Two of the most significant changes in ODU Homecoming history have been the main athletic event and the time of year it is celebrated. From 1938-1940, Homecoming revolved around football and took place during the fall semester. After the football program was discontinued in 1941, the focus gradually shifted to the basketball season. In 1964, Homecoming moved to February to align with basketball season, where it remained for several decades. In 2001, Homecoming week was moved to October, bringing the celebration closer to the start of the basketball season. In 2009, ODU regained a football team and the Homecoming athletic event changed for the final time. 

Homecoming has not been celebrated every year throughout ODU's history. Although the first Homecoming was planned for 1937, it was canceled due to heavy rain, making 1938 the first official celebration. In 1941, Homecoming was canceled again due to the loss of our football team and the United States entering World War II. The tradition was revived in 1955, this time centered around basketball.

Additional interruptions occurred in later decades. Homecoming was canceled in 1985 and did not return until 1989. Due to athletic changes and lack of student participation, Homecoming was canceled after 1991, and wasn’t brought back until 2000. In 2020, most events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but students still made the most out of the adored week. Despite these challenges, students continued to celebrate school spirit, and the University unveiled a new scuplture on campus, Reign the Mermaid, in Brock Commons. Reign gives students and visitors a chance for a fun photo-op and a way to promote ODU with the hashtag #ODUmermaid. Homecoming was quickly brought back the next year, in 2021!

As ODU was originally a commuter-only institution, Homecoming became more accessible with more on campus housing. In its early years, the the athletic event was also played off campus. In 2002, when the Ted Constant Convocation Center opened, the basketball game moved on campus.

As technology advanced, certain aspects of Homecoming had to evolve. The Homecoming court now campaign through social media and create digital flyers to reach a wider audience. Students capture and share more photos than ever before, with cell phones making it easy to document events in real time. Social media has added to the excitement and helped preserve memories of the week. ODU is also able to promote each event through their own Instagram account, @odu_homecoming.