View Full Version : Cotton Bowl moving to Arlington? - DMN
we all knew this was going to happen when Jerry World opens.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/072606dnspocottonbowl.1e7e704.html
Cotton picking Arlington in future?
05:03 PM CDT on Tuesday, July 25, 2006
By BRIAN DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – AT&T Cotton Bowl officials have quietly taken the first step toward potentially moving their annual game from Dallas to the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington.
The Cotton Bowl has hired Colvin Sports Network, a sports consulting group, to survey corporate sponsors and other college football officials to determine their feelings about a variety of issues. Chief among them: Whether the game should stay in the 76-year-old facility at Fair Park.
Cotton Bowl president Rick Baker said the consulting firm hopes to interview about 100 people. The information will be compiled and presented to the game's board of directors, who will then vote on the game's future location.
"It's going to be one of the hardest decisions that our association will ever make," Baker said while attending Big 12 media days. "The city of Dallas has been a great partner of ours for 70 years, and we're going to obviously do our due diligence and take our time doing it."
The new Cowboys stadium is scheduled to open before the 2009 season, so the first Cotton Bowl game couldn't be played in Arlington until Jan. 1, 2010.
The Cotton Bowl has been played in Dallas every year since 1937. State Fair officials have already begun $20 million worth of improvements to the facility. A bond package could provide another $30 million in improvements, if voters approve the measure in November.
Baker said there was no timetable on a decision by the board of directors.
It's long been rumored the Cotton Bowl would leave Dallas for Arlington. Cotton Bowl officials want to join the lucrative Bowl Championship Series if it ever expands. But unpredictable January weather has been considered a point of contention. The Cowboys' retractable roof would eliminate weather problems.
Baker has refused to talk about the potential move publicly. However, he was at ease with the topic Tuesday in a banquet room inside the Marriott Country Club Plaza.
He said Cotton Bowl officials will soon meet with members of the Cowboys organization, probably after the team returns from training camp in Oxnard, Calif., to learn more about stadium capacity and other specifics.
"We would not be doing our job if we did not at least study what our options were as a new option was coming on the horizon," Baker said. "Obviously, the new Cowboys stadium is a new option."
The Cotton Bowl could be in the position of leaving the aging stadium, its host city and rich history behind before the end of the current Texas-Oklahoma contract.
Texas-OU officials recently signed an extension that keeps their game at the Cotton Bowl through the game in October 2010. But if the Cotton Bowl game left Dallas, it could put the long-term future of the Texas-OU game in jeopardy as well.
"When we have enough information and we're ready … the board will vote, and that's where it will be," Baker said. "I don't think in any way shape or form, the Texas-Oklahoma situation enters into that. When we're ready to move forward, we'll move forward."
and FYI, from an interview last week on the ticket. With standing room, and the "retractable walls" in the end zones of Jerry World, they will get close to 100,000 people in capacity.
mdklatt
7/25/2006, 07:13 PM
I guess taking over Texas Stadium for college events is a non-starter?
I guess taking over Texas Stadium for college events is a non-starter?
looks like the city of Irving is going to tear it down. But hopefully they don't. There has also been talk that they are going to keep the roof, and tear down the stands. And have a big open air mall under-neath.
critical_phil
7/25/2006, 07:17 PM
"It's going to be one of the hardest decisions that our association will ever make," Baker said while attending Big 12 media days. "The city of Dallas has been a great partner of ours for 70 years, and we're going to obviously do our due diligence and take our time doing it."
in my experience, whenever someone uses the phrase due dilligence, some bad **** is about to go down.
just sayin....
mdklatt
7/25/2006, 07:50 PM
There has also been talk that they are going to keep the roof, and tear down the stands. And have a big open air mall under-neath.
Thank goodness! If there's one thing D/FW needs it's another mall. :texan:
Snrfn4ever08
7/25/2006, 08:27 PM
and FYI, from an interview last week on the ticket. With standing room, and the "retractable walls" in the end zones of Jerry World, they will get close to 100,000 people in capacity.
you've convinced me. i'm all for the move:pop:
OUHOMER
7/25/2006, 09:03 PM
so much for tradition....lets chase that might buck. Dallas should have build jerry's stadium.... Oh well
goingoneight
7/25/2006, 09:07 PM
Arlington Cowboys??? :confused:
Oh, well... I could make the trip to beat ***** in a 100,000 seat stadium.
yermom
7/25/2006, 09:10 PM
so much for tradition....lets chase that might buck. Dallas should have build jerry's stadium.... Oh well
i'm sure there have been dumber moves, but i can't think of one
well, short of moving a certain NBA team back to it's still hurricane ravaged city...
so much for tradition....lets chase that might buck. Dallas should have build jerry's stadium.... Oh well
What Jerry should have done is stuck his hand back in his own pocket and built the stadium in Dallas. I am still ****ed that Arlington came up with Taxpayer funds, one day that crap will be illegal everywhere.
soonerinabilene
7/25/2006, 10:14 PM
speaking of tradition, if its moved to jerry world, what if the cowboys have a home game on a certain weekend in october? do we move the weekend of our game? i dont want that. i LOVE the tradition of the rrs, and quite frankly, i have no problem with the condition of the cotton bowl's facilities. people gripe about the seats being to small and all that crap. YOU SHOULDNT BE SITTING AT THAT KIND OF A GAME ANYWAY!!!!!!! so restrooms arent great, big deal. you can put up with it for 3 and half hours to see the greatest rivalry and the greatest tradition in college football. and i dont want jerry jones around this game in any way. he tarnishes anything he touches.
goingoneight
7/25/2006, 10:54 PM
speaking of tradition, if its moved to jerry world, what if the cowboys have a home game on a certain weekend in october? do we move the weekend of our game? i dont want that. i LOVE the tradition of the rrs, and quite frankly, i have no problem with the condition of the cotton bowl's facilities. people gripe about the seats being to small and all that crap. YOU SHOULDNT BE SITTING AT THAT KIND OF A GAME ANYWAY!!!!!!! so restrooms arent great, big deal. you can put up with it for 3 and half hours to see the greatest rivalry and the greatest tradition in college football. and i dont want jerry jones around this game in any way. he tarnishes anything he touches.
I couldn't agree more. We were down by 33 freakin points last year and I was on my feet the entire time. I realized TD's only count for so much and we were looking pitiful, but leaving or sitting on your team is a sign of disrespect in my books. That's why I respect OUr fans for actually sticking around this past year...
badger
7/26/2006, 12:14 AM
if the Dallas leaders don't want us in their crime-ridden state fair area, so be it. I'd rather be in a bigger, better stadium anyways.
jrsooner
7/26/2006, 05:25 AM
in my experience, whenever someone uses the phrase due dilligence, some bad **** is about to go down.Oh heck!!! I'm in trouble then! That's a key term we use everyday. BUT that being said, I'm in SQA and IT Process and Controls.
AlbqSooner
7/26/2006, 07:00 AM
speaking of tradition, if its moved to jerry world, what if the cowboys have a home game on a certain weekend in october? do we move the weekend of our game? i dont want that.
There were several times, when the Cowboys played in the Cotton Bowl, that there was a Cowboy home game the day after the RRS. This is a non-issue.
BermudaSooner
7/26/2006, 07:52 AM
What is this Texas-OU game they speak of? I'm very familiar with the OU-Texas game, is that something similar?
BudSooner
7/26/2006, 07:56 AM
$20 million=one more coat of paint on the walls, rusting pipes,updated menu at the concessions.
Additional $30mil goes right into Baker&friends pockets.
There is no easy answer here since the Cotton Bowl is falling apart, and there is only so much JBWeld to go 'round.
What Jerry should have done is stuck his hand back in his own pocket and built the stadium in Dallas. I am still ****ed that Arlington came up with Taxpayer funds, one day that crap will be illegal everywhere.
why would he do that when a city is willing to give him the money?
1stTimeCaller
7/26/2006, 08:50 AM
What Jerry should have done is stuck his hand back in his own pocket and built the stadium in Dallas. I am still ****ed that Arlington came up with Taxpayer funds, one day that crap will be illegal everywhere.
You don't think the State of Oklahoma should have given that Chinese MG car manufacturing company $25MM to build a plant in Ardmore?
They shouldn't have been able to offer Delta Faucet roughly $10MM to stay in Chickasha instead of closing their plant there?
Anyhoo, it looks like the bums around Fair Park will now have a place to live, the Cotton Bowl.
BoomerJack
7/26/2006, 08:53 AM
IMHO, this news is just about the last nail in the coffin as it pertains to the OU-Texas game being played in the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park. If the two athletic depts. can have their teams in a stadium that will hold about 100,000 that's what's gonna happen sooner or later. The fact that the facility will be newer only adds to the increased probability.
For the OU-Texas to continue to be played at the present site is for someone with A LOT of bucks to fund a major renovation and for the Cotton Bowl Game folks to also commit to playing at Fair Park. I just don't think it's gonna happen.
IMHO, this news is just about the last nail in the coffin as it pertains to the OU-Texas game being played in the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park. If the two athletic depts. can have their teams in a stadium that will hold about 100,000 that's what's gonna happen sooner or later. The fact that the facility will be newer only adds to the increased probability.
For the OU-Texas to continue to be played at the present site is for someone with A LOT of bucks to fund a major renovation and for the Cotton Bowl Game folks to also commit to playing at Fair Park. I just don't think it's gonna happen.
agree. Now that the voters of Dallas have seen that the cotton bowl is not going to stick around, they will not pass the $30M bond package this fall.
Herr Scholz
7/26/2006, 09:01 AM
agree. Now that the voters of Dallas have seen that the cotton bowl is not going to stick around, they will not pass the $30M bond package this fall.
Exactly, no way they pass that bond now. 5 final Texas/OU games in Dallas.
Exactly, no way they pass that bond now. 5 final Texas/OU games in Dallas.
not a chance I will vote vote it, of course I was not going to vote for it before this announcement. maybe Texas will get smart and stop taxpayee financing and emminent domain for football stadiums. I guarantee Jerry was working this angle during the dallas negotiations.
soonervegas
7/26/2006, 09:56 AM
Herr you seem to be a guy in the know. (Remind me to go wash my hands as soon as I am done typing this)
Why is there such a reluctance to dance with Jerry? It seems the ideal situation to move OU/Texas to the new arena. (if and when we leave the fairgrounds) Pro stadium, nice amenities, possibility of seating/standing 100,000 OU/Texas fans.
Yes we would lose the fair, but we would still have OU/Texas weekend. The thought of 5,000 Texas fans coming to Norman or 5,000 OU fans going to Austin makes me ill.
Herr Scholz
7/26/2006, 10:26 AM
Herr you seem to be a guy in the know.
I certainly think so. ;)
Why is there such a reluctance to dance with Jerry? It seems the ideal situation to move OU/Texas to the new arena. (if and when we leave the fairgrounds) Pro stadium, nice amenities, possibility of seating/standing 100,000 OU/Texas fans.
Don't take this the wrong way because I'm still a Cowboys fan despite Skerry Jerry, but he's a scumbag, sleezeball, underhanded, no class Razorback. I don't want his grubby hands on this game.
The new stadium would be nice, but Arlington blows and the tradition would be ruined (don't see how that's not a foregone conclusion though at this point given the writing on the wall and the dollars involved). I would definitely prefer JerryWorld to home and home though.
Call me a purist but I LOVE going to the state fair for that game. Nothing else will be the same.
soonerjoker
7/26/2006, 12:26 PM
arlington is a nice town.
it is mucho better than the area around the cotton bowl.
arlington is a nice town.
it is mucho better than the area around the cotton bowl.
Fair Park is just a subset of Dallas, and well Arlington, is Arlington, the game from tradition point of view, and nightlife would be better in Dallas.
Fair Park is just a subset of Dallas, and well Arlington, is Arlington, the game from tradition point of view, and nightlife would be better in Dallas.
not true, when victory park (in arlington) is done before the stadium is finished, there will be tons of restaurants, bars, shops, etc... Plenty of places to hang out on OU\Tx weekend. I think they are building a hotel also.
If the choice is home and home, or Jerry World. Give me Jerry World.
Taxman71
7/26/2006, 03:31 PM
As someone who has been to 18 of the last 20 OU/texas games, I am fine with the game in Arlington. What you lose in the mystique of the Fair, you gain in safety, cleanliness, tailgating and night game opportunities. They would/could create a bowl/carnival atmosphere around the stadium with all night(weekend?) tailgaters. Try that near the Fairgrounds. Oh yeah, and the chance to stick it to Dallas' for being so stupid.
yermom
7/26/2006, 03:47 PM
i wouldn't say i'm fine with it... i like the fair but i'm sure we can still get Corny Dogs in Arlington, and split the stadium 50/50 and i could live with it
but home and home would be a ****ing travesty
I'm still staying in the West End with the other 10,000 college kids and partying my face off.
TheGodfather889
7/26/2006, 03:54 PM
I know it's random but this is an OU/Texas thread and it's the offseason. OUr bitch Chris Simms had a baby girl about a month ago. Seems odd it's been almost 4 years since we last beat him.
not true, when victory park (in arlington) is done before the stadium is finished, there will be tons of restaurants, bars, shops, etc... Plenty of places to hang out on OU\Tx weekend. I think they are building a hotel also.
If the choice is home and home, or Jerry World. Give me Jerry World.
not to pizzz and moan, but after living Chicago, Dallas is no Chicago, and Arlington....................well should never be confused with Dallas. Dallas West End Sucks, but will be better than victory when finished.
Jerryworld would have been choice in Dallas, traidition, nightlife, and closeness. Hell, it would bea lot closer drive for him, but it was abou the cash.
At least we agree upon on this, it kicks azz when considering home/home.
badger
7/26/2006, 07:43 PM
Did somebody mention Chrissy Simms? Here is the Wikipedia article, which sounds like a Sooner wrote it:
Simms, who played college football at the University of Texas at Austin, was heavily criticized for putting up big numbers against average and weak teams, but folding in big games and throwing interceptions, most notably in games against Big 12 South rival Oklahoma, against whom Simms finished 0-3. In the 2001 contest, he tossed four interceptions in a 14-3 loss. He also had a poor performance against Colorado in the 2001 Big 12 conference championship game where he fumbled and threw four interceptions, the last being returned for a touchdown— all before the close of the first half.[1] He was benched and Major Applewhite replaced him. Had Texas won, they would have played in the Rose Bowl for the national championship.
soonerboy_odanorth
7/26/2006, 08:16 PM
So... Arlington gets the C'boys...the OU/TX game (probably)... and the Cotton Bowl...and a big time economic development boost.
The City of Dallas and Fair Park get..... what?
The question is: Without their anchor weekend (OU-Texas), what do the Texas State Fair folks do to keep attendance up when all you can offer is the ogling of a bunch of steroid-pumped animals in the middle of a war zone?
Answer: Move the state fair...to a nicer area with a big commitment to economic development and surrounded by multiple entertainment options such as.... oh, I don't know... the Dallas Cowboys... the Oklahoma/Texas game... maybe even a Rangers game at the start of the fair... Six Flags... a ton of new restaraunts and hotels... that just happens to be right in the middle of the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metropolitan area.
I can't imagine that people from all over the state of Texas and neighboring states that attend just for the fair itself would have any qualms about the fair moving to a more hospitable locale.
I'll risk a mugging for the OU-Texas game. I won't risk a mugging for only the corny dog and a ride on the big ol' ferris wheel.
The city of Dallas might put some thought into the fact that they stand to lose it all. And realize if that happens, bad will deteriorate to worse.
Why is it that they can't hitch up their britches and realize that sometimes you have to spend money to make money...
I think the folks in Arlington have made that connection.
Why is it that they can't hitch up their britches and realize that sometimes you have to spend money to make money...
I think the folks in Arlington have made that connection.
If you had the property tax that dallas has, you would understand. Fair Park will become private development just as it should be in the future. Folks in Arlington realized they needed one more attraction to get on the map.
BoomerJack
7/26/2006, 09:37 PM
soonervegas: "Yes we would lose the fair, but we would still have OU/Texas weekend."
I disagree. The State Fair loses the OU-Texas game.
badger
7/26/2006, 10:01 PM
state fair complaints:
1-Buying food with tickets.
...okay, that's pretty much it.
goingoneight
7/26/2006, 10:16 PM
state fair complaints:
1-Buying food with tickets.
...okay, that's pretty much it.
Spending more for food than for a gallon of gasoline. These days you need a small loan to do that stuff. ;)
Statalyzer
7/27/2006, 12:35 AM
For the OU-Texas to continue to be played at the present site is for someone with A LOT of bucks to fund a major renovation
F that. This game belongs at the state fair. Am I the only one would watch Texas and Oklahoma play if they were out in the middle of a muddy field with no grandstands?
The stadium needs more seats so more people can see the game. No other rennovations necessary. Anyone from either team too spoiled to sit in the stands can go watch at home and free up a ticket for a bigger fan.
TheGodfather889
7/27/2006, 02:32 AM
I don't mind if the OU/Texas game loses the state fair. I never cared about it I just walked through to get to the Cotton Bowl. Really that's how I am with all OU games. Unless I pick up some lunch before the games I go right to Owen Field after I leave my house.
F that. This game belongs at the state fair. Am I the only one would watch Texas and Oklahoma play if they were out in the middle of a muddy field with no grandstands?
Well, since the game isn't played in a muddy field sans grandstand...You do realize just contradicted yourself.
BajaOklahoma
7/27/2006, 07:32 AM
Arlington is a traffic nightmare. And that is a saying a lot when you are comparing it to Dallas.
Tradition is a huge part of the game and Arlington doesn't have it.
With all of the things that Laura Miller accomplished during her reign of incompetence, there is no question that the Cowboy stadium and Cotton Bowl are going to be the top two that people remember when they hear her name.
soonerjoker
7/27/2006, 07:40 AM
after about 3 games @ jerryworld; folks will forget about the cotton bowl.
BoomerJack
7/27/2006, 09:10 AM
F that. This game belongs at the state fair. Am I the only one would watch Texas and Oklahoma play if they were out in the middle of a muddy field with no grandstands?
The stadium needs more seats so more people can see the game. No other rennovations necessary. Anyone from either team too spoiled to sit in the stands can go watch at home and free up a ticket for a bigger fan.
I agree with you Statalyzer. It breaks my heart to think that the game will probably be played somewhere else after the current contract expires. If I had my way, I would have renovated and expanded the Cotton Bowl 4 or 5 years ago and worked like hell to get UT & OU to commit to 15-20 year deal to play the RRS there.
But, IMO, the ship has pretty much sailed. Big time college athletics is big business nowadays and to expect Joe C. and D. Dodds to not think of their bottom lines is unrealistic. I'm not happy about it; I'm just calling it like I see it.
Taxman71
7/27/2006, 09:30 AM
I agree with some the above posters. With both teams ranked so high, I enjoy the fair less due to the early kickoffs. There is barely enough time to grad the traditional pregame Texas nachos, gyro, corny dog and 42 tickets worth of draft beer before trying to grab your seat for the festivities. After the game, I always leave "with the crowd" so as not to be alone in the various parking areas (with the wife in tow). I think massive tailgating outside of JerryWorld will compare nicely to wandering around the Cotton Bowl trying to meet up with your buddies (Yes, I know, the other 100,000 people are planning to meet at Big Tex also).
None of this is an issue at JerryWorld. Nice parking surrounding the stadium which will be safe, close and allow for massive tailgating. Same food, beer and 50/50 split of fans, just without the rides and the livestock buildings (which I see enough of at the Oklahoma fair).
As for the Friday and Saturday nightlife, what is Arlington 15 minutes from downtown Dallas? That is a nonissue. It is not like people are currently walking to the Cotton Bowl.
Jason White's Third Knee
7/27/2006, 10:19 AM
Pity if it moves. I liked drinking beer and razzing the 'horns after the game.
They won't be allowed to sell beer at an NCAA function.
cjames317
7/27/2006, 11:03 AM
Check out the Super Bowl scene in Arlington in 2011. OU-Texas could be like that EVERY OCTOBER.
Taxman71
7/27/2006, 11:15 AM
Pity if it moves. I liked drinking beer and razzing the 'horns after the game.
They won't be allowed to sell beer at an NCAA function.
They don't already (inside the Cotton Bowl at least). Presumably, JerryWorld will have plenty of beer vendors, tailgates and our own nearby cars outside the gate before and after.
Crimsontothecore
7/27/2006, 11:42 AM
I'm totally against moving the RRS to a newer, nicer stadium. That game should be played in the old cotton bowl until the end of time! I'm also upset that the original leather helmet's were replaced with these new-fangled shiny helmet's. And whos idea was it to put up stadium lights? Those were not there in the beginning either! Not to mention running water in the restrooms! Don't you people get it? NOTHING SHOULD EVER BE IMPROVED OR CHANGED OR IT WILL JUST RUIN EVERYTHING!!!
Pity if it moves. I liked drinking beer and razzing the 'horns after the game.
They won't be allowed to sell beer at an NCAA function.
all of the restaurants and bars would probably have beer tubs on the streets in Arlington.
badger
7/27/2006, 08:33 PM
for you laura miller haters:
Miller announced on July 6th, 2006 that she will not seek re-election in May 2007.
-taken from wikipedia
I will never go to another game if they move it to Jerry World. Party at my house
badger
7/27/2006, 10:51 PM
eh... can we just have the game NOW? why wait til October? Everybody wants to play now, so let's give em what they want--- RED RIVER SHOOTOUT IN JULY!
I will never go to another game if they move it to Jerry World. Party at my house
thats fine, there are 50,000 other people that would love your seat.
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