After AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic farewell to Fair Park, what’s next? Plenty! Read on for a preview of the final game, and some exciting news about why Cotton Bowl Stadium may become more popular than ever.
Fans celebrate 73 years of great plays and players with last game in Fair Park.
It has been a Texas tradition as synonymous with New Year’s as black-eyed peas. But on January 2, 2009, the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic will bid a fond farewell to the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park.
This final game in the namesake stadium will celebrate 73 glorious years of thrilling moments and athletes that went on to even greater glory. The theme, naturally, is “Celebrating 73 Years.”
Honoring legends of many eras.
“We will be saluting many of the individuals and teams who made AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic history, on and off the field,” comments Charlie Fiss, Vice President of Communications for the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. These may include Troy Aikman (UCLA), Jim Brown (Syracuse University) and Roger Staubach (Navy).”
Betty Sanford, widow of Cotton Bowl Classic founder J. Curtis Sanford, will do the opening coin toss. It was this visionary oilman—inspired by the Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena—who returned to Dallas and financed the first four games out of his own pocket, beginning on January 1, 1937. Adds Mr. Fiss, “We are still trying to locate a descendant of Dr. George I. Bennett, the first person to buy tickets to the 1937 game.”
Past Cotton Bowl Athletic Association presidents and chairmen will be honored, as well as some of the game’s greatest players. A 5-minute tribute video will be shown on the stadium’s new Jumbotron, as well as 10-12 video vignettes, each 30 seconds long, that relive the game’s most exciting moments.
An experience that will bowl over fans.
With a capacity of over 92,000 seats, new end zone media center and triple the concession stands and restrooms, fans are in for a treat in the recently renovated stadium. “We were impressed with the Texas/OU Red River Rivalry in October,” says Mr. Fiss, “and the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic will be just as amazing to watch.”
As for the game itself, the opponents will not be announced until early December when scouts determine which teams have the best record. A team from the anchor Big 12 Conference plays one of twelve teams from the Southeastern Conference or the University of Notre Dame.
Miss Texas, Rebecca Robinson, will sing the National Anthem at the opening ceremonies. A military flyover will follow. As always, the halftime program will be very traditional rather than a star-studded extravaganza. Over 1,400 marching band members and dancers will entertain, according to Lisa Fortenberry, Pageantry Director. “The AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic is great because both college bands get to perform during the game, which is unusual for a college bowl.” Of course, the world-famous Kilgore Rangerettes from Kilgore College will delight the capacity crowd with their high kicks…followed by fireworks.
The 73rd AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic in Fair Park will truly be a game for the ages. Maybe J. Curtis Sanford was right about the appeal of a big New Year’s college match-up in Dallas!
Cotton Bowl Stadium is poised for year-round victories.
One historic Fair Park game may be almost a memory, but since its major renovations, Cotton Bowl Stadium may become busier than ever. According to Roland Rainey, Cotton Bowl Manager, “Not only are we taking advantage of some very exciting opportunities to host events inside the Bowl, but we are now working on potential blockbuster events throughout the year that will draw huge crowds to the entire Fair Park.”
Here are just a few of the Cotton Bowl events scheduled soon or in the works:
- Lone Star Classic, November 29
University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Texas Southern University play for the
first time in Dallas. Crowds are expected in the 30,000-40,000 range. - Contracts are now pending with a new national professional football league that will mean 7 regular season games and playoffs, January through June. More details to come.
- BigConference games.
“We’re talking to two big college conferences, each putting up two teams, that would play a huge game during the December holiday period,” states Mr. Rainey.
“We’ll make the Cotton Bowl the center of big Fair Park-wide events.”
Football is not the only spectacle that will soon bring steady, capacity stadium crowds. Talks with several international soccer promoters should yield several matches. “One could be with two of the greatest European League teams and fill up the entire place,” believes Mr. Rainey. “For Cinco de Mayo, we are planning a major international soccer event—with Mexican teams—that will become a signature park-wide event, complete with a rodeo, art show, food fair, concert and fireworks!”
Rainey is looking for 5 to 6 such events throughout the year that would make Fair Park a destination much like the State Fair of Texas. Fair Park Fourth, Fair Park Holiday Lights, and other festivities are already drawing folks to museums, plazas and other areas of the park. “With the arrival of DART in 2009 and amazing new illuminated fountain shows on the Esplanade, we can provide a complete entertainment package for people of all ethnic backgrounds, heritages, and ages.”
With the incomparable Cotton Bowl Stadium as its centerpiece, great things are happening in Fair Park now!
