Joseph Glidden, a prominent farmer in the area and community benefactor, donated the land to help the institution expand.

Early iterations of the field included a covered grandstand boasting "400 strong" supporters in a 1904 football game.

Northern Illinois' football accomplishments, such as winning three consecutive Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and a national title, in the late 1950s and early 1960s prompted not only over-capacity crowds (some as large as 10,000), but also talks of a new stadium to accommodate the team's needs.

In 1964, construction began on Huskie Stadium for use at the start of the 1965 football season, but constant delays with the construction crew, and prolonged cold weather from the previous winter, kept the Huskies at Glidden Field for the first three home games of the season.

After Huskie Stadium was completed, the bleachers and track were removed from Glidden and it became a public park.