During the 1800s, Cornell athletic teams played on Percy Field, located where Ithaca High School now stands.

[2][3][4][5] The opening ceremony for Schoellkopf field took place on Saturday, October 9, 1915, in which an estimated 6,000 people marched in a procession led by university president Jacob Gould Schurman from Goldwin Smith Hall to the new stadium.

In 1924, the newly completed "Crescent" replaced the original stands on the east side of the field, increasing seating to about 21,500.

[1] During the summer of 2005, renovations on deteriorating concrete forced the university to close the Crescent, but it reopened in time for the fall football season.

The renovated Memorial Hall at the north end of the field opened in 2006, containing improved locker rooms and training facilities.