The Cotton Bowl Classic, is a college football bowl game that was played annually since 1937 at its namesake stadium in Dallas, Texas. On February 27, 2007, it was announced that the game will move to Cowboys Stadium in nearby Arlington beginning on January 1, 2010. With the planned move, Cotton Bowl Classic officials also began a campaign to become part of the Bowl Championship Series when the current contract featuring the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, and Orange bowls expires in 2010. However, plans to join the BCS were scrapped shortly after ESPN acquired the rights to the series.

Since 1996, the game has been sponsored by Southwestern Bell Corporation; however, it went through several name changes, first in 2000 when the firm adopted a standardized "SBC" branding reflecting its name it adopted in 1995, SBC Communications, and since 2006, after their acquisition of AT&T, and its subsequent name change, as the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. From 1989 until 1995, the game was sponsored by Mobil Oil and known as the Mobil Cotton Bowl Classic.

History

1930s

The Cotton Bowl Classic was founded in Dallas in 1937 at the Texas State Fair Grounds, when Texas oil executive J. Curtis Sanford financed the first one out of his own pocket. TCU of Forth Worth took on Marquette, winning 16-6, but the game lost money even though some 17,000 attended. Nonetheless, Sanford persevered, and in 1938 the game made a profit as Rice defeated Colorado 28-14, in front of a crowd of 37,000.

Some 40,000 attended the 1939 match between St. Mary's and Texas Tech, with the Gaels upsetting the undefeated Red Raiders 20-13.

1940s

In 1940, an underdog Clemson team surprised the Boston College Eagles 6-3, in the first and only appearance at the Cotton Bowl Classic by Tigers coach Frank Howard. Attendance at this game was given as 20,000. Later that year, a group of prominent Dallas citizens took over the staging of the game as the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. A few months later, the CBAA became an agency of the Southwest Conference. From 1941 to 1994, the SWC's champion hosted the Cotton Bowl Classic.

In 1946, Missouri was defeated by Texas, despite the 4th quarter work of freshman fullback Robert Lee Clodfelter, who was to mature under Weeb Ewbank at Washington University the next three years.

In 1947 LSU and Arkansas played in front of 38,000 people to a 0-0 tie in what would later become known as the "Ice Bowl." LSU got the better of Arkansas most of the game, but the game truly belonged to the weatherman.

In 1948 Penn State, in a bowl game for the first time in 25 years, played Dallas' SMU to a 13-13 tie. Because none of the Dallas hotels would provide accommodations for the two African-American members of the Penn State team, the Penn State team ended up staying at a Naval Air Station 14 miles from Dallas.

1950s

The 1954 Cotton Bowl Classic featured one of the most famous plays in college football history. Rice's Dickey Moegle (last name spelling later changed to "Maegle") began a run around end from his team's 5 yard line and down the open field. Alabama's Tommy Lewis jumped off the bench and tackled Moegle. The referee, Cliff Shaw, saw what happened and signaled touchdown even though Moegle was "tackled" at the 42 yard line.

1960s

In 1960, Syracuse defeated the Texas 23-14 to win the national championship. Syracuse was led by bowl MVP Ernie Davis, who ran for one touchdown, caught a still Cotton Bowl Classic record 87 yard touchdown, and intercepted a pass leading to a third touchdown. In 1961, Davis became the first black athlete to win the Heisman Trophy, but died of leukemia before his pro career could begin.

In 1964, top-ranked Texas completed an undefeated season by defeating #2 ranked Navy (led by future Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach). The game was played six weeks after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. The 1967 game was moved to Saturday, December 31, 1966, due to the Dallas Cowboys hosting the NFL Championship Game at the stadium on New Year's Day, a Sunday. (Note: The other major bowl games that year --- the Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, and Orange Bowl - were played on Monday, January 2nd.)

1970s

The 1970 game featured Notre Dame's return to bowl games, after a 45-year self-imposed ban. When the Irish made that decision, 9-1 LSU was overlooked for the game, and the Tigers stayed home instead. The Irish, led by quarterback Joe Theismann, faced top-ranked and undefeated Texas. Notre Dame led 17-14 late in the fourth quarter, but the Longhorns scored a late touchdown to clinch a 21-17 victory and an undisputed national championship. The same two teams met the next year, but this time, the Irish ended the Longhorns' 30-game winning streak with a 24-11 victory, denying Texas the Associated Press national championship (the Longhorns had already clinched the regular season championship in the UPI poll, a pre-bowl poll until the 1974 season; Nebraska won the AP title). Texas and Notre Dame met again in the 1978 game, with the Longhorns again top-ranked, only to see the Irish and quarterback Joe Montana roll to a 38-10 victory. The Irish vaulted from fifth to first in the final polls with the victory.

The 1979 Cotton Bowl Classic, nicknamed the Chicken Soup Game, featured one of the most historic comebacks in bowl history. Notre Dame trailed Houston 34-12 midway through the fourth quarter. Thanks to a blocked punt and the brilliance of future NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana, the Irish rallied to win 35-34, their second consecutive Cotton Bowl Classic victory.

1980s

The 1989 game between UCLA and Arkansas was highly publicized in the Dallas area because Bruin quarterback Troy Aikman was expected to be the top pick in the 1989 NFL Draft; the first pick was held by the Dallas Cowboys. Much was made of Cowboys longtime head coach Tom Landry watching Aikman practice at Texas Stadium, UCLA's practice facility for game preparation. Landry never got to draft Aikman, because he was fired the next month, but his successor, Jimmy Johnson, did.

The Cotton Bowl Classic has seen its share of great quarterbacks. Sammy Baugh, Davey O'Brien, Babe Parilli, Bobby Layne, Norm Van Brocklin, Y.A. Tittle, Bart Starr, Roger Staubach, Ken Stabler, Joe Theismann, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Doug Flutie, Troy Aikman, and Eli Manning all have played in the game.

Three of the four Heisman Trophy winners from the 1984-87 seasons finished their college career in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Doug Flutie for Boston College in January 1985, Bo Jackson of Auburn in 1986, and Tim Brown of Notre Dame in 1988.

1990s

For 40 years the champion of the now-defunct Southwest Conference (SWC) played as the home team in the Cotton Bowl Classic, a tie-in which continued through the 1994 season. Until the mid-1980s, the contest was universally considered as a major New Year's Day bowl. However, by the late 1980s the Cotton Bowl Classic's prestige had fallen, as many SWC teams served NCAA probations for rule violations, rendering them bowl-ineligible. Also, the conference's quality of play suffered a marked decline. The SWC champion lost the last 7 times they hosted the event, and the last national champion to play in the Cotton Bowl Classic was Notre Dame in 1977, although the Irish again staked a claim to a championship after the 1994 contest.

Meanwhile, the Fiesta Bowl, unhindered by conference tie-ins, was attracting national championship contenders, most notably with its January 1987 between Penn State and Miami. In the minds of many fans, the Fiesta replaced the Cotton as a major bowl. Despite this, the Cotton Bowl Classic still retained enough prestige that it was included as one of the top bowls in the Bowl Coalition when it was formed in 1992. However, in 1995, the new Bowl Alliance (the predecessor of today's BCS) chose to include the Fiesta over the Cotton in its national championship game rotation, sealing the Cotton Bowl Classic's displacement from the four "major bowls."

In 1995, the SWC gave up control of the Cotton Bowl Classic as part of its planned dissolution after the season. In 1996, the BYU Cougars became the first team from the WAC to play in the game, defeating the Kansas State Wildcats 19-15, winning an NCAA record 14th game, and finishing the season ranked fifth in the country with a 14-1 record.

Since 1996, the game has been anchored by the Big 12 Conference. The opponent in the late 1990s came from either the Pacific 10 Conference or WAC. Since 1999, however, a team from the Southeastern Conference (usually a Western Division team) has matched up in the game, with Southwestern Bell (now AT&T) sponsoring the event.

2000s

Through 2008, the Cotton Bowl Classic continued to be played on New Year's Day (except in 2004 and 2006, when January 1st fell on a Sunday; the game was moved to January 2 in those years), and was usually the second game of the day to kick off, generally following the Outback Bowl.

The 2004 Cotton Bowl Classic saw the return of the Ole Miss Rebels, whose last appearance in the Cotton Bowl Clasic was a 7-12 loss to Texas in 1962. The 2004 Cotton Bowl Classic would also be current New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning's last college football game. Manning led his team to beat Oklahoma State 31-28.

The 2007 Cotton Bowl Classic was between Auburn Tigers played the Nebraska Cornhuskers; Auburn won 17-14.

In the 2008 Cotton Bowl Classic, Missouri's running back Tony Temple broke the bowl game rushing record by gaining 281 yards on 24 carries. (The record was previously held by Rice's Dickey Maegle, who had rushed for 265 yards.) Missouri beat Arkansas 38-7.

In April 2008, Cotton Bowl Classic officials announced that in 2009 and 2010 the game would be moved from its traditional start time of 10 a.m. CST on January 1st to 1 p.m. CST on January 2nd.

In the final Cotton Bowl Classic game to be held in the Cotton Bowl stadium, the 8-4 #20 Ole Miss Rebels defeated the 11-1 #7 Texas Tech Red Raiders. It was in this game that Tech quarterback Graham Harrell tied, and then broke, the NCAA record for most touchdown passes thrown by anyone in Cotton Bowl Classic history.

Move to Arlington

In 2010, the Cotton Bowl Classic will move to the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, leaving the newly remodeled historic Cotton Bowl facility. Reportedly, Cotton Bowl Classic officials sought for the game to become a BCS bowl game in 2011. (One of the concerns for this game having been the weather, since Dallas can be cold in January, but the new stadium would offer top amenities and a retractable roof.) However, a new four-year agreement between the BCS and ESPN has forestalled any possibility of the Cotton Bowl Classic joining the BCS until 2015 at the earliest.

Broadcasting

Fox Sports has televised the game since 1999. For many decades, the Cotton Bowl Classic was a New Year's Day staple on CBS, where the man most associated with the game, Lindsey Nelson, handled the play-by-play. NBC televised it for a brief period during the mid-1990s.

Currently, Brad Sham (best known as the voice of the Dallas Cowboys) is the radio voice of the Cotton Bowl Classic on the Westwood One network, while longtime NFL broadcaster Pat Summerall has come out of retirement to announce the annual game for Fox.

Game results

Date Played	Winning Team		Losing Team		notes
January 1, 1937	TCU	16		6	notes
January 1, 1938		28		14	notes
January 2, 1939		20	Texas Tech	13	notes
January 1, 1940		6		3	notes
January 1, 1941	Texas A&M	13		12	notes
January 1, 1942		29	Texas A&M	21	notes
January 1, 1943	Texas	14		7	notes
January 1, 1944	Texas	7	Randolph Field	7	notes
January 1, 1945		34		0	notes
January 1, 1946	Texas	40		27	notes
January 1, 1947	Arkansas	0		0	notes
January 1, 1948		13	Penn State	13	notes
January 1, 1949	SMU	21		13	notes
January 2, 1950		27		13	notes
January 1, 1951	Tennessee	20	Texas	14	notes
January 1, 1952	Kentucky	20		7	notes
January 1, 1953	Texas	16		0	notes
January 1, 1954		28	Alabama	6	notes
January 1, 1955		14	Arkansas	6	notes
January 2, 1956		14		13	notes
January 1, 1957		28	Syracuse	27	notes
January 1, 1958		20		7	notes
January 1, 1959		0		0	notes
January 1, 1960		23	Texas	14	notes
January 2, 1961		7	Arkansas	6	notes
January 1, 1962		12		7	notes
January 1, 1963		13		0	notes
January 1, 1964	Texas	28	Navy	6	notes
January 1, 1965	Arkansas	10		7	notes
January 1, 1966		14	Arkansas	7	notes
December 31, 1966	Georgia	24		9	notes
January 1, 1968		20	Alabama	16	notes
January 1, 1969		36		13	notes
January 1, 1970	Texas	21	Notre Dame	17	notes
January 1, 1971		24	Texas	11	notes
January 1, 1972	Penn State	30		6	notes
January 1, 1973		17	Alabama	13	notes

Date Played	Winning Team		Losing Team		notes
January 1, 1974	Nebraska	19		3	notes
January 1, 1975	Penn State	41	Baylor	20	notes
January 1, 1976	Arkansas	31	Georgia	10	notes
January 1, 1977		30	Maryland	21	notes
January 2, 1978	Notre Dame	38	Texas	10	notes
January 1, 1979		35		34	notes
January 1, 1980		17	Nebraska	14	notes
January 1, 1981	Alabama	30	Baylor	2	notes
January 1, 1982		14	Alabama	12	notes
January 1, 1983	SMU	7	Pittsburgh	3	notes
January 2, 1984	Georgia	10		9	notes
January 1, 1985	Boston College	45		28	notes
January 1, 1986		36	Auburn	16	notes
January 1, 1987	Ohio State	28		12	notes
January 1, 1988		35	Notre Dame	10	notes
January 2, 1989	UCLA	17	Arkansas	3	notes
January 1, 1990	Tennessee	31	Arkansas	27	notes
January 1, 1991	Miami	46		3	notes
January 1, 1992	Florida State	10	Texas A&M	2	notes
January 1, 1993	Notre Dame	28	Texas A&M	3	notes
January 1, 1994	Notre Dame	24	Texas A&M	21	notes
January 2, 1995		55	Texas Tech	14	notes
January 1, 1996	Colorado	38		6	notes
January 1, 1997	BYU	19	Kansas State	15	notes
January 1, 1998		29	Texas A&M	23	notes
January 1, 1999	Texas	38		11	notes
January 1, 2000	Arkansas	27		6	notes
January 1, 2001	Kansas State	35	Tennessee	21	notes
January 1, 2002	Oklahoma	10	Arkansas	3	notes
January 1, 2003		35	LSU	20	notes
January 2, 2004	Ole Miss	31		28	notes
January 1, 2005		38	Texas A&M	7	notes
January 2, 2006	Alabama	13	Texas Tech	10	notes
January 1, 2007	Auburn	17	Nebraska	14	notes
January 1, 2008	Missouri	38	Arkansas	7	notes
January 2, 2009	Ole Miss	47	Texas Tech	34	notes
January 2, 2010	Ole Miss	TBD	Oklahoma State	TBD	notes

MVPs

Date Played	MVP(s)	Team	Position
January 1, 1937	Ki Aldrich	TCU	C
	Sammy Baugh	TCU	QB
	L.D. "Dutch" Meyer	TCU	K
January 1, 1938	Ernie Lain	Rice	HB
	Byron "Whizzer" White	Colorado	QB
January 1, 1939	Jerry Dowd	St. Mary's	C
	Elmer Tarbox	Texas Tech	HB
January 1, 1940	Banks McFadden	Clemson	B
January 1, 1941	Charles Henke	Texas A&M	G
	John Kimbrough	Texas A&M	FB
	Chip Roult	Texas A&M	T
	Lou DeFilippo	Fordham	C
	Joe Ungerer	Fordham	T
January 1, 1942	Jimmy Nelson	Alabama	HB
	Holt Rast	Alabama	E
	Don Whitmire	Alabama	T
	Martin Ruby	Texas A&M	T
January 1, 1943	Jack Freeman	Texas	G
	Roy McKay	Texas	B
	Stanley Mauldin	Texas	T
	Harvey Hardy	Georgia Tech	G
	Jack Marshall	Georgia Tech	E
January 1, 1944	Martin Ruby	Randolph Field	T
	Glenn Dobbs	Randolph Field	QB
	Joe Parker	Texas	E
January 1, 1945	Neill Armstrong	Oklahoma A&M	E
	Bob Fenimore	Oklahoma A&M	RB
	Ralph Foster	Oklahoma A&M	DT
January 1, 1946	Hub Bechtol	Texas	E
	Bobby Layne	Texas	B
	Jim Kekeris	Missouri	T
January 1, 1947	Alton Baldwin	Arkansas	E
	Y.A. Tittle	LSU	QB
January 1, 1948	Steve Suhey	Penn State	G
	Doak Walker	SMU	RB
January 1, 1949	Kyle Rote	SMU	RB
	Doak Walker	SMU	RB
	Brad Ecklund	Oregon	C
	Norm Van Brocklin	Oregon	QB
January 2, 1950	Billy Burkhalter	Rice	HB
	Joe Watson	Rice	C
	James Williams	Rice	E
January 1, 1951	Andy Kozar	Tennessee	FB
	Hank Lauricella	Tennessee	HB
	Horace "Bud" Sherrod	Tennessee	DE
	Bud McFadin	Texas	G
January 1, 1952	Emery Clark	Kentucky	HB
	Ray Correll	Kentucky	G
	Vito "Babe" Parilli	Kentucky	QB
	Keith Flowers	TCU	FB
January 1, 1953	Richard Ochoa	Texas	FB
	Harley Sewell	Texas	G
	Bob Griesbach	Tennessee	LB
January 1, 1954	Richard Chapman	Rice	T
	Dan Hart	Rice	E
	Dickey Maegle	Rice	HB
January 1, 1955	George Humphreys	Georgia Tech	FB
	Bud Brooks	Arkansas	G
January 2, 1956	Buddy Alliston	Mississippi	G
	Eagle Day	Mississippi	QB
January 1, 1957	Norman Hamilton	TCU	T
	Jim Brown	Syracuse	HB
January 1, 1958	Tom Forrestal	Navy	QB
	Tony Stremic	Navy	G
January 1, 1959	Dave Phillips	Air Force	T
	Jack Spikes	TCU	FB
January 1, 1960	Ernie Davis	Syracuse	HB
	Maurice Doke	Texas	G
January 2, 1961	Dwight Bumgarner	Duke	T
	Lance Alworth	Arkansas	HB
January 1, 1962	Mike Cotten	Texas	QB
	Bob Moses	Texas	E
January 1, 1963	Lynn Amedee	QB	LSU
	Johnny Treadwell	Texas	G
January 1, 1964	Scott Appleton	Texas	T
	Duke Carlisle	Texas	QB
January 1, 1965	Ronnie Caveness	Arkansas	LB
	Fred Marshall	Arkansas	QB
January 1, 1966	Joe Labruzzo	LSU	TB
	David McCormick	LSU	T
December 31, 1966	Kent Lawrence	Georgia	TB
	George Patton	Georgia	T
January 1 , 1968	Grady Allen	Texas A&M	DE
	Edd Hargett	Texas A&M	QB
	Bill Hobbs	Texas A&M	LB
January 1, 1969	Tom Campbell	Texas	LB
	Cotton Speyrer	Texas	WR
	James Street	Texas	QB

Date Played	MVP(s)	Team	Position
January 1, 1970	Steve Worster	Texas	FB
	Bob Olson	Notre Dame	LB
January 1, 1971	Clarence Ellis	Notre Dame	CB
	Eddie Phillips	Texas	QB
January 1, 1972	Bruce Bannon	Penn State	DE
	Lydell Mitchell	Penn State	RB
January 1, 1973	Randy Braband	Texas	LB
	Alan Lowry	Texas	QB
January 1, 1974	Tony Davis	Nebraska	TB
	Wade Johnson	Texas	LB
January 1, 1975	Tom Shuman	Penn State	QB
	Ken Quesenberry	Baylor	S
January 1, 1976	Ike Forte	Arkansas	HB
	Hal McAfee	Arkansas	LB
January 1, 1977	Alois Blackwell	Houston	RB
	Mark Mohr	Houston	CB
January 1, 1978	Vagas Ferguson	Notre Dame	RB
	Bob Golic	Notre Dame	LB
January 1, 1979	Joe Montana	Notre Dame	QB
	David Hodge	Houston	LB
January 1, 1980	Terry Elston	Houston	QB
	David Hodge	Houston	LB
January 1, 1981	Warren Lyles	Alabama	NG
	Major Ogilvie	Alabama	RB
January 1, 1982	Robert Brewer	Texas	QB
	Robbie Jones	Alabama	LB
January 1, 1983	Wes Hopkins	SMU	SS
	Lance McIlhenny	SMU	QB
January 1, 1984	John Lastinger	Georgia	QB
	Jeff Leiding	Texas	LB
January 1, 1985	Bill Romanowski	Boston College	LB
	Steve Strachan	Boston College	FB
January 1, 1986	Domingo Bryant	Texas A&M	SS
	Bo Jackson	Auburn	TB
January 1, 1987	Chris Spielman	Ohio State	LB
	Roger Vick	Texas A&M	FB
January 1, 1988	Adam Bob	Texas A&M	LB
	Bucky Richardson	Texas A&M	QB
January 2, 1989	Troy Aikman	UCLA	QB
	LaSalle Harper	Arkansas	LB
January 1, 1990	Carl Pickens	Tennessee	FS
	Chuck Webb	Tennessee	TB
January 1, 1991	Craig Erickson	Miami (Fla.)	QB
	Russell Maryland	Miami (Fla.)	DL
January 1, 1992	Sean Jackson	Florida State	RB
	Chris Crooms	Texas A&M	S
January 1, 1993	Rick Mirer	Notre Dame	QB
	Devon McDonald	Notre Dame	DE
January 1, 1994	Lee Becton	Notre Dame	RB
	Antonio Shorter	Texas A&M	L
January 2, 1995	Keyshawn Johnson	USC	WR
	John Herpin	USC	CB
January 1, 1996	Herchell Troutman	Colorado	RB
	Marcus Washington	Colorado	DB
January 1, 1997	Steve Sarkisian	BYU	QB
	Shay Muirbrook	BYU	LB
	Kevin Lockett	Kansas State	WR
January 1, 1998	Cade McNown	UCLA	QB
	Dat Nguyen	Texas A&M	LB
January 1, 1999	Ricky Williams	Texas	RB
	Aaron Babino	Texas	LB
January 1, 2000	Cedric Cobbs	Arkansas	RB
	D.J. Cooper	Arkansas	LB
January 1, 2001	Jonathan Beasley	Kansas State	QB
	Chris L. Johnson	Kansas State	DE
January 1, 2002	Quentin Griffin	Oklahoma	RB
	Roy Williams	Oklahoma	S
January 1, 2003	Roy Williams	Texas	WR
	Cory Redding	Texas	DE
January 2, 2004	Eli Manning	Mississippi	QB
	Josh Cooper	Mississippi	DE
January 1, 2005	Rick Clausen	Tennessee	QB
	Justin Harrell	Tennessee	DT
January 2, 2006	Brodie Croyle	Alabama	QB
	DeMeco Ryans	Alabama	LB
January 1, 2007	Courtney Taylor	Auburn	WR
	Will Herring	Auburn	LB
January 1, 2008	Tony Temple	Missouri	RB
	William Moore	Missouri	SS
January 2, 2009	Dexter McCluster	Ole Miss	WR
	Marshay Green	Ole Miss	CB
January 2, 2010	TBA	TBA	Pos.
	TBA	TBA	Pos.

Previous logos

Image:Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl Classic.png|1995-1999Image:SBC Cotton Bowl Classic Logo.jpg|2000-2005Image:2006 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic.jpg|2006Image:CottonBowlLogo.png|2007

See also

• List of college bowl games

References

1. 2009 AT&T COTTON BOWL CLASSIC
2. AT&T Cotton Bowl plans to move to Jan. 2 in 2009
3. [1]
4. Cotton Bowl reportedly hoping to join BCS party in 2011
5. Cotton Bowl puts its BCS hopes on hold for now
6. [2]
7. [3]

External links

• AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic official site