Ohio Field was a multipurpose stadium on the campus of

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, United States. It was built in 1898, dedicated in 1908, and served as the first on-campus home of the

Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing Ohio State University in the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State has played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, since 1 ...

team as well as the track and field team through the 1921 season. Initial seating capacity was approximately 500 until 1907, when a grandstand and bleachers were added. Another renovation in 1910 saw a second grandstand added, with amenities such as brick ticket booths and iron fences, boosting capacity to 14,000. While playing at Ohio Field, the Buckeyes joined the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

, then known as the Western Conference, in 1912. The football team rose to prominence after the arrival of Chic Harley in 1916, who led the team to their first conference championships in

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Empire, British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that has been stored ...

and

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

. The team's success and the popularity of Harley led to a significant increase in the demand for tickets. In 1919, 20,000 fans attended the game against

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, with an estimated 40,000 watching from the stadium's perimeter, including from the roofs of neighboring homes. The increased popularity of Ohio State football necessitated construction of a larger stadium. Land was purchased by the university in 1919 along the Olentangy River and a fundraising drive was started.

Ohio Stadium Ohio Stadium is an American football stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on the campus of Ohio State University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is also the site for the university's Spring Commencemen ...

opened in 1922, with an initial seating capacity of approximately 63,000. After the opening of Ohio Stadium, Ohio Field was torn down. It was located on North High Street, between 17th and Woodruff Avenues. Presently, the space is occupied by Arps Hall, Ramseyer Hall and a parking garage.Campus Map - The Ohio State University
/ref> In the Ohio State University Marching Band's Buckeye Battle Cry song, the lyrics "Ohio Field will once again hear the Buckeye Battle Cry" play. The song generally played following an Ohio State football touchdown or an Ohio State football win.

References

College track and field venues in the United States Defunct college football venues Ohio State Buckeyes football venues Ohio State Buckeyes track and field venues Sports venues completed in 1898 1898 establishments in Ohio 1921 disestablishments in Ohio Sports venues demolished in 1922 {{ColumbusOH-sports-venue-stub