2020-21 Cotton Bowl Athletic Association Year in Review

2020 YEAR IN REVIEW AT&T STADIUM | ARLINGTON, TX | 12.30.20 | GOODYEARCOTTONBOWL.COM

85TH CLASSIC REVIEW

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Inside Executive Summary .......................................................... 4 The Classic: Score by Quarter ........................................... 8 History: Records in the Classic.......................................... 9 Game Summary ................................................................ 11 Safe Stadium Protocols .............................................. 12-13 Stadium Signage ........................................................ 14-15 2020 Creative Campaign .................................................16 Outdoor and Texas Live! Signage......................................17 Campaign Collateral ........................................................18 DMN Advertising Campaign .............................................19 Website/Mobile................................................................ 20 Digital Platform Growth ...................................................21 Social Media Campaign..............................................22-23 Email Newsletter ............................................................. 24 Corporate & Media Sponsors........................................... 25 FWAA All-American Team................................................. 26 Cotton Bowl Classic in the Community............................ 27 Cotton Bowl Foundation.............................................28-30 North Texas Giving Day.....................................................31 Tarrant Area Food Bank...............................................32-33 Diversity and Inclusion Intiatives...............................34-35 Goodyear Support of Children’s Hospitals....................... 36 Dan S. Petty Scholar-Athlete Award Recipients .............. 37 CBAA Chairman Media Opportunities............................... 37 CFP Semifinal at the 107th Rose Bowl Game............... 38-41 Ancillary Events............................................................... 42 Future New Years Six Dates............................................. 42 2019-2020 Leadership..................................................... 43

85TH CLASSIC REVIEW

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I want to thank the Cotton Bowl for all they’ve done in a very tough year to still be able to put on such a high-quality bowl. First class, as always, even though this year has been so different. Again, I want to thank everybody at the Cotton Bowl for all their hard work in making this happen.

LINCOLN RILEY

HEAD COACH OKLAHOMA SOONERS

85TH CLASSIC REVIEW

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TV viewership ranked seventh among the 26 postseason games played, including the CFP National Championship. Due to COVID, 19 bowl games were not played. The Classic ranked second to only the Rose Bowl in attendance.

5.85M +17K TV Viewers

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Attendance

2020 Penn St. vs.

Memphis

2019 Clemson vs.

Notre Dame

2018 USC vs.

Ohio State

2017 W. Michigan vs.

Wisconsin

Household TV Viewers

6.77M

16.8M

9.54M

5.44M

Attendance

54,828

72,183

67,510

59,615

CBAA Chairman Bry Patton presenting the Field Scovell Trophy

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55 20 DECEMBER 30, 2020 FINAL

AT&T STADIUM, ARLINGTON, TX

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85TH CLASSIC REVIEW

THE CLASSIC: SCORE BY QUARTER FINAL

#7 Florida

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2

3

4

T

3

10

0

7

20

17

14

10

14

55

(12-2)

#6 Oklahoma (11-2)

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HISTORY: RECORDS IN THE 2020 CLASSIC 2020-MOST TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS

2013-MOST TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS

2020-MOST RUSHING YARDS

1946-MOST RUSHING YARDS

684 633 435 408 1

yds

OKLAHOMA

TEXAS A&M vs OKLAHOMA

OKLAHOMA

MISSOURI vs TEXAS

2020 MOST TOUCHDOWNS

1995 MOST TOUCHDOWNS

2020-MOST POINTS

BY WINNING TEAM

1995-MOST POINTS

BY WINNNING TEAM

7

55 55

7

2

TIE

TIE

OKLAHOMA

2020-PENN STATE VS MEMPHIS

OKLAHOMA

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA vs TEXAS TECH

2020-HIGHEST AVG YARDS PER RUSH

2013-HIGHEST AVG YARDS PER RUSH

2020-HIGHEST AVG YARDS PER OFFENSIVE PLAY

2013-HIGHEST AVG YARDS PER OFFENSIVE PLAY

10.9 10.5 3

yds

yds

10.5

yds

9.6

yds

OKLAHOMA

TEXAS A&M vs OKLAHOMA

OKLAHOMA

TEXAS A&M vs OKLAHOMA

2020-MOST TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS COMBINED

2015-MOST OFFENSE YARDS COMBINED

2020-MOST RUSHING YARDS COMBINED

1990-MOST RUSHING YARDS COMBINED

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1205

yds

OKLAHOMA (684) FLORIDA (521)

1135

685

5

yds

MICHIGAN STATE vs BAYLOR

1 The 435 net rushing yards by Oklahoma are the most for a team in a NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision game at AT&T Stadium.

The 55 points by Oklahoma are the third-most scored by a team in a New Year’s Six bowl game and the most for Oklahoma in a bowl game in program history.

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The 10.9 yards per rush by Oklahoma are the most for a team in a NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision game at AT&T Stadium.

3

yds

yds

OKLAHOMA-

yds

681 ARKANSAS (361) TENNESSEE (320)

The 1,205 combined total offense yards is a New Year’s Six bowl game record, surpassing the previous high of 1,182 by Mississippi State (605) and Georgia Tech (577) in the 2014 Orange Bowl.

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The 685 combined rushing yards is a New Year’s Six bowl game record, surpassing 604 combined yards by Georgia Tech (452) and Mississippi State (152) in the 2014 Orange Bowl.

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9

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2020 GAME SUMMARY In a season filled with challenges on and off the field, the No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners were more than up to the challenge of winning the 85th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. This year’s Classic was filled with big plays and big moments in front of a crowd of 17,323.

Oklahoma rolled up a Cotton Bowl record 684 yards on the way to a 55-20 domination of the No. 7 Florida Gators. The Sooners, who won the Big 12 Championship on the same AT&T Stadium turf just 11 days earlier, set a program record for points in a bowl game. Oklahoma also broke the record of 633 yards set against them by Texas A&M in the 2013 Classic.

Oklahoma’s 435 rushing yards eclipsed a Cotton Bowl Classic record that had stood since 1946, when Missouri rushed for 408 against Texas. Sooners quarterback Spencer Rattler put an exclamation mark on his redshirt sophomore season, passing for 247 yards and three touchdowns, as the Sooners tied a Classic record with seven touchdowns.

J. CURTIS SANFORD OFFENSIVE MVP

FELIX MCKNIGHT DEFENSIVE MVP

Rhamondre Stevenson

Tre Norwood

Running Back Oklahoma

Defensive Back Oklahoma

YARDS RUSHED

186

yds on 18 RUSHES

TOUCHDOWNS

TACKLES

INTERCEPTIONS

1

2

1

45-yard interception return for a touchdown

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85TH CLASSIC REVIEW

SAFE STADIUM PROTOCOLS Due to COVID, the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic instituted many protocols to protect the teams and fans during this unprecedented year. The Classic followed the AT&T Stadium guidelines for social distancing, limiting the attendance to 25-percent capacity. All fans were required to wear facemasks. Taking a page from the World Series and NBA Finals, the Classic created a “bubble” for the teams where both Oklahoma and Florida stayed at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas. No outside visitors or fans were allowed inside the hotel and daily COVID testing was administered to all Cotton Bowl staff and others in contact with the teams.

Fans were required to wear facemasks at all times.

A “bubble” for both teams’ stay was set up at the Hilton Anatole.

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AT&T Stadium protocols were followed, including social distancing between seats.

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STADIUM SIGNAGE

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2020 CREATIVE CAMPAIGN Despite uncertainty due to COVID, the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic worked through the summer to again develop a creative campaign that embodied the #LikeNoOther brand platform. A visual branding campaign was created featuring AT&T Stadium, Goodyear and the Dallas Skyline.

The goal for this year was to creatively highlight the Classic and position it via the visual pieces as an event that is larger than life. The jumping man, AT&T Stadium illustration and 3D logo were creative elements created specifically for the Classic.

The campaign was integrated into all advertising and marketing, printed collateral pieces, social media campaign posts, website and app branding and the in-game presentation inside AT&T Stadium.

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-BOWL 8 8 ) 79 2 O M KETS: (8 .C FOR TIC COTTONBOWL AR G O O DY E

OUTDOOR AND TEXAS LIVE! SIGNAGE AT&T Plaza at AT&T Stadium Reunion Tower

Street Pole Banners Texas Live!

Omni Hotel Dallas Exterior Light Show

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AT & T S TA D I U M | A R L I N G T O N, T X

THANK YOU FANS!

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HERE’S TO A HEALTHY AND HAPPY 2021!

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DIGITAL ADS

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CAMPAIGN DAYS

92.8K 1.6K .17% IMPRESSIONS CLICKS CTR 19

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WEBSITE

2020 TOTALS

118.6K 213.7K USERS PAGE VIEWS DECEMBER

62.3K 122.3K USERS PAGE VIEWS WEBSITE MOBILE APP In December 2020, the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic launched a new mobile app with our website partner, SIDEARM Sports.

SIDEARM is trusted by the biggest names in college athletics. This gave the Classic the opportunity to ensure safe and speedy entry into AT&T Stadium utilizing mobile ticketing all completely through the app.

Launched on December 9, 2020

2020 TOTALS

4,032 55.1K USERS PAGE VIEWS

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ALL SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS — THREE-YEAR GROWTH

Over the last three years, the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic has seen significant growth across its social media platforms.

The statistics below are a combination of the Classic’s primary social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

2018 2020 POSTS POSTS 382

440 +13.18%

2018 2020

IMPRESSIONS IMPRESSIONS

4.1M 17.4M +323.52%

2018 2020 REACH REACH 3.4M 13.4M +294.42% 21

85TH CLASSIC REVIEW

SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN This year’s social media plan included elements such as travel day Instagram Story Takeovers by each team, complete live stream of virtual media days for the public to view, quote graphics from Head Coaches Dan Mullen and Lincoln Riley, the official Cotton Bowl hashtag #LikeNoOther and more, all while using elements of the primary graphic. In the early stages of the pandemic, the Cotton Bowl even participated in the national phenomenon Coach Duggs, a made-up character on an XBOX NCAA Football game that live streamed playing in the Cotton Bowl and garnered almost 100,000 live viewers. We made graphics and had fun on social media, treating this like a true game day and gaining nearly 4.5 million impressions onTwitter in just one day.

2020 DECEMBER (48 TOTAL POSTS)

2M 1.5M IMPRESSIONS REACHED ALL OF 2020 (89 TOTAL POSTS)

4.8M 3.7M IMPRESSIONS REACHED 22

2020 DECEMBER (29 TOTAL POSTS) DEC 1, 2020

ALL OF 2020, JAN THRU DEC

Dec 31, 2020

9.3K 10.3K 10.8% 27.9K FOLLOWERS FOLLOWERS INCREASE LIKES

2020 DECEMBER (152 TOTAL TWEETS)

4.8M 4.3K 248K 31.7K IMPRESSIONS RETWEETS PROFILE CLICKS LIKES Change year over year during Cotton Bowl Week

% + % 195 22 IMPRESSIONS RETWEETS +

% + % 367 192 PROFILE CLICKS LIKES +

ALL OF 2020 (302 TOTAL TWEETS)

10.6M 6K 780K 55K IMPRESSIONS RETWEETS PROFILE CLICKS LIKES 23

85TH CLASSIC REVIEW

COTTON BOWL CONNECTION WEEKLY EMAIL NEWSLETTER

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NEWSLETTERS SENT 24

18.6K 78K 26% SUBSCRIBERS OPENS

AVG. OPEN RATE

2020 CORPORATE SPONSORS

2020 MEDIA PARTNERS

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85TH CLASSIC REVIEW

FWAA ALL-AMERICA TEAM The 2020 Football Writers Association of America All-America Team, presented in partnership with the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, was headlined by five players from Alabama on the first team and more than half the first team coming from the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences.

The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic presented the FWAA All-America Team via a video played during halftime of the 85th Classic as part of a season-long campaign to promote the 77-year history of this prestigious honor. Each All-American received a commemorative football and certificate “Serving in the role of presenting sponsor of the FWAA’s prestigious All-America team is the perfect fit for the both of us,” said Bry Patton, Chairman, Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. “The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and the nation’s writers and broadcasters have shared a lot of special moments over eight decades. We are proud of this relationship and look forward to doing our part in promoting these deserving student-athletes.”

TEAM

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COTTON IN THE COMMUNITY At the core of the Cotton Bowl Foundation since its creation in 2016 is being a champion and advocate in the community. Whether that is lending a hand, providing financial assistance or amplifying the needs of children and families across North Texas, the Foundation has stayed true to its mission to positively impact those who play, attend and support the game of football and the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

This was once again evident over the past year as the Foundation extended its all-time total to more than $1 million in grants and financial support benefiting non-profit organizations in the surrounding communities and beyond.

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85TH CLASSIC REVIEW

COTTON BOWL FOUNDATION GRANTS The Cotton Bowl Foundation announced the awarding of $150,000 to eight deserving organizations as a part of its 2020-21 grant initiative.

The $25,000 grant for Beacon Hill Preparatory Institute went to support its mission to provide holistic child development through academic, cultural and life-skill programs with active parental involvement. Beacon Hill Prep designs and implements academic and enrichment programs that transcend traditional boundaries to develop the critical skills required for effective lifelong learning and are crucial to future success.

Benefiting thousands of boys and girls across the country, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Tarrant County provide a safe place for children to learn and grow. The $50,000 in grants to the two clubs serving the North Texas community are supporting the continuation of life-enhancing programs and character development experiences for youth of all ages.

Big Thought put its $25,000 grant to work immediately to evolve many of its programs geared to equip youth in marginalized communities with the skills and tools they need to imagine and create their best lives and a better world.

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$25,000

$25,000

$25,000

$25,000

85TH CLASSIC REVIEW

Immediately putting its $15,000 grant to work, Dallas Afterschool used the funds to pivot and expand its resources to continue to help level the playing field for children of all races and economic backgrounds.

$15,000

The Chocolate MINT Foundation emphasized the difference its $15,000 grant made to meet the needs of underserved communities in southern Dallas County via food, nutrition, education and mentoring programs that maximize the potential for families to become more self-reliant.

$15,000

With its mission to nurture the hearts and develop the minds of children in a safe, positive environment, Youth Believing in Change used its $10,000 grant to provide the essential need of nourishment for numerous families across the North Texas community.

$10,000

Youth Revive, with its mission to ignite youth by empowering them to become characterdriven community revivalists, used its $10,000 grant to assist students in Dallasarea high schools in the response to learning and educations challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic.

$10,000

2020 TOTAL: $150,000 29

85TH CLASSIC REVIEW

CFP FOUNDATION’S BIG DAY The Cotton Bowl Foundation and College Football Playoff (CFP) Foundation made it a BIG DAY for teachers and educators in the North Texas community on September 14 when the two foundations teamed up to present grants of $50,000 each to Catch Up & Read and Urban Teachers as a part of the day-long celebration as a part of the CFP Foundation’s Extra Yard for Teachers initiative.

In a presentation at Carolyn Bukhair Elementary School in the Richardson Independent School District, Catch Up & Read and Urban Teachers were unveiled as the grant recipients to become the first two organizations to receive multiple grants from the Cotton Bowl Foundation. Teachers and staff on hand from both organizations were also surprised with Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and CFP Foundation gift bags presented by former NFL and Notre Dame star and College Football Hall of Famer Raghib “Rocket” Ismail.

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NORTH TEXAS GIVING DAY NORTH TEXAS AND TARRANT AREA FOOD BANKS The Cotton Bowl Foundation enjoyed another successful North Texas Giving Day, raising more than $27,000 for North Texas Food Bank and Tarrant Area Food Bank.

The Foundation’s fundraising effort was a part of a record day as the 2020 North Texas Giving Day generated $58.8 million from more than 106,000 donors benefiting over 3,200 local nonprofits.

TICKET RENEWAL PROGRAM The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic made a donation to the Tarrant Area Food Bank and the North Texas Food Bank in honor of those Classic ticket holders that renewed their game tickets. The donation generated thousands of meals for families in need.

FOOD BANK DONATIONS The Cotton Bowl Foundation made a separate donation of $35,000 to the Tarrant Area Food Bank and the North Texas Food Bank at the end of the fiscal year. In total, the two food banks combined received nearly $100,000 last year.

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85TH CLASSIC REVIEW

TARRANT AREA FOOD BANK MEGA MOBILE MARKET The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic teamed up with Tarrant Area Food Bank and several community groups to host a Mega Mobile Market on November 20 at AT&T Stadium.

The event was the largest food distribution of any kind to date in the North Texas area, distributing 778,090 pounds of Thanksgiving-related food, including turkey, chicken and other groceries to 9,154 families. The amount distributed was almost double of pre-event expectations.

Cotton Bowl Council and staff members joined forces with volunteers from the Dallas Cowboys, AT&T Stadium, Arlington Fire and Police Departments, Army and Air Force National Guard, AAA, The Gary Patterson Foundation, MW Logistics, The Baptist Ministers Union and American Airlines to bring Tarrant Area Food Bank’s concept to reality.

“We gave each one of these families 85 pounds of food – a 15-pound turkey along with pantry items that will last them through the week,” said Julie Butner, President & Chief Executive Officer, Tarrant Area Food Bank. “It breaks your heart to see so many people who need help right now, many of them who have never needed our help before.”

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“You could see from the long lines the strong needs in our community. It happened last week at Fair Park and it happened here today,” said Rick Baker, President/Chief Executive Officer, Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. “We’re so thankful that we can help provide families with the necessary food and help as many people as possible. With everything going on in our country, it’s great to see so many groups come together to try to help our friends and neighbors in the North Texas community.”

“We’re excited to be here today,” said Gary Patterson, TCU football head coach. “It’s good to be able to be around everybody and see so many people giving up their time and effort to make this work. From all the volunteers to everyone who has been involved with this, it’s quite an operation.”

Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB) was founded in 1982 by a group of Fort Worth residents concerned about hunger in their community. Now the primary source of donated food for hunger-relief charities and feeding programs in Tarrant and 12 surrounding counties, TAFB serves 1,000,000 meals each week.

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85TH CLASSIC REVIEW

DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION INITIATIVES FRED MCCLURE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM The Cotton Bowl Athletic Association renamed its internship program in honor of Fred McClure, the CBAA’s first African American to serve as Chairman and first two-term Chairman. The Fred McClure Internship Program provides a phenomenal opportunity for a current college student or recent college graduate to experience the interworking of one of the most historic bowl games and bowl associations in college football. Beginning with the 2021-22 academic year, the internship position will be designated for an ethnic minority on an annual basis.

EXAMINING THE COTTON BOWL CLASSIC THROUGH THE PRISM OF RACE AND INTEGRATION

B

The Cotton Bowl Classic has been a Texas tradition since 1937.

But did you know this annual college bowl game was on the frontlines of the civil rights movement?

lack History Month is a time to reflect on the events of yesterday that have led us to today and guide us toward a path for tomorrow. February calls on us to learn from history and come to know those important individuals and events that led to significant change in the fight for civil rights. This is the story of how one of North Texas’ most significant annual events, the Cotton Bowl Classic, played a role in the history of racial equality in sports, our community and beyond.

In a collaborative effort between the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association, with assistance from Tony Fay PR, and The Dallas Morning News/Belo Company staff, FWD>DFW published an article on February 28th titled “Examining the Cotton Bowl Classic Through the Prism of Race and Integration”.

This piece complemented the content the CBAA posted and amplified throughout Black History Month and continues to move forward the goals of the CBAA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiative.

Americans love football. The founders of the Rose Bowl Game knew this, and in 1902 they established an annual face-off against the nation’s best college football teams to bring notoriety to the booming Southern California area where the match was hosted. Over three decades later, Texas oil executive J. Curtis Sanford had a similar idea for the Lone Star State. To bring prestige, business and glory to Dallas, Sanford decided to organize a college football bowl game for his community.

While Southern California was known for its roses, a key agricultural crop in the region, Texas was the country’s leading cotton producer. Today, cotton still ranks as the No. 1 agricultural crop in Texas, generating $3.5 billion annually. Once Sanford committed to financing the event, he approached the City of Dallas requesting Fair Park Stadium’s name be changed to Cotton Bowl Stadium in support of his fledgling bowl concept. The city agreed, and the first-ever Cotton Bowl Classic was held at Cotton Bowl Stadium in 1937 between TCU and Marquette.

Black people were not welcomed at Dallas hotels. To accommodate the integrated team, the Cotton Bowl Classic arranged for the Nittany Lions to stay at the old Naval Air Station in Grand Prairie.

During the football game, the Nittany Lions’ two African American players, Wallace Triplett and Dennie Hoggard, made significant achievements. In the third quarter, Triplett scored the game-tying touchdown.

Hoggard narrowly missed catching the game-winning touchdown on the final play of the game, leaving the final score at a 1313 stalemate. Seventy years later, Triplett would be inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame in 2018.

1949 Cotton Bowl Classic MVP

Some controversy surrounded the following year’s Classic. At the time, the University of Oregon included Woodley Lewis, a star African American halfback for the Ducks. Lewis played a significant role in the game as the team’s second-leading rusher with 63 yards on 12 attempts against SMU. Some reported at the time that he was named Most Valuable Player that year, but there are no records to support the veracity of this claim.

back and forth and the normal tensions of the players were increased by the body-crunching fury of the play, an ugly undercurrent of racial bitterness began to spread — with shocking results.”

The 1960s continued to push racial barriers both culturally and athletically. During the 1965 Classic, the University of Nebraska brought a team that included eight African American players to play against the University of Arkansas.

In 1967, SMU returned to the Cotton Bowl Classic for the first time in 18 years thanks to its African American wide receiver Jerry LeVias. Recruited by head coach Hayden Fry, this all-star student-athlete had been the Southwest Conference’s first Black scholarship player two years earlier.

During his tenure with SMU, he was a threetime All-Southwest Conference receiver and a three-time Academic All-American.

As a senior at SMU, he earned Consensus All-America honors.

Black Excellence at the Cotton Bowl Classic, On and Off the Field

During the 1970 season, the University of Texas selected its first African American letterman, a sophomore named Julius

Yet, the athletic tradition of football couldn’t avoid the harsh realities of a national culture steeped in segregation, Jim Crow laws and racism. At the time of the first Cotton Bowl Classic, many universities were still segregated. There also existed a sort of gentleman’s agreement between integrated and segregated schools that Black players would not be allowed to participate in games, matches and other contests.

1940 COTTON BOWL

These issues came to a head at the Jim Brown flipped the coin at the 75th anniversary of the Cotton Bowl Classic between LSU and Texas 1940 Cotton Bowl Classic, when Clemson A&M in 2011. Brown represented 75 years of student-athletes that have competed in the Classic.

University played Boston College. It was the first-ever bowl bid for Boston College, and Whittier. The Longhorns went to three ClasJim Brown and the Cotton Bowl head coach Frank Leahy was ready to take sics in 1971, 1972 and 1973, with Whittier Classic on South Carolina’s Clemson Tigers. Howparticipating in each game. He’d eventually ever, one of the Eagles’ starters was African As time passed, the civil rights moveearn three degrees from the University of American halfback Lou Montgomery. This ment gained velocity throughout the Texas, including a law degree. Later in life, presented a problem for the Texas-hosted country. Tensions were high among those Whittier would serve on the board of direcbowl. fighting for equality and others who were tors of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association content with the current system. In 1957, City officials deferred to the “Southern (CBAA).

Syracuse University, with their star running custom” of excluding Black players like back Jim Brown, traveled to Dallas for the Montgomery. This wasn’t the first time that Cotton Bowl Classic against Southwest season that Montgomery had to sit on the Conference champion TCU. While Syracuse bench while his white teammates played. lost the game, Brown received the MVP During two home games against Auburn award for scoring three touchdowns on 132 University and the University of Florida, he yards rushing and adding three points as was forced to sit out. Nonetheless, Leahy and his team accepted the invitation to play the team’s kicker. the 1940 Classic and benched Montgomery for the game.

1948 Cotton Bowl Classic

Nearly a decade later in 1948, the Cotton Bowl Classic finally hosted its first-ever integrated game between SMU and Penn State University. The ’48 Classic was truly historic on many levels, as it was the first integrated football game in Texas and the second in the South. The Classic was held just three months after the University of Virginia hosted Harvard University in the first integrated game in the South.

Although the racial barrier in college football was breached by Virginia and Harvard, the Cotton Bowl Classic administration asked Penn State to leave their two Black players behind. The entire team refused to discuss the request or even vote on the matter. Steve Suhey, one of the Nittany Lions’ top linemen, said, “We are Penn State, there will be no meetings.”

To add to the hurdles that Penn State faced, Jim Crow customs dictated that

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four years.

The Cotton Bowl Classic was at the forefront of racial integration in college athletics during the late 1940s by allowing Black players to participate in their games. In 2016, the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association established the Cotton Bowl Foundation to create opportunities for underserved youth in the local community. The mission of the foundation is to positively impact those who may eventually play the game by supporting education-based initiatives as well as other football-centric programs.

In 2020, the Cotton Bowl Foundation surpassed the $1 million mark in grants and financial support benefiting nonprofit organizations in communities throughout North Texas. Simultaneously, the CBAA launched its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative to champion change in the fight against systemic racism and discrimination and the quest for equity and social justice for all.

The program began by rethinking its internship. Renamed the Fred McClure Internship Program, the CBAA now reserves an intern position each year for a minority student.

For more than 80 years, the Cotton Bowl Classic has exemplified the racial struggle many student-athletes battled while earning college degrees. Ultimately, this annual college football event provided Black student-athletes a platform to demonstrate their incredible skill on the field. Throughout the years, the CBAA and Cotton Bowl Foundation have made tremendous strides to provide civic engagement and opportunities to underserved communities.

What began as one man’s dream is now an annual holiday tradition that brings student-athletes from across the country to be honored and celebrated in North Texas.

Who would have imagined that the Cotton Bowl Classic would also evolve into a community advocacy organization supporting food banks, funding scholarships and partnering with others such as the College Football Playoff Foundation? Not only has the Classic brought lucrative business to North Texas, but it’s also created ongoing programs such as the Youth Football Clinic and Art Contest for elementary school students in North Texas.

During the next Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year’s Eve, take a moment to reflect on how far the game has come since its inception. Consider the challenges of student-athletes such as Jim Brown, Wallace Triplett, Jerry LeVias, Julius Whittier and the hundreds of other African American student-athletes who had to endure rampant racism and hatred in order to compete

Leading up to the game, Brown required FBI protection due to the overwhelmingly negative response to his participation in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Fast-forward to the Classic’s 75th anniversary, and Brown was invited back to flip the coin. The NFL legend was selected to represent all of the players who had participated in the Cotton Bowl Classic since 1937.

The Civil Rights Movement and the Cotton Bowl Classic

Before becoming the first Black player to win the Heisman Trophy, halfback Ernie Davis, along with fullback Art Baker and lineman John Brown, led top-rated Syracuse to victory against the University of Texas in the 1960 Classic. Davis caught a pass during the second play from scrimmage and ran 87 yards for the game’s first touchdown.

Over six decades later, Davis still holds the Cotton Bowl Classic record for the longest pass play in its history.

An excerpt from Life Magazine, dated January 11, 1960, explains the tone and tenor of the game: “As the game moved

Two-time Cotton Bowl Chairman Fred McClure at the 1998 Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony with Rice running back Dicky Maegle. The Classic’s internship program was recently named in honor of McClure.

While integrated teams were the norm by the 1990s, there were still barriers to overcome on many racial fronts. For instance, the CBAA didn’t have a Black chairman until 1998 board of directors’ member Fred McClure was elected to the position.

McClure was the first chairman to serve for

in this game. These men honored us with their ongoing dedication to the game and drive to change the game for the better.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic celebrated Women’s History Month by honoring the inspiring and driven women behind the Classic. We honored the impact women continue to make as champions of equality and inclusion in the world of sports and beyond.

The Classic recognized the leadership of the women on its CBAA staff and highlighted Kathy Saunders, the CBAA’s first Chairwoman, who played a pivotal role in the bowl’s transition to AT&T Stadium. In a two-part interview, Saunders shared her perspective on being a part of the Cotton Bowl family and the pride she has in the reputation of our game. The CBAA also created a social post recognizing the matriarchs of the Classic in Betty Sanford, wife of Cotton Bowl founder, J. Curtis Sanford, and Mary Scovell, wife of Field Scovell, known as Mr. Cotton Bowl.

KILGORE RANGERETTES SCHOLARSHIP In 2002, the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association endowed a scholarship at Kilgore College for one deserving member of the famed Kilgore Rangerettes. The Rangerettes have been a staple at the Cotton Bowl Classic since founder and Cotton Bowl Hall of Famer Gussie Nell Davis first took the drill team to the Cotton Bowl in 1949.

This year’s recipient of the Kilgore Rangerette Scholarship is Shelby Dupont. The sophomore from Fulshear, Texas, is a dance major and plans to attend a four-year university after graduating from Kilgore. After earning a four-year degree, Dupont hopes to be a high school drill team director.

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85TH CLASSIC REVIEW

GOODYEAR SUPPORT OF CHILDREN’S HOSPITALS For the 85th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Goodyear continued to support Texas Scottish Rite for Children and Children’s Health hospitals with a $20,000 donation and special in-game tribute for pediatric patients and hardworking healthcare workers at these hospitals.

Goodyear and Cotton Bowl have long supported Children’s Health and Scottish Rite, as the healthcare organizations remain committed to positively impacting the lives through its patient care.

To continue the Cotton Bowl tradition of visiting the hospitals, in a COVID-19 environment, Goodyear instead did a virtual in-game tribute that featured photos from prior years’ hospital visits.

Goodyear and the Cotton Bowl also created two custom football helmets – each featuring the respective hospital’s logo – that were signed by both Oklahoma and Florida’s head coach and delivered to the hospitals.

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DAN S. PETTY SCHOLAR-ATHLETE AWARD RECIPIENTS Each year deserving student-athletes from the two competing teams in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic are presented the Dan S. Petty Scholar-Athlete Award in recognition of excellence in academics and athletics.

Family, higher education, the game of football, and the Cotton Bowl Classic were Mr. Petty’s greatest passions in life.

Dan was a mentor to everyone lucky enough to make his acquaintance. His relationship with the Cotton Bowl spanned more than five decades, first as a player, then as a member of the Board of Directors, Chairman of the Board, and finally as Chairman of Team Selection.

The Dan S. Petty Award is a crowning achievement for studentathletes. each winner receives a commemorative crystal football.

This year’s winners were Florida linebacker Brenton Cox, Jr. and Oklahoma safety Pat Fields.

Brenton Cox, Jr

Pat Fields

Linebacker Florida

Safety Oklahoma

CBAA CHAIRMAN MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES Cotton Bowl Athletic Association Chairman Bry Patton was a fixture on the media circuit in advance of the 85th Classic. Patton, named the CBAA’s 41st Chairman in April 2020, visited with area television and radio stations and print/digital publications, speaking on various topics including the Top 10 matchup between Oklahoma and Florida, health and safety protocols in place for the Classic for the participating teams and fans attending the game at AT&T Stadium and the Cotton Bowl Foundation making an impact in the community.

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85TH CLASSIC REVIEW

CFP SEMIFINAL AT THE ROSE BOWL GAME When a friend in need calls for help, you step up, and that’s exactly what the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic did when the Rose Bowl Game and College Football Playoff came knocking.

In the weeks prior to Selection Sunday, the COVID virus was running rampant in Los Angeles, and prospects for the Rose Bowl Game darkened.

The annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena had already been cancelled for the first time since 1944, but the Rose Bowl staff held out hope for the football game. Multiple attempts to get a waiver allowing players’ families to attend the game were denied. The decision to switch to Plan B was made.

With the help of the Cotton Bowl staff and AT&T Stadium, the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One was moved to North Texas. It marked only the second time in history that the Rose Bowl was not played in Pasadena, the first since World War II. Despite all the obstacles, the game went off without a hitch and No. 1 Alabama rolled to a 31-14 victory over No. 4 Notre Dame in front of 18,373 fans. It was the largest crowd of any bowl game, including the National Championship.

When a friend in need calls for help, you step up, and that’s exactly what the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic did when the Rose Bowl Game and College Football Playoff came knocking.

In the weeks prior to Selection Sunday, the COVID virus was running rampant in Los Angeles, and prospects for the Rose Bowl Game darkened.

The annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena had already been cancelled for the first time since 1944, but the Rose Bowl staff held out hope for the football game. Multiple attempts to get a waiver allowing players’ families to attend the game were denied. The decision to switch to Plan B was made.

With the help of the Cotton Bowl staff and AT&T Stadium, the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One was moved to North Texas. It marked only the second time in history that the Rose Bowl was not played in Pasadena, the first since World War II. Despite all the obstacles, the game went off without a hitch and No. 1 Alabama rolled to a 31-14 victory over No. 4 Notre Dame in front of 18,373 fans. It was the largest crowd of any bowl game, including the National Championship.

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FINAL

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JANUARY 1, 2021

AT&T STADIUM, ARLINGTON, TX

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85TH CLASSIC REVIEW

ANCILLARY EVENTS AND FUTURE DATES The annual Cotton Bowl Classic Art Contest and Youth Clinic were cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. Additionally, all events during Classic week were cancelled, including the Goodyear Big Play Luncheon, Denim & Diamond Celebration, Texas Nights Theme Party, Battle of the Bands and Goodyear Huddle Up Fan Fest.

COTTON BOWL HALL OF FAME Due to COVID, the induction ceremony for the Class of 2020 was postponed. The 12th Hall of Fame class will honor Kansas State quarterback Jonathan Beasley, Notre Dame split end Tom Gatewood, Arkansas guard and Owner/President/General Manager of the Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones, Ole Miss running back/wide receiver Dexter McCluster, Texas defensive end Cory Redding, Boston College linebacker Bill Romanowski, and Kansas State Head Coach Bill Snyder. The induction ceremony will be held in October.

FUTURE NEW YEARS SIX DATES

CFP Semifinal Games

2021 - 22

Dec. 31

Jan. 1

Dec. 30

Dec. 31

Jan. 1

Jan. 1

Jan. 10 Indianapolis, IN

2022 - 23

Jan. 2

Dec. 31

Dec. 31

Dec. 30

Jan. 2

Jan. 2

Jan. 9 Los Angeles, CA

2023 - 24

Jan. 1

Dec. 30

Dec. 29

Dec. 30

Jan. 1

Jan. 1

Jan. 8 Houston, TX

2024 - 25

Dec. 28

Dec. 30

Dec. 28

Dec. 28

Jan. 1

Jan. 1

Jan. 6 TBD

2025 - 26

Dec. 27

Dec. 27

Dec. 27

Dec. 30

Jan. 1

Jan. 1

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Jan. 5 TBD

2019-2020 LEADERSHIP EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE BRY PATTON - CHAIRMAN

Rick Baker Finley (Fin) Ewing, III Carl R. Ice

Daniel P. Novakov Bry Patton – Chairman

Dee Kelly Jay McAuley Baker Montgomery

Monica Egert Smith W. Kelvin Walker

CBAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Carl Baggett W. Mike Baggett Thomas C. Bain, Jr. Thomas Bain R. Craig Baker Rick Baker Read Ballew Brian Barnard Brett Berman Derrick Boyd Gillian Breidenbach Dave Brown J. Larry Cantrell David A. Cole Betty Crawford John F. Crawford Barry Davis Bill Davis A.R. (Buddy) Dike Cole Dulaney William C. Duvall Michael Dwyer Chad Estis

Charles W. Matthews Brad Mayne Jay McAuley Fred McClure Michael Miles Sara Madsen Miller Baker Montgomery Jeff Montgomery Porter Montgomery Thomas Morgan, Jr. Dat Nguyen Daniel P. Novakov Greg Oliver Chuck Pacioni Bry Patton Griffin Perry Mary Martha Pickens Brad Ramsey Scott Rogers Daniel Routman Christopher Roy Tod A. Ruble Ketric Sanford

Finley (Fin) Ewing, III Michael Flynn R. Bruce Gadd J.J. Gomez Mike Henderson Darrell Hernandez Adam Herrin Elly Sachs Holder Cindy Hourigan Kristi Sherrill Hoyl Carl R. Ice J. Stephen Jones Rod Jones Dee Kelly Derek Kerr Ron Kirk Chris Kleinert Marcus E. Knight Greg Leftwich Stephen Luskey Todd Macsuga Karen Maroli Ross Martin

Kathy Saunders John Field Scovell Brad Sham Kevin Smart Jim Ray Smith Monica Egert Smith Robert Smith, III John T. Stuart, III Mike Sweet William Toles Jim Trebilcock Jake Wagner S. Denton Walker III W. Kelvin Walker Robert Watson Blake Wiley Jeff Williams Jim Williams, Jr. Ramsay Woodall John L. Zogg, Jr.

FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Rick Baker Gillian Breidenbach David A. Cole

Marty MacInnis Jay McAuley

Terrance Henderson Carl R. Ice William D. Jackman

Bry Patton - Chairman Monica Egert Smith

COUNCIL Art Barnes Lauren Barnicle Robbie Baty Nicole Britenriker R. Heath Cheek

Joseph P. DeWoody Julie Forbes Sam Gadd Ian Hall Isabell Novakov Higginbotham

Harrison Holmes Kyle Manley - Chairman Chris Miner Garrett Nerren Bryce Petty

Christian Rodriguez Taylor Stern John Stewart Kyle Williams

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