Robertson Stadium John O ' Quinn Field at Corbin J . Robertson Stadium ( often referred to as simply Robertson Stadium ) is a multi - purpose stadium in Houston , located on the campus of the University of Houston . It is the home of the Houston Cougars football and women ' s soccer teams . The stadium also hosted home games for the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer , which began play in the 2006 season . The stadium hosted the Houston Oilers during the first five years of their existence from 1960 to 1964 . On January 1 , 1961 , it hosted the American Football League Championship Game ( for the 1960 title ) . The Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Chargers ( 24 – 16 ) to become the league ' s first champions . It was also the site for pro football ' s first ever double - overtime game on December 23 , 1962 . The Oilers lost to the Dallas Texans ( 20 – 17 ) in that year ' s AFL title game . This was the only overtime game in the 10 - year history of the AFL . As of 2006 , the capacity of Robertson Stadium is 32 , 000 . The stadium ' s record attendance in its current capacity was set at 32 , 413 , when Houston hosted the 2011 Conference USA Championship Game on December 3 . In June 2010 , the University of Houston announced its intention to raze Robertson Stadium , and build a new stadium at the same site . History . Planning and construction . In March 1940 the Houston Independent School District ( HISD ) purchased the site for a stadium from the Settegast Estate for $ 75 , 550 . 16 . Another was acquired soon thereafter to bring the original site total to . The area of land is now bound by Holman Street , Wheeler Street , Scott Street , and Cullen Boulevard . The stadium was then constructed as a joint project between HISD and the Works Progress Administration by the Fretz Construction Company . Named the " Public School Stadium " , it was completed in 1942 , and had a seating capacity of 20 , 500 . Public School Fieldhouse ( later known as Jeppesen Gymnasium ) , a multi - purpose indoor arena which was constructed simultaneously , stood alongside . The stadium ' s first game was held before a crowd of 14 , 500 on September 18 , 1942 , when Houston ' s Lamar High School defeated Dallas ' W . H . Adamson High School 27 – 7 . Early years . HISD football games continued to be played at the stadium when the Houston Cougars football team played their inaugural game in front of a crowd of 11 , 000 with Southwestern Louisiana ( now known as Louisiana – Lafayette ) . The University of Houston continued to host home football games there from 1946 to 1950 before moving to Houston Stadium in 1951 and then to the Astrodome in 1965 . Prior to the 1957 football season , HISD changed policy at the stadium to disallow any teams with black students to play there despite this being previously allowed without issue . In 1958 , the school district renamed the stadium " Jeppesen Stadium " for school board member Holger Jeppesen , who had vigorously lobbied for its construction . In 1960 , the Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the American Football League , and arranged to lease the stadium from HISD as their home stadium . The team was owned by Bud Adams , a wealthy Houston oilman who upgraded Jeppesen Stadium for professional football use . Part of Adams ' upgrades were expanding the seating capacity to 36 , 000 . This allowed for the largest attendance for the stadium ever of 37 , 981 when the Dallas Texans competed against the Oilers on December 23 , 1962 for that year ' s AFL title game . At this time HISD continued its use of the stadium with an average of ten games per week . Making national headlines , the NAACP protested HISD ' s segregation policy in 1961 , and formally asked players from the Oakland Raiders to refuse to play the Houston Oilers at Jeppesen Stadium in a regular - season game . The Oilers remained at Jeppesen until 1964 , when they moved into Rice Stadium . In 1966 , the University of Houston developed a master plan that emphasized the acquisition of the stadium . Renovations and current use . Corbin J . Robertson , former UH Board of Regents member and Athletics Committee Chairman , funded its renovation in 1970 , and the stadium was bought for $ 6 . 8 million USD by the University of Houston . In 1980 , it was renamed " Robertson Stadium " in his honor . Beginning with the 1994 season , the Houston Cougars football team began splitting their home schedule with the Astrodome and Robertson Stadium . The University of Houston ended its lease agreement to hold home football games at the Astrodome before the 1998 season , moving the entire home slate of games back to Robertson Stadium on campus for the first time since 1949 . In 1996 , adjacent Jeppesen Gymnasium , in need of heavy renovations , was demolished to make way for a new scoreboard . The stadium was heavily renovated in 1999 to bring it up to NCAA Division I - A ( now Division I FBS ) standards for football venues . The playing surface was lowered nine feet and the running track eliminated to facilitate the addition of new seating on the sidelines and end zones . A total of twenty luxury suites were also constructed above both sides of the stadium . The playing field itself was named in honor of Houston attorney John O ' Quinn , a donor to the project , thus modifying its official name to " John O ' Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium " . Rodney Griffin was the first official groundskeeper of the facility . On August 2 , 2002 , the NFL ' s Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys competed against each other in a scrimmage at Robertson Stadium . It was the first public game for the Texans , which were an expansion team to the league . Several improvements were made in 2006 thanks in part to a $ 1 . 7 million donation from the Houston Dynamo . The lighting system was upgraded and a new scoreboard and a Philips Vidiwall video screen was added . This was completed in August 2006 . The Dynamo used the stadium for its first six seasons , leaving after 2011 for a new soccer - specific stadium in downtown Houston , BBVA Compass Stadium . With its current seating , the largest attendance for a single game at Robertson Stadium was set at 32 , 413 , when Houston was defeated by University of Southern Mississippi on December 3 , 2011 in the 2011 C - USA Championship in Houston , TX . Prior to this , it was 32 , 207 when Houston defeated Southern Methodist University on November 19 , 2011 . It was also the first time ESPN came to Houston to host " College GameDay " . The university hired the architecture firm of Leo A . Daly to assess the stadium and develop a plan for the long - term improvement of the facility . Plans were proposed to replace the end zone sections with an integrated bowl and add an upper deck that would increase capacity to 50 , 000 , but with the athletic department changing leadership , a new feasibility study was conducted instead . This study , conducted by AECOM for four months , was concluded in June 2010 with an announcement by the university to raze Robertson Stadium , and rebuild a new stadium at the location . On February 1 , 2012 , Athletic Director Mack Rhoades announced that demolition work will begin at the conclusion of the 2012 season , barring the Cougars hosting the C - USA Championship Game . Events hosted . Robertson Stadium has hosted many football games . The 1960 AFL Championship game and 1962 AFL Championship game were played at Robertson Stadium by the Oilers against the Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Texans respectively . On January 16 , 1965 , the 1964 AFL All - Star game was also held there . On December 1 , 2006 , the stadium was host to the Conference USA Football Championship . On January 19 , 2008 , the 83rd and 84th annual East - West Shrine Game was played at Robertson Stadium . On March 8 , 2008 , the stadium hosted the inaugural Space City Classic , a Houston - area high school all - star game . The stadium has hosted a variety of other sports events . The 1983 was held at Robertson Stadium prior to the removal of the track . On November 10 , 2007 , the Dynamo defeated the Kansas City Wizards in the 2007 MLS Western Conference final . The stadium has also hosted international rugby games , with 13 , 000 fans turing out in December 2001 to watch the USA play South Africa . Robertson Stadium has been the venue for several concerts . In 1972 , ZZ Top , The Doobie Brothers & Willie Nelson performed at Robertson Stadium , in addition to The Beach Boys , Crosby , Stills , Nash , & Young & The Allman Brothers in 1974 . Other concerts held at the stadium include Pink Floyd during their In The Flesh Tour & Alice Cooper in 1980 .