Today at 1pm, Tech and Ole Miss will lace up for the last Cotton Bowl in the Cotton Bowl. I'm not going to get all sniffly about it and digress into some maudlin diatribe, but a little wistfulness about the old place is in order. Obviously the bowl games, some good and others not so good. Great players and programs. If you were a kid in Texas or the South during the late sixties, you still have a permanent gut kick bruise from the Cowboys not being able to close the deal against the Pack back in '67. But, what I'll miss most is that there's not much there in the way of luxury boxes and there damn sure ain't no sushi--it's a real stadium and you by God sit out in the open and watch your team, whether you're making the big bucks or you're sneaking in under the fence. So, the old place will be left for the Texas/OU game for the next several years along with some random high school games but not for the one game it was meant to showcase.
Progress.
6 comments:
Agreed, especially concerning the "football experience" and what it is/was meant to be.
I have been to my share of games at the Cotton Bowl, and enjoyed every one of them.
As far as the "Big" games go, I think the classic football stadiums better showcased the event than today's 5-star-hotel-like domes. I was fortunate to attend Super Bowl VI, which was held at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans in 1971. I was but a lad, but have vivid memories of the cool, crisp day, of the jets flying over before the game and during halftime, of local high school bands playing at halftime (along with locals Al Hirt, etc. I believe). Conncessions were limited to the basics - hot dogs, popcorn, coke, etc. - no matter where you sat. Of course, "Luxury Suite" was a term known only to the nice hotels in the French Quarter, and had nothing to do with watching a man's game like football. It was a glorious experience.
Oh, and the Dallas Cowboys walked all over the Miami Dophins. I remember that, too.
I don't believe I've set foot in that stadium since the drizzly '87 Texas Shootout won rather easily by BlowU. Prior to that I was there in '86 for the dual game between the two Aggie colleges, Auburn and TAMU. Auburn is that state's equivalent.
I sat with one of Bear's special boys, Major Ogilvie for that one. He was mixed on the game, as part of him pulled for his conference but the other part knew how special A$M was to the Bear. He finally settled for enjoying seeing the War Chickens get their teeth kicked in.
Prior to that I was there for both Bahlor (proper Yankee method of saying our school's name) Cotton Bowl debacles. I just THOUGHT the loss to Penn State was an ass-shower; Bear Bryant, EJ Junior and Major Ogilvie made us long for the '75 setback.
I do believe that photo you have there, Buckner, is of the Baylor side of the Cotton Bowl around the start of the 4th quarter New Year's Day '81. Okay, we weren't THAT bad.
No, I did not see The Eagles, The Stones, Springsteen or any World Cup prelim or Tornado games at the ol' beauty. My greatest memory of the stadium remains my first visit to it in the fall of '74, as Baylor's Miracle on the Brazos team defeated Dav Smith's Mustangs 31 to something (either 14 or 17). We executed a 59 yard field goal to seal the deal. Later in the game tiny Steve Beaird ran up, over and through man mountain Louie Kelcher in what had to be the back-breaking play of the game. It was amazing, like CDR's dunk over Kevin Love in the Final Four.
Over and out....and lovin' it!
We should mention that the last song played on the air during yesterday's game was by the Ole Miss, as they played Dixie while their football players danced on the field.
Wheat, barley, hay, give 'em hell, KA!
How did I overlook the word BAND in the previous post? Did I mention that I'm changing my major to dance? No more of that dreadful finance.
Please change your avatar.
Best regards,
The Management
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