Stevens Stadium opened its gates for the first time on September 22, 1962 when it hosted a football game between UC Davis and Santa Clara. The stadium was originally named for Lawrence T. "Buck" Shaw, a former football coach of the SCU Broncos. The playing surface still retains his name to the present day being named the Buck Shaw Field. It was used for football games until 1992 and baseball games until 2005. In 2005, Stevens Stadium was converted from a multipurpose facility to a soccer-only facility when the dugouts, baseball infield, and baseball backstop were permanently removed from the stadium. Stevens Stadium is the current location of the commencement ceremonies for the university. It was first used for the undergraduate commencement on Saturday, June 9, 2001.
On October 26, 2007, the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer announced that they would play a majority of their home games during the 2008 season at the stadium. Upgrades such as additional seating and bathrooms were added to the stadium in order for it to comply with MLS standards and funded by the Earthquakes organization over the last part 2008. The capacity was increased from 6,800 seats to 10,300 seats. In addition, the field was moved closer to the existing grandstand, with a small section removed from section 107 to accommodate the shift. The Santa Clara practice field between the Leavey Center and Stevens was replaced with an "Italgrass" artificial turf surface. Drainage improvements were also made to the stadium's field in concert with the field crown being removed to produce a flat pitch. A new video scoreboard was added along with additional concession and merchandising stands. General facilities were also modernized or improved including the addition of new lighting, a TV press box, new sound system, and an additional grandstand on the stadium's west side. The new grandstand included all of the seating additions made to the stadium. About half of the new grandstand included tip up seating. Overall, the enhancements cost around $4 million. After the Earthquakes departed for their new Avaya Stadium, the university undertook an improvement project that removed the original east side press box from the stadium as well as the Earthquakes temporary bleachers on the west side of the stadium. In their place a new smaller permanent west side grandstand, press box and entry plaza were installed. Capacity of the stadium was reduced back to 7,000 permanent seats as a result.
In summer of 1981 the stadium was the main venue for the World Games 1981. During the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the stadium was the official practice field of the Brazil soccer team. The Brazilians won the World Cup that year. It also played host to the Romanian national team for their practice prior to that year's quarterfinal match. Stevens Stadium holds the current record for highest attendance at a women's outdoor collegiate sporting event. In 1996 the NCAA Women's College Cup was played at Buck Shaw, which had its capacity temporarily expanded to 8,800 seats and sold out both days of the tournament. In 2009, the stadium also hosted FC Gold Pride, one of the seven charter teams of Women's Professional Soccer. However, Gold Pride moved to Pioneer Stadium in Hayward for the 2010 season.
Rugby
The stadium has also hosted several international rugby matches. In 2006, Buck Shaw hosted three pool matches in the Churchill Cuprugby union competition, becoming the first U.S. venue to host matches in that tournament. In May 2009 the stadium again hosted an international rugby match, with 10,000 fans turning out to watch the game between the United States and Ireland.
