Cotton Bowl in the Cotton Bowl is no more

[oz615]

Dallas loses Cotton Bowl Classic

Dallas Business Journal - 1:46 PM CST Tuesday, February 27, 2007

by Dave Moore

Staff Write

The AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic is heading to Arlington, the event's board of directors voted this morning.

The move comes on the heels of flagging attendance at the game's current site, The Cotton Bowl, which is owned by the city of Dallas. The new Dallas Cowboys Stadium, which is under construction in Arlington and expected to be completed in 2009, will be the new host site in 2010.

"This is one of the most important decisions in the 71-year history of the AT&T Cotton Bowl," Cotton Bowl Athletic Association Chairman Bruce Gadd said in a prepared statement. "Moving the Classic preserves the Classic's legacy and, at the same time, secures its future as one of college football's best post-season bowl games."

The Cotton Bowl stadium in Fair Park, meanwhile, is slated to undergo $30 million in renovations, with money approved by voters in November 2006, as part of a $1.3 billion bond package. The city of Dallas has scheduled a 2 p.m. press conference Tuesday at the Cotton Bowl, to answer the vote of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Board of Directors. Dallas was initially in the running for the new Cowboys stadium, but balked at the cost of taking part in the cost of the new stadium. Arlington and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones quickly came to a general agreement that it would be the new site of the Cowboys stadium, which is currently located in Irving.

Key among the board's decision to move the event to Arlington are plans for a domed stadium for the Cowboys, Gadd was quoted as saying in a news release.

Gadd said the weather issue excluded the Cotton Bowl Classic from the Bowl Championship Series when the college football post-season format was adopted in 1994.

A study commissioned by the athletic association indicated the need to move the bowl event to an enclosed stadium, despite the long-standing history at the current site.

The city of Dallas isn't obligated to spend $30 million in bond funds on the Cotton Bowl, said David Cook, the city's chief financial officer. His statement came in response to the Dallas Business Journal query: "What legal options does the city of Dallas have to make the (Cotton Bowl) renovations, if its leaders no longer see the need to spend that money on the project?"

Dallas City Councilman Mitchell Rasansky has been skeptical about spending money renovating the Cotton Bowl, in light of the construction of the Cowboys' new stadium, which is estimated at costing more than $1 billion.

"The voters have authorized the city to issue bonds for particular purposes, but the voters haven't mandated that that be done," Cook said, in response to a query from the Business Journal. "From a legal view, the city council doesn't have to issue those bonds and do those improvements. They are authorized to do so. It technically wouldn't take a special vote of the citizens to deauthorize," he said.

Still, he acknowledged the bond vote leaves city leaders in a tricky situation.

"Some would say the voters have spoken," Cooke said. "But the technical answer is, the city doesn't have to sell those bonds and do those improvements; they (city leaders) can change their minds.

That really sucks,but at the same time i'm not surprised.

(CRAP,mods,the title should say The Cotton Bowl in the Cotton Bowl is no more,thanks.)

[TBGKon]

That really sucks,but at the same time i'm not surprised.

Agreed, a decent, adequate stadium is what the game was lacking when it came down to adding the Fiesta Bowl to the BCS rotation, and from what I've heard, the Cotton Bowl Classic was 1st on the BCS list of possible bowl games at that time.

When and if th BCS need to add another game, this should put the Cotton Bowl Classic back as a viable option.

[BigMac12]

One has to wonder if the Red River Shootout, er, Rivalry will also move to Arlington.

[oz615]

One has to wonder if the Red River Shootout, er, Rivalry will also move to Arlington.

After today,i wouldn't be surprised if they did move it there.

[buzzcut]

One has to wonder if the Red River Shootout, er, Rivalry will also move to Arlington.

If the AD's at UT and OU have their way. it will move on campus. (That's what they've said in the past, and is likely still their point.)

[NJTank]

Hey its the way it goes now bigger better stadium could help bring the Cotton Bowl back to BCS level.

[winghaz]

Would the Fort Worth Bowl move across the Metroplex to the Cotton Bowl with this news?

[TBGKon]

Would the Fort Worth Bowl move across the Metroplex to the Cotton Bowl with this news?

I don't see why this would be an option, the Armed Forces Bowl (current Fort Worth Bowl) probably couldn't fill up the Cotton Bowl with it's current matchup, the Fort Worth area works in my mind.

[oz615]

The Cotton Bowl is a legendary stadium but it's way past it's prime. Time to let go and move on.

Yeah that true,BUT it doesn't deserve the wrecking ball neither.

[BlueSky]

Ah, the Cotton Bowl. When I was about 6 (1967) we hadn't moved to N.O. yet and being an Army brat, I'd never lived anywhere that had a team. Since my grandmother lived in Dallas, I'd adopted the Cowboys and was a huge fan. So one day we're visiting her in Dallas and my dad says, "Let's go for a ride." He took me to the Cotton Bowl and talked to a security guy there and the next thing I knew we were standing in the end zone. I will never forget looking around at all those blue and white seats and standing on the field the Cowboys played on. Awesome. So I'm sad that the Cotton Bowl is moving into history but have to agree, it's time.

Which brings me to my Texas Stadium story. Around 1987, a friend and I visited Dallas and stopped by to look around the Pro Shop at the stadium. When we came out, to the left was the gate to the parking lot and to the right was a tunnel leading to the field. So we went down the tunnel to look at the field and the gate was unlocked. We went out to the end zone, then the 20, and finally we were standing on the midfield star gawking at the roof and seats and scoreboards when a security guy yells, "Hey!" and we're thinking we're hosed. So he comes over and says, "You with the tour?" Well, sir, um, well...of COURSE we're with the tour! So he gets this "Yeah, right" expression but says, "They're headed for the locker room. That way." He knew we were totally full of it but was cool enough to play along. So we glommed on to the tour and went through the locker rooms and the rest of the stadium. I felt bad because it wasn't our intent to get a free tour but under the circumstances...