Already one of the nation’s most historic and beautiful settings for college football, Tufts University’s Ellis Oval / Zimman Field has been upgraded over the past year. The installation of new synthetic turf, the addition of permanent lights and a new video scoreboard, and the remodeling of Baronian Fieldhouse into new locker rooms are part of an ongoing plan to turn the stadium into a state-of-the-art facility. Originally constructed as the Tufts Oval in 1894, the complex soon included a baseball diamond, football field, outdoor track and six-hole golf course. The golf course saw its demise in the early 1950s with the construction of Hodgdon Hall and Cohen Auditorium.

In 1969, the area was renamed the Frederick M. Ellis Oval in honor of the legendary student-athlete, coach of football and basketball, and professor of physical education at Tufts. A four-sport letterman who graduated in 1929, Ellis was among the first class of inductees into the Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. His wife, Dorie, a Jackson athlete and longtime Tufts supporter who was a 2019 Hall of Fame inductee, is recognized as the “Matriarch of Tufts Athletics.” They met at Tufts and were married in the afternoon of her Commencement in 1931. Four generations of the Ellis family have attended Tufts.

The football field was dedicated in honor of Harold O. Zimman in 1986. He was an offensive lineman and captain of the Tufts football team in 1937. Zimman, who later became a member of the Tufts Board of Trustees, was a behind-the-scenes leader in the American Olympic movement. He served on the Board of Directors of the United States Olympic Committee for 42 years and was a recipient of the Olympic Gold Order, the International Olympic Committee’s highest honor.

The Baronian Fieldhouse, Harrison Press Box and the Captains’ Gate at the entrance to the stadium all salute great Jumbo alumni. John Baronian was a two-way lineman in the late 1940s and one of the football program’s biggest supporters during his life. He was honored posthumously with Tufts’ Brown & Blue Award at the 2019 Hall of Fame ceremony. Arthur Harrison, Tufts’ Athlete of the Year in 1942, was a four-sport letterman who starred at tailback on the gridiron. The Captains’ Gate, honoring the legacy of and funded by the football program’s captains, was erected in 1993.

The “Ding” Dussault Track & Field complex within the Oval has been host to many regional and conference championship meets. Bronze plaques of football and track athletes sculpted by Merrilyn Marsh, wife of 1940 Tufts graduate George Marsh, adorn the courtyard at the far end of the stadium.