longer used for competitions, it surrounds a natural grass playing surface that was previously known as Zoeller Field, the former home of the Kent State women's soccer team.

[20][21] The university began the $60 million "Building Champions" campaign in 2013 to upgrade facilities for all of Kent State's athletic teams as well as raise additional scholarship money.

[24][25] From 1975 to 1981, the Cleveland Browns held their training camp on the campus of Kent State University and used the stadium and practice fields.

The previous season, the team hosted its opening round match in the MAC tournament at Dix Stadium.

From 1970 through 1973, the university's May commencement ceremony was held there, but was moved back to the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center in 1974, where it has remained since.

[34][35] The facility has also been used as a concert venue, most recently in 2012 as part of the university's Centennial Campaign when Sheryl Crow and Los Lonely Boys played there.

Filming took place May 18, 2013 primarily in the north end zone and included a number of local extras as fans, the addition of the Ohio State "Block O" on the center of the football field, and the placing of Ohio State padding on the south end goal post.