Construction of Kincaid Field

Construction of Kincaid Field (UA Ref 3, Box 70)

On March 30, 1903, students at the University of Oregon celebrated the idea of a new athletic facility:

“The athletic enthusiasts are jubilant over the prospects of a good football field and a new up-to-date track....Teams were put to work plowing last Thursday and the track will soon be in shape for use. The circuit will be a quarter of a mile in length. Track meets can be held on the University track hereafter and the nearness to the city should insure a larger attendance.”

— Oregon Weekly

1889 map of Eugene (UA Ref 3, Box 1)

Earlier that year, University President Prince Lucien Campbell asked the Board of Trustees to either purchase or lease 20 acres of land owned by Harrison R. Kincaid. The field, located at the northern end of Kincaid’s property and running parallel to 13th Avenue, was approximately where Condon Hall and Chapman Hall stand today. While the football team had already been using part of this land informally, Campbell advocated for a dedicated, permanent athletic field.

President Campbell outlined his thoughts in his 1903 annual report:

“After very careful examination and consideration of all available tracts, it seems advisable to recommend the lease of Kincaid Field as altogether the most satisfactory and economical method [of] providing an athletic field for the university. It is ideally well located for the purpose, and will make, if secured, probably the best field in the Northwest.”

— President’s Report, pp. 504–505

After the Board of Trustees formally approved a five-year lease for the property, the Alumni Association launched a fundraising campaign to build a grandstand. In addition to proceeds from football game ticket sales, the campaign attracted nearly 300 individual donations—from students, alumni, community members, and local businesses—ranging from $0.50 to $25. The average donation was about $2, or roughly $80 in 2025 dollars. The resulting grandstand cost $1,050 and initially seated around 900 spectators.

Following the completion of Hayward Field (opened in 1919 for football and 1921 for track and field), Kincaid Field was repurposed for campus development. Today, a small plaque next to the Memorial Quad—placed by the Class of 1924—honors this history:

“To commemorate the loyalty and spirit of those athletes who represented the University on Kincaid Field.”

Fred Moullen, Pole Vault at Kincaid Field, c. 1906 (UA Ref 3, Box 119)