The stadium was built and named in tribute to Kansas State students who died in World War I. Its general seating capacity was 17,500 people when completed, although attendance sometimes exceeded 20,000. The east stands were built in 1922, and the stands on the west side of the stadium were completed two years later. The original plan to enclose the stadium in a "horseshoe" shape was never executed due to a shortage of funds during the Great Depression.