The natural grass playing surface within the stadium was named Frank Kush Field in 1996 in honor of the former coach of the team.

In 2007, engineers realized the stadium's concrete base was buckling due to rusting of structural steel supporting the foundation.

However, they did not take into account that cleaning/maintenance crews for ASU (and later, the Cardinals) would use pressure washers with chemicals, to clean the seats and rows of the stadium after every game and event.

[18] Legislation allowed the Arizona Board of Regents to set up a district on ASU property to collect revenue from local businesses.

In October 2013, Sun Devil Athletics announced the removal of approximately 5,700 north endzone upper-deck seats to reduce the stadium capacity to 65,870 for the 2014 season.

[21] The Cactus Bowl, which had been played in Sun Devil Stadium, was moved to nearby Chase Field in 2016 so the renovations could take place.

The renovations were originally intended to consist of three phases that would take place between football seasons, thus removing the need for the team to play one or more years at a temporary home venue.

[23] The Coca-Cola Sun Deck, a small standing-only concert venue, is located on the north side of the stadium.

The largest crowd ever seated for a college football game at the stadium was 80,470 for the 1999 Fiesta Bowl, where the Tennessee Volunteers beat the Florida State Seminoles, 23–16 on January 4, 1999, to win the National Championship.

The NFL returned to the stadium in 1987 when the Green Bay Packers played the Denver Broncos in a preseason game.

In the latter part of that time, the Cardinals began chafing at being merely a tenant in a college-owned stadium; they felt it denied them access to revenue streams that other NFL teams took for granted.

The stadium hosted Super Bowl XXX in 1996 as the Cowboys won their fifth Vince Lombardi Trophy, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27–17 in front of 76,347 spectators.

[26] The Cardinals ended their tenancy at Sun Devil Stadium with a 27–21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Christmas Eve 2005.

The team began play in February 2019 and was a part of the Alliance of American Football,[29] but the league folded in April 2019.

Pope John Paul II visited Phoenix on September 14, 1987, as a part of his whirlwind tour of the United States.