 The facility opened in 1960, and was named in honor of Edward L. Blackshear, who served as principal of the school (then known as Prairie View State Normal and Industrial College) from 1897 to 1915.On July 23, 2010 Prairie View A&M University officials announced plans to raise money for the construction of a new 15,000-seat football stadium and athletics fieldhouse, Panther Stadium, on the footprint of Blackshear Field.On January 23, 2015, the old stadium was demolished and construction began on the complex, which opened for the 2016 football season.