It is named to honor long-time Emporia State coach and athletic director Fran Welch.

[1] The facility was one of the first on the NCAA Division II level to offer enclosed skyboxes and is still one of only a few across the nation.

[2] The first football game at Welch Stadium came on Armistice Day in 1937.

The stadium currently hosts the Kansas State High School Activities Association Class 5A state championship game, Emporia High School Football games and the Kansas Shrine Bowl all-star game every four years (the site currently rotates between Emporia, Pittsburg, Manhattan, and Hays).

Welch Stadium served three times as the site for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships.