Cotton Bowl

Charter a Private Jet to the Cotton Bowl

The Cotton Bowl, which has been played in and around Dallas since 1937, is one of the oldest and most prestigious of college bowl games. There are more than 40 NCAA bowl games, but the best of the best compete in six major bowls, including the Cotton Bowl, which is now held in AT&T (Cowboy) Stadium in Arlington.

We Can Get You There

If you are lucky enough to have a ticket to the Cotton Bowl or just want to party with the fans, Paramount Business Jets can arrange a charter flight for you into any of the nearby airports, including:

• Grand Prairie Municipal Airport, KGPM, GPM, Grand Prairie, United States (4 miles)
• Arlington Municipal Airport, KGKY, GKY, Arlington, United States (6 miles)
• Dallas-Ft Worth International Airport, KDFW, DFW, Ft Worth, United States (11 miles)
• Dallas Executive Airport, KRBD, RBD, Dallas, United States (14 miles)
• Dallas Love Field Airport, KDAL, DAL, Dallas, United States (15 miles)
• Fort Worth Meacham International Airport, KFTW, FTW, Ft Worth, United States (17 miles)
• Sycamore Strip Airport, K9F9, 9F9, Ft Worth, United States (17 miles)
• Spinks Airport, KFWS, FWS, Ft Worth, United States (18 miles)
• Ft Worth Nas Airport, KNFW, NFW, Ft Worth, United States (20 miles)
• Addison Airport, KADS, ADS, Dallas, United States (21 miles)

Cotton Bowl History

It’s interesting to look at the records of the teams that have the most appearances in the Cotton Bowl. The teams that have played in the most games seem to have lost almost as many as they have won.

What that says to fans is that most Cotton Bowl games are tight, close, exciting matchups.

The Cotton Bowl got its start thanks to Dallas oilman J. Curtis Sanford, who guaranteed each team $10,000.

Between the first Cotton Bowl in 1937 when 17,000 fans watched TCU beat Marquette, 16-6, and the 2009 Cotton Bowl when Mississippi beat Texas Tech, 47-34, the games were played at Fair Park’s Cotton Bowl Stadium. In 2010, they moved to Cowboys (now AT&T) Stadium.

When the Cotton Bowl was part of the Bowl Championship Series, the game typically hosted teams from the Big 12 and Southeastern conferences.

Noteworthy Games

Block off the bench: In 1954, in a matchup between Alabama and Rice, Rice’s Dicky Maegle, who had a record-setting 265 yards in the game, was at midfield, running for his third touchdown of the day when Tommy Lewis jumped off the Alabama bench to chase him down. He dropped Maegle crossed into the end zone, but the referee threw his arms up, giving the illegally blocked Maegle a touchdown. It was a controversial call as to whether he would have been able to score otherwise. But, in the end, it didn’t really matter. Rice won, 28-6.

Chicken Soup Game: In 1979, it was so cold, the field was glazed with ice and some players stayed in the locker room to stay warm when not on the field. Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana was one of those players. And, on top of it, he had the flu. Montana came on strong, helping Notre Dame score the first 12 points in the game against Houston. Then Houston took over, scoring 34 unanswered points. But the fighting Irish were not to be denied. A Notre Dame score after recovering a blocked punt plus a touchdown run and pass from the ailing Montana helped as Notre Dame ended up winning, 35-34.

Most Appearances

Texas, which has played in the Cotton Bowl 22 times, winning 11, losing 10 and tying one, is the school with the most appearances. Six other colleges have played in six or more Cotton Bowls. They are:

• Texas A&M: 13 times (5-8)
• Arkansas: 12 times (4-7-1)
• Alabama: 8 times (4-4)
• Notre Dame: 7 times (5-2)
• Tennessee: 6 times (3-3)
• TCU: 6 times (2-3-1)

The Future

The structure of playoffs changed in the 2014-2015 season when the college Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was changed to the College Football Playoffs. The Cotton Bowl will continue to be played on or near New Year’s Day. It will host a playoff semi-final game every three years. In between, it will host games chosen by the college football playoff committee.

To Do And See In Dallas-Fort Worth Area

• Tour AT&T Stadium: Don’t just appreciate the game, appreciate also where it is played – in the world’s largest domed structure. There are all sorts of fascinating facts and figures about how it was built. It also contains an art museum.
• Sixth Floor Museum: Located within the former Texas School Book Depository Building on the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, it chronicles the Nov. 22, 1963, assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
• International Bowling Museum: Did you know the Egyptians were the first people to bowl? You will after you visit the International Bowling Museum, located across the street from Six Flags over Texas. Its vast archives of bowling film footage – from tournaments to “The Big Lebowski” – make it a favorite hunting spot for Hollywood filmmakers.
• The Perot Museum of Nature and Science: Get ready to be amazed at this hands-on museum.
• Dallas Arts District: A trendy, 19-block area of culture – art shops, museums, restaurants, and concert halls.
• The Fort Worth Cultural District: Located just west of downtown Fort Worth, are six museums famous for their architecture as well as the quality of their collections of Old World and New World masterpieces. Among the buildings dedicated to the city’s wild-west past is the Will Rogers Memorial Center.