The first collegiate football game held at the stadium occurred on 1 November 1936, in which La Salle defeated fellow Christian Brothers' college (St. Mary's of Minnesota), 47-12. The stadium was officially dedicated on 10 October 1937 with a parade consisting of a color guard, the college band, and the college ROTC unit. The stadium was just five years old when La Salle's last Varsity football game was played in November 1941. The sport was suspended indefinitely because World War II resulted in a dramatic decline in the enrollment of La Salle and virtually every Catholic men's college. La Salle's aggregate record during eleven years of gridiron competition (1931–1941) was 51-34-8, and several Explorers had been named to Little All-American status.