$20 million in improvements will have more schools picking Cotton Bowl.
Attention Texas/OU, Grambling/Prairie View A&M and all other football fanatics: you’re about to be Bowled over. The one and only historic Cotton Bowl is being transformed from top to bottom, making it one of the finest sporting venues anywhere. It will begin just in time for the 2006 football season to include the New Year’s AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic.
Daniel Huerta, Executive General Manager of Fair Park, explains that the makeover will happen in two major phases. “$20 million in renovations will be through the State Fair of Texas. The first thing you’ll notice is a new 83’ wide by 57’ high video scoreboard, which will be one of the largest of its kind in Texas…in a league with University of Texas in Austin and Texas A & M. “You’ll also be amazed at the state-of-the-art HD resolution and sound system that intensifies the whole game experience.”
This will be followed with the removal of 68,000 seats and replacing them with roomier aluminum bench back seats. Improved signage and graphics will make it easier to get around the Cotton Bowl, with everything clearly marked.
Even greater changes ahead?
But wait. The Cotton Bowl will see additional improvements if Proposition 3 of the Bond Program passes, part of a $1 billion bond proposal on the ballot for Dallas voters in November. Victory would mean an infusion of an additional $30 million in improvements to the Cotton Bowl Stadium. More seats would be added, bringing the expanded seating capacity to 92,107…more seats than most of today’s other major stadiums. The Cotton Bowl would be on par with Rose Bowl Stadium and bigger than Miami’s Orange Bowl or Cardinal Stadium (home of the 2007 NCAA Football National Championship).
“Having so many seats would make the Cotton Bowl much more competitive across the board,” believes Mr. Huerta. “Colleges like larger stadiums because they can sell more tickets. It also puts us in a better position to attract new games—such as the Big 12 Conference Championship, large international soccer matches and mega concert events.” Additional improvements include ADA (American Disabilities Act) upgrades, refurbished concourses, renovated lights, additional graphics and a conference room above the existing locker room that could also be used for game day media facilities. If the bond issue passes, Fair Park stands to benefit from a $79 million investment in Fair Park overall, including a grand makeover of the Esplanade to coincide with the arrival of DART light rail in 2009. Now it’s all up to the voters.
“The Cotton Bowl is the heart of Fair Park,” according to Mr. Huerta “and it has so much history and tradition, including hosting the TX/OU Red River Shootout since 1929 and the Cotton Bowl Classic since 1936. By making the Bowl more attractive, functional and safe for fans, the venue will achieve a new level of greatness.”
