History
Opened in September 1942 as a joint project of the Houston Independent School District and the Works Progress Administration, the stadium was renamed for Holger Jeppesen in 1958 and for Corbin Robertson in 1980.
The Houston Oilers played their first five AFL seasons there, winning the league's first championship on January 1, 1961. The Houston Cougars, Texas Southern and, later, MLS's Houston Dynamo also called it home.
After the Cougars' final game on November 24, 2012, demolition began in December, and TDECU Stadium was built on the same site.
Why it matters: The original home of the Houston Oilers and the site of the first AFL Championship Game.
Timeline
- September 18, 1942
Lamar High beat Adamson High 26-7 in the first game.
- January 1, 1961
The Oilers beat the Los Angeles Chargers 24-16 for the first AFL title.
- December 23, 1962Double-overtime AFL title game[1]
The Oilers lost the AFL Championship to the Dallas Texans 20-17 in double overtime before a stadium-record 37,981.
- November 24, 2012Final game[1]
Houston beat Tulane 40-17 in the last game.
- December 2, 2012
Official demolition started.
The site today
| Physical status | Site redeveloped[1,2] |
|---|---|
| Current use | TDECU Stadium, the University of Houston's football stadium, built on the site (groundbreaking 2013) |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Houston Cougars | NCAA · 1946–2012 |
|---|---|
| Houston Oilers | AFL / NFL · 1960–1964 |
| Texas Southern Tigers | NCAA · 1952–2005 · tenant |
| Houston Dynamo | MLS · 2006–2011 · tenant |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Other names | Public School Stadium (1942–1958); Jeppesen Stadium (1958–1980) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3874 Holman Street, University of Houston campus, Houston, Texas[1] |
| Venue type | Stadium |
| Sports | Football, Soccer |
| Level | NCAA, AFL, MLS |
| Opened | September 18, 1942[1,2,3] |
| Last used for sports | November 24, 2012[1] |
| Demolished | December 2012[1,2] |
| Physical status | Site redeveloped |
| Original capacity | 14,500[1] |
| Final capacity | 32,000[1] |
| Architect | Harry D. Payne[1] |
| Construction cost | $650,000[1] |
| Surface | Grass |
| Owner / operator | Houston Independent School District; later University of Houston |
| Closure | The University of Houston replaced it with a new stadium on the same site. |
Documented details
Sources
- Robertson Stadium, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, architect, capacity, closed, construction cost, coordinates, demolished, events, opened, teams
- Robertson Stadium (demolished) - Houston TX, The Living New Deal. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: demolished, opened
- Say a farewell to storied Robertson Stadium, Houston Chronicle (Bayou City History blog). Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: events, opened, teams
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (2)
- Renaming to Robertson Stadium: Wikipedia says 1980, Houston Chronicle blog says 1979.
- Original name: Wikipedia 'Public School Stadium'; Chronicle 'Houston Public School Athletic Field'.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.