[citation needed] The stadium is named for Dr. Steadman Vincent Sanford, an early major force behind UGA athletics.

The response was overwhelming, and in 1928 a loan of $150,000 supported by fans and alumni allowed construction to begin on a stadium whose total cost was $360,000.

On October 12, 1929, a capacity crowd of over 30,000 paid $3 per ticket to watch the Bulldogs, under coach Harry Mehre, beat Yale 15–0 in Sanford Stadium's dedication game.

The crowd was at the time the largest to witness a college football game in the South, and governors from all nine southern states also were in attendance.

[7] Yale donated its half of the game receipts to UGA to help pay off the construction loans, which would subsequently be completely repaid in just five years.

The idea to put hedges around the field came from the Business Manager of the UGA Athletic Department, Charlie Martin.

[9] A county extension agent in Athens, however, claims online that the hedge is composed of Chinese privet, Ligustrum sinense.

While not apparent in photos, the hedges are growing around a chain link fence which stops people who try to push through to the field.

In May 2019, university officials announced that the playing surface of Sanford Stadium would be named in honor of former long time Bulldog head coach and athletic director Vince Dooley.

Official dedication of Dooley Field took place in a pregame ceremony on the Bulldogs' 2019 home opener on September 7.

[12] Aluminum bleachers were added to raise the capacity of the stadium by 500 due to the agreement between both UGA and the University of Notre Dame to allocate 8,000 visitor tickets for each game in the home and away series.

Soon after the arrival of head coach Vince Dooley in 1964, UGA began updating Sanford Stadium, removing the field-level lighting (which obstructed views from the stands) and adding 7,621 bleacher seats in the end zones, which brought total capacity to 43,621.

In 1981, the east endzone was enclosed at a cost of $11.5 million, turning the stadium into a "horseshoe" and eliminating the free view enjoyed by the "Track People".

In 1991, a portion of the west endzone was enclosed, creating a "partial bowl" around the lower level of Sanford Stadium.

These additions, constructed and maintained by Daktronics, established Sanford Stadium as one of the most visually media intensive venues in the SEC.

[14] On February 14, 2017, the UGA Athletic Board approved a $63 million expansion to renovate the west side of the stadium.

This proved to be a controversial measure, as it had not been general public knowledge that the hedges would have to be removed to accommodate the Olympic football competition.

In preparation for this necessity, cuttings were taken from the original hedges, three years prior to the Olympics, and cultivated at a secret, off-campus site.

[32] During the Olympics, Nigeria and the United States won the men's and women's football gold medals, respectively, at the hedge-less stadium.