It opened on October 4, 1937 and was the home field of the University of Tampa Spartans football program from 1937 to 1967.

[1] The facility was named for local businessman I. W. Phillips, who donated the land to the school so that the Spartans would not have to share nearby Plant Field, which was often unavailable due to its use for many different sports and community events.

[6] At the professional level, Phillips Field was used by various local semi-pro football squads and hosted barnstorming and other exhibition games, including several NFL preseason contests in the mid-1960s that helped Tampa earn an eventual expansion franchise.

[5] Besides football, the field hosted stock car racing, boxing matches, and other sporting and community activities, though most such events were held at nearby Plant Field, which boasted a much larger playing surface.

The land was sold and the stadium razed in the early 1970s, and Tampa Preparatory School and Julian Lane Park were built at its former location.