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 14,500. 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 26–7.