Longhorns' Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium turns 100 years old

On November 8, 1924, the Texas Longhorns football stadium was built. Back then, it held a whopping 27,000 fans and was known as "the largest sports facility of its kind in the Southwest." Now, it holds an astonishing 100,119 fans as a part of the Southeastern Conference.

Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium has grown over the last century but one thing remains the same, it's home to none other than the Horns.

Back in 1924, when DKR was first built, it wasn't only used for football. At the time, the field was actually surrounded by a track and was home to the Longhorns' track and field team, as well as the football program.

The construction of the stadium was entirely funded by donations from both current and former students and cost somewhere around $275,000. DKR was originally dedicated to the 198,000-plus Texas citizens who fought during WWI.

Since its original construction, the stadium has undergone 27 renovations including the installation of artificial turf in 1969 which was later replaced by real grass in 1996 –– the field is currently "FieldTurf" which was installed in 2009. The latest renovation was to install the LED lights that now shine brightly during Texas' night games.

The Longhorns set their record attendance against the Georgia Bulldogs when they hosted their newly minted conference opponents on Oct. 19, 2024. Throughout its 100-year-long history, the Longhorns boast a 403-123-10 overall record at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Texas hosts the Florida Gators in Week 11 of the college football season for the Horns' 537th game at their home stadium.

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