The
first intercollegiate football game, in which Rutgers College beat
Princeton (then the "College of New Jersey") 6–4 on November 6, 1869, was played at "College Field", which is now the location of the
College Avenue Gymnasium and its parking lot. From 1891 to 1938, the Rutgers football team played at "Neilson Field" on the College Avenue Campus in
New Brunswick. The stadium was dedicated on November 5, 1938 in a game against Princeton. Rutgers won the game, 20-18. It was the first time Rutgers had defeated Princeton since the first intercollegiate football game in 1869. On September 27, 1969, Rutgers and Princeton met for The Centennial Game at old Rutgers Stadium, which was played in front of 31,000 fans. Rutgers won 29-0, its 10th win in 60 tries against the Tigers. The new Rutgers Stadium originally was constructed to accommodate 41,500 fans at its maximum capacity and was officially opened on September 3, 1994, in a game against Kent State University. Light stanchions were integrated into the design so night games could be played. A two-story press box that fits 200 reporters was also constructed and is still in use today. A free-standing scoreboard was built near the south end zone, which did not originally contain any seating areas. The original design of the stadium replicated the shape of a
horseshoe, with the "open" end located near the south end zone. saw the Scarlet Knights upset the
Louisville Cardinals at Rutgers Stadium, 28-25. The Scarlet Knights were ranked #15 and the Louisville Cardinals #3 in the nation in the
Associated Press poll at the time. The game drew ESPN's third-largest TV audience for a college football game up to that point in time. The official attendance exceeded the normal maximum capacity of the stadium due to the temporary addition of bleachers in the South end zone of the stadium. The bleachers were used to seat additional students.
Stadium expansion (2008–2009) In January 2008, the Board of Governors of Rutgers University announced a $102 million stadium expansion project in order to increase the stadium's
seating capacity to nearly 56,000. However, the scale of the project was slightly reduced due to a poor economy and financial difficulties, resulting in a new maximum capacity of precisely 52,454. The second phase included the addition of approximately 11,500 seats to the previously "open" South end zone, as well as supplementary restrooms and concession stands to the southern end of the stadium. The old scoreboard (since demolished) was 22' tall by 30' wide, for a total surface area of . The sound system was also enhanced as a part of the second phase of the expansion. In addition to adding seats, concession stands, and bathrooms to the south end zone, the stadium expansion project called for a new entrance off River Road. The facility seats approximately 300 people and serves as a multi-purpose center for the university. The pavilion hosts and accommodates recruits around the year and also holds fundraising events for potential donors. The center is also used during tours for prospective students. The private fundraising effort, however, fell significantly short of the original goal. This situation prompted the Board of Governors of Rutgers University to approve a new financing plan for the stadium expansion in which the entire amount of $102 million was to be borrowed. Specifically, the university issued $85 million in bonds, and borrowed the remaining $17 million by way of low-interest commercial paper. On June 22, 2011, it was announced that High Point Solutions, based in
Sparta, had purchased the rights, and that the stadium would be known as High Point Solutions Stadium. In May 2018, High Point Solutions announced they were rebranding the company to just be HighPoint.com. As a result, the name of the stadium was changed to HighPoint.com Stadium. On July 19, 2019, Rutgers signed a new naming rights agreement with
Somerset-based IT firm
SHI International Corp. The stadium was then renamed SHI Stadium. ==Attendance records==