In 1939, construction started on new athletic fields along Summit Street with the hope of eventually building a permanent stadium, a project funded by the Works Progress Administration.

[2][3] After World War II ended, the university saw an increase in male enrollment, so additional facilities were built in the area around what was eventually called Memorial Field.

[4] The university's first men's dorm, Stopher Hall, had opened in 1948, just north of the eventual site of the new gym.

[5] The drive to build a permanent stadium was organized in 1946, led by a committee made up of students, alumni, faculty, and local residents who raised approximately $60,000 in two years.

[9] Additional auxiliary bleachers would be added on either side of the grandstands and in the end zones over the years, finally bringing capacity to 20,000 by 1965.

[12] Memorial Stadium would also likely need upgrades to help it keep pace with other facilities in the MAC, so building on a new site was the preferred choice.

[10] The field was oriented parallel to Summit Street, running northwest to southeast, and it was surrounded by an eight-lane cinder track.

Initially, seating was provided by temporary wooden bleachers on both sidelines, with an elevated area behind the south stand and a small building for storage.

Locker rooms were added when the permanent south grandstand was built in 1950 and were located beneath the seating areas with space for storage.

Most of the Memorial Stadium site was used for an access road to the student center, known as Risman Drive, and a permanent parking lot for visitors to the university.

Prior to the 2007 season the original press box was removed and the entire seating area was repainted.

[16] In February 2008, the south end zone bleachers were razed as part of Dix Stadium's most recent upgrades to make way for a plaza, new concession area, and new scoreboard.