Construction of Schoellkopf Field was originally funded by a donation from Willard Straight, who made his contribution in memory of Henry Schoellkopf, a Cornell football player. Schoellkopf's family made additional contributions toward construction of the stadium.[1]
During May of every year, weather permitting, Schoellkopf is the site where the commencement ceremony for Cornell's Ithaca campus is held.
Schoellkopf's original capacity when it was completed was about 9,000, but it has been expanded and changed many times over the years. In 1924, the newly-completed "Crescent" replaced the original stands on the east side of the field, increasing seating to about 21,500. In 1947, the stadium's capacity was again increased, this time to its current capacity of 25,597, with permanent steel fixtures to the west of the field.[2]
In 1971, the surface of the field was converted to "Polyturf", an artificial turf. The field has had its turf replaced by a newer type of turf in 1979, 1988, 1999, and, most recently, in 2008. 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 newly renovated Memorial Hall at the north end of the field opened in 2006, containing improved locker rooms and training facilities. [3] The Hall was expanded with a 16,000-square-foot three-story wing on the hall's east side, with the varsity football locker rooms on the first floor, a new Hall of Fame Room on the second floor and a Tradition Room, where memorabilia commemorating 118 years of Cornell football will be displayed on the third floor.[4] Over the summer of 2008, Cornell is replacing the current artificial turf with a FieldTurf pitch, to be completed in time for the fall season.[5]