Universal Stadium opened in Portsmouth, Ohio in 1928, built with private funding after local bond measures to pay for a stadium repeatedly failed. Its wooden stands and concrete box seats were raised specifically to give the city’s semi-pro football ambitions a proper home, and within two years that gamble paid off when the Portsmouth Spartans joined the NFL.
From 1930 to 1933, Universal Stadium served as the Spartans’ home field, where the small-market club built a competitive NFL roster before financial losses forced owners to sell the franchise to Detroit interests in 1934, creating the Detroit Lions. The stadium outlived the team that made it famous, continuing on as a community football venue for decades after the Spartans left town.
- Detroit Lions played here 1930–1933. See every Lions stadium →
Stats at a Glance
- Team(s): Portsmouth Spartans (NFL, 1930–1933); Notre Dame High School (1928–present)
- Location: Portsmouth, Ohio
- Opened: 1928 (as Universal Stadium)
- Renamed: 1970, to Spartan Municipal Stadium
- Capacity: About 8,500 (roughly 8,200 at its peak as Universal Stadium)
- Surface: Grass
- Notable fact: Original home field of the NFL franchise that became the Detroit Lions
A Privately Built Home for a Fledgling NFL Team
Portsmouth businessman Harry Snyder financed and built Universal Stadium after three separate public bond referendums for a city stadium failed to pass. Construction moved quickly, and the venue opened with roughly 8,000 seats of wooden stands just in time for the Portsmouth Spartans to begin play. The team joined the NFL in 1930, giving the small Ohio River city an improbable seat among the league’s early franchises.
The Spartans fielded competitive teams at Universal Stadium through the early 1930s, but mounting financial losses made the arrangement unsustainable. In 1934, stockholders sold the franchise for $10,000 to new owners in Detroit, who renamed the team the Lions, permanently tying Universal Stadium’s legacy to one of the NFL’s modern franchises.
From NFL Field to Community Landmark
After the Spartans departed, Universal Stadium kept serving Portsmouth as a public athletic facility. A Works Progress Administration project in the mid-1930s rebuilt the grandstands and added a track, and the venue was renamed Spartan Municipal Stadium in 1970. It has since hosted generations of Notre Dame High School football games.
The stadium survived a fire in the 1990s that required replacing its walls and press box, and lighting upgrades followed through a USDA grant. In 2024, the city transferred ownership to Shawnee State University, which plans to use the historic field for its own football program and continued community events.
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For late-season football, outdoor hockey and October park nights. Shake, pocket, and stay warm for hours.
12 x 10.5 x 6 in. — built to the common stadium clear-bag size. Check your venue's rules.
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Universal Stadium FAQs
Why was it called Universal Stadium?
The venue carried the name Universal Stadium from its 1928 opening until 1970, when it was renamed Spartan Municipal Stadium.
Is Universal Stadium still standing?
Yes. Now known as Spartan Municipal Stadium, the field is still in use in Portsmouth, Ohio, and ownership passed to Shawnee State University in 2024.
How is the stadium connected to the Detroit Lions?
The Portsmouth Spartans played at Universal Stadium from 1930 to 1933 before the franchise was sold and relocated to Detroit in 1934, becoming the Detroit Lions.
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Photo: Spongefan / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.