The Cotton Bowl Classic is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium in Dallas before moving to Cowboys Stadium in nearby Arlington in 2010. Since 2014, the game has been sponsored by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and officially known as the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic; it was previously sponsored by Mobil (1989–1995) and Southwestern Bell Corporation/SBC Communications/AT&T (1997–2014).
Action during the 1939 game between St. Mary's and Texas Tech
Panoramic view of the 2008 Cotton Bowl Classic between Missouri and Arkansas
Cotton Bowl Stadium
AT&T Stadium
In North America, a bowl game, or simply bowl, is one of a number of postseason college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivision had avoided using a playoff tournament to determine an annual national champion, which was instead traditionally determined by a vote of sports writers and other non-players. In place of such a playoff, various cities across the United States developed their own regional festivals featuring postseason college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals. Despite attempts to establish a permanent system to determine the FBS national champion on the field, various bowl games continue to be held because of the vested economic interests entrenched in them.
The 2006 Rose Bowl between Texas and USC at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California
Members of the national champion 2019 LSU Tigers national championship team are hosted at the White House; quarterback Joe Burrow is shown speaking.
The 1939 Cotton Bowl Classic between St. Mary's and Texas Tech
U.S. President John F. Kennedy (lower left of center) at the 1963 Orange Bowl in Miami