Opened in 1927, it is home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's (UNC) football team, which competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

[13] Kenan performed research in the summer with Professor Francis Preston Venable where the two, along with other students, discovered calcium carbide's formula and how to make acetylene gas from it.

[13][15] At the time of donation, Kenan was a chemical and electrical engineer in New York City and president of the Florida East Coast Railway.

[17][18] There will be some, of course, who will say that Mr. Kenan might have given his money for this and that, but no one will argue that, among the things that cannot be obtained through the use of funds appropriated by the Legislature, anything is more badly needed than a stadium that will seat comfortable the large crowds that come to Chapel Hill for the big games.

[20][21] The site in the ravine had been ruled out because it was thought that when the university expanded further south that "noisy athletic celebrations would be too near the precincts devoted to scholarly pursuits," in particular a library to be built.

[20][21][22] The decision was pushed back in part because of President Chase's absence and as one committee member stated "It's too important a question to be settled hastily.

[20][21] By December 3, surveyors were working on the two new sites, as well as the original proposed location in the ravine, and they were to prepare reports for the committee's meeting the following Monday.

[24] By February the steam shovel had been joined by three tractors to help move the dirt and crews had started working double shifts with the main goal of building up the northeast end of the field where the land falls away.

[31][26] In late February and early March, the excavation team led by Teer began to encounter large amount of granite rock and were forced to dynamite the blocks and then remove the pieces with chains and Caterpillar tractors.

[35] A group of four students were bombarded with stone following a dynamite blast as they wandered around the southern woods of campus, which led to the crew sounding a horn before firing to alert surrounding areas and people.

[36][40][41] Within two weeks of this report, the Graduate manager Woollen stated November 1 was the tentative finish date and most of the rock had been blasted away and in total led to a six-week delay.

[44][45][46] At this point, it was confirmed there wer plans to erect a building to house lockers, showers, and fitting rooms for both teams on the south side of the project.

[48] The west stand was to house at the top of the press box, while the edge of the field would have telephones placed so that reporters can have exact yardage, plays, penalties, and more relayed to them.

[60][61] The whole stadium area was surrounded by a wire fence from Charlotte's General Equipment company and concrete pillars were constructed on the north end in the valley between entry gates.

[58] In the week preceding the Davidson game, the goal posts were placed and painted white and the pedestrian walkways around the stadium were covered in gravel.

[62] As the stadium's first game approached, Woollen stated that "Orders for seats are now pouring in at a rate of 500 a day..." for the upcoming match against Virginia.

[63] Kenan Memorial Stadium opened for the first game on November 12, 1927, when the Tar Heels faced the Davidson Wildcats at 2 PM local time where tickets were $1.50.

[70] On November 24, 1927, the stadium was officially opened and dedicated during a game where the Tar Heels hosted the Virginia Cavaliers for their 31st annual meeting.

The student section of the west end zone is popularly known as the "Tar Pit"—a name applied to the entire stadium during the late 1990s.

Head coach Mack Brown wanted a better facility to showcase a resurgent football program, which had gone from consecutive 1–10 seasons in 1988 and 1989 to a run of success not approached since the 1940s.

In December 2006, the Chapel Hill Town Council approved changes to UNC's development plan that included at least 8,800 additional seats for Kenan Stadium.

[79] Furthermore, the construction of a new concourse in front of the Carolina Student-Athlete Center for Excellence would allow fans to move around the entire perimeter of Kenan Stadium for the first time.

This facility houses the Loudermilk Center for Student Excellence as well as 3,000 additional premium club, suite seating and lounge areas in the east end zone, bringing total stadium capacity to 63,000.

[84] William R. Kenan, to whom (along with his wife) the stadium was dedicated since its construction in 1927, was involved with the white supremacist Red Shirts who conducted the Wilmington insurrection of 1898.

[91] On October 12, 1961, Kennedy spoke in a fourteen minute speech to a crowd of around 32,000 in Kenan Stadium as he accepted an honorary law degree from the university.

[92][93] President Clinton spoke before a crowd of over 50,000 on Tuesday night October 12, 1993 where he urged the passage of the Brady Bill, while also discussing health care reform and family medical leave, among other topics.

[91] Roosevelt's service was held on April 14, 1945 where over 6,000 people attended and university President Frank Porter Graham spoke regarding the deceased.

[97][98] Between 1963 and 1971, the university held festival at the end of the spring term called Jubilee and as the event grew several performances took place in Kenan Stadium in 1969 and 1970.

[99] Aside from the Jubliee, Kenan Stadium has hosted several concerts throughout its history: Jimmy Buffett (1979),[100] The Spinners (1979),[100] The Beach Boys (1980),[101] Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (1982),[102] U2 (1983),[103] Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five (1983),[103] and Bruce Springsteen (2003),[104] among others.

[109] The stadium hosts a couple football division championships of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association each year.