[1][13] Groundbreaking for the stadium occurred on November 16, 1999, as part of a downtown revitalization plan for the city of Detroit, which included Comerica Park.

The majority of suites are located in the warehouse along the stadium's southern sideline, as are the lounges that serve the premium club seats on that side of the field.

[1][15] The bulk of the grandstand seats are located along the northern sideline and both end-lines, with gaps in the stadium's upper half at the southwest and southeast corners.

A similar design was implemented at the renovated Soldier Field, albeit with the use of a new structure (as opposed to an existing building) to house four levels of suites.

The south entrance provides the seating bowl and concourse with sunlight year-round and also offers fans a view of downtown Detroit.

[13][18] To prevent the stadium from becoming an overly imposing presence in the Detroit skyline, the playing field is 45 feet (14 m) below street level, similar to the design at adjacent Comerica Park.

It also marked the final game in the 13-year career for Steelers running back, and Detroit native, Jerome Bettis.

[32][33][34] The roof failure forced the already postponed game to be moved elsewhere, and after deliberations, the NFL chose Ford Field.

[38][39] A similar scenario took place on November 20, 2022, when the Bills' home game against the Cleveland Browns was also moved to Ford Field.

[41] On December 3, 2015, Ford Field was the site of the Miracle in Motown, where on the final play of regulation between the Lions and Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football, with no time remaining on the game clock and Detroit leading 23–21, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw a 61-yard (56 m) Hail Mary pass into the end zone that was caught by tight end Richard Rodgers for the game-winning touchdown.

[46][47] On December 13, 2003, Ford Field hosted the then largest crowd ever to attend a basketball game, as 78,129 people packed the stadium for the Basketbowl, where the Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Michigan State Spartans, 79–74.

[48][49] The University of Detroit Mercy and Ford Field hosted the 2008 NCAA basketball tournament regional semifinal and final games (March 28 and 30).

This has been the only time NCAA hockey has used a football stadium for the championship (inspired in part by their college basketball counterparts) and resulted in the largest attendance (37,592) at a Frozen Four event.

[56] Ford Field hosted two group stage matches of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer tournament on June 7, 2011.

[58][59] In 2016, Dan Gilbert and Tom Gores announced a bid for a Major League Soccer expansion franchise, first looking at building a new open-air stadium in downtown Detroit, then focusing on playing at Ford Field, which would be retrofitted with a retractable roof.

However, in 2018, Gilbert and Gores and the Ford family would "not move forward with this proposed retrofit, because the risks that would inhere to such an undertaking would substantially outweigh the rewards".