The expansions didn't follow the designer's initial intent on the stadium becoming a monumental horseshoe-shaped amphitheater.
The first nationally televised night college football game at Legion Field was between Ole Miss and Alabama on October 4, 1969.
The turf was changed back to a natural Bermuda grass surface in 1995 in order to host soccer events for the Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
In 2004, a structural evaluation determined that the 9,000 seat upper deck would need major remediation to meet modern building codes.
With little prospect of adequate repairs on the way, the University of Alabama withdrew the few home games it still scheduled for Birmingham.
The Birmingham–Jefferson Civic Center Authority started construction of a new stadium on the Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex grounds in July 2019.
The Blazers temporarily left Legion Field without a primary tenant during the school's two-year hiatus from football.
[12] The Blazers returned to Legion Field for the first time in two years on September 2, 2017, setting a new attendance record in a 38–7 victory over Alabama A&M.
Tickets were split equally between the two athletic departments to sell, similar to other rivalries like the Red River Shootout between Oklahoma and Texas or the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party between Georgia and Florida.
In 2000, Alabama followed suit and decided to no longer play its home games against Auburn at Legion Field.
Between its use for the Iron Bowl and as an alternate home stadium for the Crimson Tide and Tigers, Legion Field played host to many of the most important football games in Alabama's history.
Alabama also played its entire 1987 home schedule at Legion Field due to major renovations at Bryant–Denny Stadium.
In 1998, Alabama double-decked the east stands at Bryant-Denny, bringing its capacity to a few hundred more seats than that of Legion Field.
Due to the disrepair of Legion Field and the added capacity in Tuscaloosa, Alabama moved major conference games on campus.
In 1995, it was the home field of the Birmingham Barracudas for their single season of play as part of the short-lived expansion of the Canadian Football League into the United States.
In 1968, the Boston Patriots of the American Football League played one "home" game against the New York Jets at Legion Field.
The men's team played a World Cup qualification match against Guatemala at the stadium on March 30, 2005.
[citation needed] Legion Field has also been used as a concert venue, hosting famous artists of many different genres, including U2, Ruben Studdard, Pink Floyd, and The Rolling Stones.
If Protective Stadium had not been completed in time for the 2022 World Games, that event's opening and closing ceremonies would have been held at Legion Field.