Southwestern University is set to bring football back to its own campus for the first time since 1950, as a new $9.2 million multipurpose sports complex prepares to open later this semester in Georgetown. University officials confirmed the facility, which includes a grandstand, locker room, concourse area, stadium press box, and synthetic turf field, will host its first game on Oct. 24 against Rhodes College.
The project marks the end of an era in which the Southwestern Pirates played their home games at a Georgetown ISD facility for the last several years, according to Community Impact. The new stadium sits on the site of the university's current football practice field on the east side of the main campus. Construction on the complex began in January 2026, and the facility was funded entirely through philanthropy rather than university operating funds.
The Oct. 24 opener will begin at noon and will include a dedication ceremony before kickoff, along with the campus's first-ever on-campus tailgating for a football game, per the same account. Beyond football, the new stadium is designed to serve as a community hub, hosting other athletic teams, university events, and even commencement ceremonies going forward.
A 76-Year Gap Since Football Left Campus
Southwestern's relationship with football stretches back to 1908, when the program joined a wave of early Texas collegiate athletics as a charter member of the Southwest Conference, according to KVUE. The program even enjoyed a mid-century high point during World War II, when a Navy V-12 training program boosted the Pirates' roster with players from major universities, propelling the team to consecutive Sun Bowl victories in January 1944 and January 1945 — with the 1945 win over UNAM remaining, per KVUE, the only time an American college team faced an international opponent in a bowl game.
That momentum didn't last. Southwestern's board of trustees disbanded the football program in April 1951, following the 1950 season, citing post-war budgetary constraints. The program stayed dormant for 63 years until Southwestern reinstated Division III football in 2013, backed by $6 million in gifts led by basketball alumnus Joe Seeber's $5 million contribution and $1 million from Red McCombs, with the relaunch paired with the addition of women's varsity lacrosse.
Even after football returned in 2013, the Pirates had no true home field of their own, instead playing at Georgetown ISD's Birkelbach Stadium. That arrangement will continue briefly into this season: Southwestern scheduled its first two home games of the fall on the athletics department's 2026 schedule at Birkelbach before the new on-campus complex opens, giving construction crews the flexibility to finish the job.
Donors Powered the Stadium's Nine-Figure Price Tag
Funding for the complex traces back to July 2024, when the Cullen Trust for Higher Education pledged a $3 million challenge grant requiring matching contributions, a gift established by Cullen Trust Chairman Corby Robertson to spur broader alumni participation. The push gained further momentum in April 2025 when alumni couple Kevin ('81) and Elizabeth ('84) Dice pledged $1 million toward the project, an announcement that pushed early fundraising past $4 million toward the $9.2 million goal and earned the playing surface its official name: Dice Field.
Former trustee Brent Austin added another $500,000 challenge match in June 2025 in memory of his wife, Joanne Powers Austin ('74), which doubled all incoming donor dollars during the campaign's final stretch and helped secure the funding needed for construction. The broader Thrive Campaign, which raised $160 million for the university overall, also contributed to the sports complex's completion.
The stadium was one of several projects tied to Southwestern's 2021–2026 Tactical Plan, the university's first five-year strategic roadmap, which identified infrastructure as a key pillar and helped facilitate fundraising for the complex. That same plan also delivered the Dorothy Perry White Welcome Center, which opened on the east side of campus in early 2026 with a 50-seat theater, art gallery, cafe, and the Office of Admission and Financial Aid.
Stadium Details and What Comes Next
According to a July 2026 update from Southwestern University Athletics, the completed complex will seat 1,620 fans and include three event pavilions for field-level viewing. While football will be the primary tenant, the venue is also expected to serve as an alternate site for lacrosse matches, graduation ceremonies, and other community events.
The stadium's debut arrives amid a broader shakeup in Southwestern's athletic conference affiliations. After competing in the Southern Athletic Association starting with football in 2023 and across all sports in 2025, Southwestern announced in July 2026 that its athletic programs will return to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference beginning in Fall 2027, a conference it had called home from 1994 to 2025 before the brief SAA stint.
