Miles Field - Blacksburg, VA

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Virginia Tech used Miles Field from 1894 to 1925, when it was replaced by Miles Stadium. Miles Field was the Gobbler's first permanent home athletic grounds.

Overall, NC State had a record of 0-2-1 at this field, losing the two non-conference games and tying the lone game as members of the Southern Conference.

Date Opponent Time Ranking Result Attendance Length Comments
10/18/1902 at Virginia Tech * - L, 6 - 11 40 min.
10/17/1903 at Virginia Tech * - L, 0 - 21 40 min.
11/7/1925 at Virginia Tech - T, 0 - 0 60 min.

  * Non-conference games

Though informal athletics had been a part of campus life since the founding of the school (with baseball in particular being documented as far back as 1876), formal athletics first arrived at Virginia Agricultural & Mechanical College (now Virginia Tech) in 1891, when the school athletic association was formed. The Black and Gray cadets organized intra-school contests on "the undulating combination of hills and valleys that lay back of Barracks No. 1 [now Lane Hall]... and Barracks No. 4 [now the southern portion of Shanks Hall], and which served as the athletic grounds."

Play continued in this vein for a couple seasons, until 1894, when President McBryde donated a portion of the horticultural grounds for athletic and military usage. These grounds were first called Sheib Field for Professor Edward E. Sheib, who financially supported the team during many of its earliest years, though I've found no contemporary references to the grounds under that name. The improvements to Sheib Field were poorly documented: if any permanent work beyond leveling the field was done, I've been unable to locate it. The venue held matches for football, baseball, track, and other sports, in addition to serving as a military drill field

In 1902, the athletic field was renamed Gibboney Field in deference to James H. Gibboney, a chemistry instructor instrumental in setting up the college's much-needed graduate athletic manager role, taking the responsibility himself during the 1903-1904 school year. Improvements during this period were similarly modest: a single set of uncovered wooden bleachers were constructed about 1904, but their capacity is not currently known; personal estimates would place seating at about 300 persons [1] [2].

In 1909, the field and parade ground areas were increased in size, and more bleachers were added. Simultaneously, the the grounds were renamed Miles Field in honor of Clarence P. "Sally" Miles, "the college's most famous athlete." Miles had played for the Tech football team from 1900-1902, the final season as a captain before working first as an assistant coach (1904) and later as head coach of the football team (1905-1906), with additional stints as a baseball coach. A field house as erected in 1914 and burnt down in 1923. A smaller, less elaborate field house was built in its place [2] [3].

The field was not significantly enlarged until mid-November 1924, when seats running "the entire length of the playing field" were constructed in preparation for the University of Virginia, who was coming to Blacksburg for the first time since 1901 shortly after resuming a 2-decade hiatus on football relations. Reports indicated that seating was increased from about 1,000 seats to roughly 5,000 seats, borrowing some from Roanoke's Maher Field [4].

Virginia Tech's athletics departed from Miles Field without fanfare following the 1925-1926 athletic season. The campaign seems to have begun around March 1925, with proponents noting the need for field "three times as large as the present Miles Field" hoping to create more space for athletics and military drills. After a year of private fundraising, plans were formally enacted, and by mid-September 1926, the old grandstands around old Miles Field had been torn down [5].

Despite its abandonment for football, the field was briefly retained as a parade ground, as well as a practice field for football, baseball, and track, through 1928. At that time, roughly 12 acres of ground (including 1,500 feet of concrete sidewalk) of the old field and its surroundings were torn up to create a new drill field measuring over 2,000 feet long and 600 feed wide, on average. Over 1 million square feet of dirt were moved to achive the feat, which made the area exclusively a drill field, which it remains to this day. A dedicated practice field, however, existed by at least 1930, and the area was probably not used in any official capacity after 1928 [6].


A map of Virginia Tech's campus in 1908; Miles Field can be seen marked "Gridiron" at the southern edge of the sheet. "Barracks No. 1" remains as Lane Hall [7]
Approximate location of Miles Field on a modern map of Blacksburg.

Pictures of Miles Field






Four early images of athletics and cadets at Miles Field through the years offering a sort of panoramic. Starting with the north view, Academic Building No. 2 (demolished to make Pearson Hall West) can be seen in the background of the first image of VPI students playing baseball, circa 1894, while cadets from 1898 can be seen lined up on the field in the second image, facing east; the building in the background may be the chapel / library building. The third image shows the south side of the view prior to the advent of the bleachers, in 1900, while the fourth image shows the football team in 1902, facing northwest, with the residences of Prof. Pritchard and Dr. Spencer, and the "Vet Building" shown in the background [8] [9]




Several views of the field's southern bleachers; the first shows informal baseball play from 1904, the second an empty field during the 1906-1907 athletic season, and the third an undated (but circa 1910s) football game. Note the bleachers were built around the trees which had likely been planted when the field was still agricultural land, which is especially obvious in the fourth image, circa 1920s [10] [11] [12]




Images showing other views of Miles Field, the first being one of the only overall / elevated views of the field I've found, from 1907. The second image, from 1916-17, offers a good view of the campus chapel (which burnt down in 1953) as well as the improved field house, with the track towards the right side. The third image, from the 1916 football season, was taken from the stands, looking north. The fourth image shows a track event in front of the stands; though undated, the bleachers are painted to commemorate the Tech's 1905 win over Army [13] [8]



Later images of Miles Field; the first (click to open in new tab) shows the Corps of Cadets in front of the bleachers and field house in 1925, while the second shows cadets on the field in 1934. The third image shows a drill routine from 1963 [14] [8] [15]


Last updated: 6/26/2025