The stadium opened in 1930. It replaced the old stadium Cartier Field. It cost more than US$750,000 to build. The head coach of the Fighting Irish, Knute Rockne, played an important role in the design of the stadium. The design was based on Michigan Stadium. The stadium originally held 54,000 people. It measured a half-mile (0.8 kilometres) in circumference and stood high. It was built by the Sollitt Construction Company of South Bend. They began building in April 1930, and took six months to build. The Irish played their first game in the new stadium on 4 October 1930. They beat the SMU Mustangs 20–14. The official dedication was on October 11 against Navy.