Bye-Bye, Cotton

The Cotton Bowl has been a Dallas tradition since the first game between TCU and Marquette in 1937. From the 1947 "Ice Bowl" match between Arkansas and LSU--the game ended in 0-0 tie; must have been a blast to watch, huh?--to the three National Championships won by the Texas Longhorns in the '60s and '70s, the annual game has hosted more than its fair share of legendary contests and unforgettable moments. For instance, Syracuse running back Ernie Davis was the Cotton Bowl's MVP a year before he became the first black Heisman Trophy winner in 1961, and 1989's game gave future Troy Aikman fans their first chance to see him play in person with UCLA. And what fan of pigskin trivia could forget the most infamous play of the 1954 classic, when Rice's Dicky Moegle scrambled off the bench to tackle free-and-clear Alabama player Tommy Lewis at the 42-yard line (at which point attentive referee Cliff Shaw immediately signaled the play a touchdown)? Next year the game moves to Jerry World in Arlington--boo, hiss, etc.&--but not before one last soiree in the newly renovated (so much for that) Cotton Bowl. The 2009 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Red Raiders of Tortilla Tech kicks off at 1 p.m. Friday. The game is sold out. Visit attcottonbowl.com.
Fri., Jan. 2, 1 p.m., 2009