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[SIZE=14pt]Century in the Making [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The top college moments in North Texas[/SIZE]
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Oct. 19, 1912: Oklahoma defeats Texas, 21-6, in the first Texas-OU game played in Dallas. The Red River Rivalry is moved to the Metroplex (first Gaston Park, then, in 1932, to Fair Park and eventually the Cotton Bowl) because the location is approximately halfway between the two college campuses in Austin and Norman.
1920: TCU wins its last nine games and captures its first conference championship in the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The Horned Frogs, led by defensive end and future head coach Dutch Meyer, get a berth in Fort Worth's Dixie Bowl, where they lose to Centre College, 63-7.
Jan. 2, 1922: Texas A&M's fabled 12th Man is born when Aggies' coach D.X. Bible calls student E. King Gill out of the stands at halftime of the Dixie Classic in Dallas. Despite numerous Aggie injuries, Gill doesn't play in the game -- a 22-14 upset of top-ranked Centre College -- but stands at the ready at Bible's side the entire game.
1923: Finally welcomed to the Southwest Conference, TCU arrives by losing five consecutive games in a dubious debut amongst Texas' big boys of college football. The Horned Frogs finish 4-5 overall, including a 40-0 loss to rival and undefeated SWC champ SMU.
Nov. 30, 1929: New coach Francis Schmidt leads TCU to its first Southwest Conference title, capped by a 7-7 tie against powerhouse SMU. Quarterback Howard Grubbs scores on a 1-yard plunge late in the game, and the Horned Frogs intercept a late Mustangs' pass to preserve the tie and the title.
Oct. 11, 1930: After Fort Worth Star-Telegram publisher Amon G. Carter raises $150,000 for a state-of-the-art football facility, TCU opens his namesake stadium in style with a 40-0 trouncing of the Southwest Conference rival Arkansas Razorbacks before a near-sellout crowd of 15,000 in Cowtown.
Sept. 26, 1931: Sparked by quarterback Grassy Hinton and running back Red Oliver, TCU earns a monumental victory -- and its first over an intersectional opponent -- when Ben Boswell kicks a 26-yard field goal in the third quarter for a 3-0 win over national powerhouse LSU.
Nov. 30, 1935: In the first of seemingly many Games of the Century, undefeated SMU beats undefeated TCU and Sammy Baugh on a Bob Finley-to-Bobby Wilson 45-yard touchdown pass that became known as "The $85,000 Pass" because the Mustangs advanced to the Rose Bowl and an unfathomable payout.
Jan. 1, 1936: Despite being powered by All-American quarterback Sammy Baugh, TCU struggles and stumbles to an ugly 3-2 victory over LSU in the Sugar Bowl at a rainy, muddy Tulane Stadium. The victory, in which the Horned Frogs' defense makes three goal-line stands inside its own 1, gives TCU the national championship. Though ineffective on offense, Baugh intercepts two passes and punts 14 times.
Jan. 1, 1937: Slingin' Sammy Baugh provides the fledgling Cotton Bowl the star power it needs to get the inaugural game off the ground. College football's sensational passer connects with flanker L.D. Meyer on a 55-yard play to score TCU's first touchdown in a 16-6 win over Marquette.
Oct. 29, 1938: A rising TCU quarterback named Davey O'Brien breaks open a close game with three second-half touchdown passes to lead the Horned Frogs to a 39-7 trouncing of shell-shocked Baylor. It is a sign of things to come that season in Fort Worth.Nov. 26, 1938: Davey O'Brien, Ki Aldrich and seven others play 60 minutes as TCU beats SMU, 20-7, and is crowned national champion in all major polls. The Frogs run their record to 11-0 with a win over Carnegie Tech in the Sugar Bowl.
Jan. 1, 1941: This New Year's Day Cotton Bowl is sponsored by the Southwest Conference, and fans respond with the game's first sellout (45,507). Earl "Alabama" Smith sparks Texas A&M to a 13-12 victory over Fordham thanks to his infamous "Hideout Pass." Smith lingers near the Aggies' sideline, slips undetected behind Rams defenders and races 62 yards for A&M's first score.
Jan. 1, 1946: Texas quarterback Bobby Layne produces one of the most impressive performances in Cotton Bowl history, having a hand -- or foot -- in all 40 Longhorns points in a victory over Missouri. Layne, just a sophomore, runs for four touchdowns and passes for two others and kicks four extra points.
Nov. 1, 1947: Intense fan interest and the popularity of Doak Walker prompts SMU to move its game against Texas and Bobby Layne from on-campus Ownby Stadium to the Cotton Bowl. Behind Walker's two touchdowns, SMU wins, 14-13, before an overflow crowd of 50,000. It's the day the Cotton Bowl became "The House That Doak Built."
Nov. 29, 1947: In a 19-19 tie with TCU that keeps No. 2-ranked SMU unbeaten at 9-0-1, Doak Walker rushes for 119 yards, completes 10 of 14 passes for 136 yards, returns three kickoffs for 163 yards, scores two touchdowns and kicks an extra point. He is so fatigued after rallying the Mustangs for the last-second touchdown to erase TCU's 19-13 lead that he misses the potential game-winning extra point.
Jan. 1, 1948: Though just a sophomore, SMU's Doak Walker continues his amazing career by scoring on a 2-yard run and tossing a 53-yard touchdown pass as the Mustangs manage a 13-13 tie against Penn State in the first Cotton Bowl between unbeaten national powers.
Oct. 9, 1948: Two future coaching legends square off in the Cotton Bowl as Oklahoma quarterback Darrell Royal's Sooners upset Texas fullback Tom Landry's Longhorns, 20-14, to break a nine-game losing streak in the series. Landry scores a touchdown, but the Sooners instantly turn a one-sided annual matchup into a heated, competitive rivalry.
Jan. 1, 1949: SMU Heisman Trophy winner Doak Walker and sophomore Kyle Rote defeat Norm Van Brocklin and Oregon, 21-13, in the Cotton Bowl. The Mustangs win their first bowl game with superb special teams, highlighted by Walker's quick kick, pinning the Ducks at their 1-yard line, and Rote's record 84-yard punt.
Nov. 26, 1949: TCU quarterback Lindy Berry throws for three touchdowns and picks off a pass to slam the door shut on SMU in a 21-13 victory in the season finale. Berry clinches the game against the Frogs' archrival with a 21-yard scoring pass to John Archer in the fourth quarter.
Dec. 3, 1949: With Doak Walker injured, SMU's Kyle Rote single-handedly leads a near-upset of 28-point favorite Notre Dame. Rote passes for 148 yards, runs for 115, punts for a 48-yard average and scores all three SMU touchdowns in a pulsating 27-20 loss in Dallas.Oct. 14, 1950: Oklahoma running back Billy Vessels runs roughshod over a Texas defender at the goal line on an 11-yard run to tie the game with 4 minutes to play, and the Sooners hang on to beat the Longhorns, 14-13, in the Cotton Bowl. Vessels' effort keeps OU undefeated and paves the way for the Sooners' first national championship.
Oct. 10, 1953: Oklahoma's unparalleled, unimaginable streak of 47 consecutive victories commences with a modest 19-14 triumph over Texas in the Cotton Bowl. The Longhorns trim their deficit to five with 29 seconds to play after an intentional safety attempt by the Sooners deteriorates into a touchdown, but OU hangs on for a win. The Sooners don't lose again for the next four years.
Jan. 1, 1954: In the most bizarre play in Cotton Bowl history, Alabama's Tommy Lewis lunges off his team's sideline to tackle Rice's Dicky Maegle as he races toward an apparent touchdown. After a huddle -- and without an instant replay hood -- referees award Maegle a 95-yard scoring run that helps the Owls to a 28-6 victory.
Jan. 1, 1957: In one of the most dominant performances in the history of the Cotton Bowl, Syracuse All-American Jim Brown rushes for 132 yards, scores three touchdowns and kicks three extra points. Somehow, TCU withstands the one-man onslaught and hangs on to win, 28-27.
Oct. 12, 1957: Now the coach at Texas after a successful career as OU's quarterback, Darrell Royal faces legendary Sooners' coach Bud Wilkinson for the first time and loses, 21-7, at the Cotton Bowl. While OU's running attack controls the game and the clock, Texas' offense is held to a record-low minus-7 yards on the ground.
Dec. 14, 1957: Long before it grew into UT-Arlington and eventually dropped football, tiny Arlington State College repeats as national junior college champions with a 21-12 victory over Cerritos JC at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Arlington State, coached by the legendary Chena Gilstrap, had earned its first title in 1956 by upsetting Compton JC in Pasadena.
Oct. 11, 1958: Shockingly ending Oklahoma's six-game winning streak in the series, Texas quarterback Bobby Lackey hits Bobby Bryant with a 7-yard touchdown pass in the final five minutes, then punctuates the 15-14 upset by kicking the extra point at the Cotton Bowl.
Jan. 1, 1960: Syracuse all-purpose star and All-American running back Ernie Davis dominates the Cotton Bowl, catching an 87-yard touchdown pass, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run, intercepting a pass and snatching a 2-point conversion in the Orangemen's 23-14 victory over Texas, which earns the school its first national championship.
Nov. 8, 1961: TCU pulls a shocker over No. 1 Texas in the Longhorns' own back yard. Few experts gave the Horned Frogs a chance, but quarterback Sonny Gibbs hooks up with Buddy Iles for a 50-yard touchdown in the second quarter for the only points of a 6-0 surprise.
Oct. 11, 1963: In an epic battle with No. 4 Navy and Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach, SMU roars from behind to claim a 32-28 victory over the Midshipmen. Billy Gannon goes over from the 1 for the Mustangs' winning touchdown with 47 seconds to play.Oct. 12, 1963: Texas' David McWilliams makes the key play of the game, stripping the ball from Oklahoma receiver Lance Rentzel as the No. 2 Longhorns roll to a surprisingly easy 28-7 win over the No. 1 Sooners at the Cotton Bowl. The victory is the catalyst for Texas' first national championship.
Jan. 1, 1964: For the first time, the Cotton Bowl Classic matches the nation's top-ranked teams, and No. 1 Texas knocks off No. 2 Navy and Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach, 28-6. Staubach completes 21 of 31 passes for 228 yards, but is constantly harassed and sacked for minus-47 yards.
Jan. 1, 1965: The Cotton Bowl crowns another national champion when quarterback Fred Marshall drives Arkansas 80 yards for the winning touchdown in a 10-7 defeat of Nebraska. Starting at right guard for the Hogs is Jerry Jones, the future owner of the Dallas Cowboys.
Jan. 2, 1966: LSU's Joe Labruzzo scores twice in the second quarter to snap Arkansas' 22-game winning streak with a 14-7 upset in the Cotton Bowl. It is a costly defeat for the Hogs, dashing their hopes of capturing a second consecutive national championship.
Sept. 16, 1966: Jerry LeVias gives SMU something it hasn't enjoyed since the days of Doak Walker -- an electrifying big-play performer. Texas A&M and the Mustangs are tied until LeVias breaks free on a dazzling 83-yard punt return to scorch the Aggies, 21-14.
Jan. 1, 1968: Playing in its first bowl game in 26 years, Texas A&M defeats Alabama, 20-16, as quarterback Ed Hargett throws for two touchdowns and outduels Ken Stabler in the Cotton Bowl. Aggies coach Gene Stallings earns the landmark victory over his former boss, Bear Bryant, and gets a big Bear hug at midfield after the game.
Oct. 12, 1968: Neither Texas nor Oklahoma is ranked in the nation's Top 15, but the Longhorns' 26-20 win in the Cotton Bowl carries great significance nonetheless. Texas unveils the wishbone offense and quarterback James Street runs it to perfection, leading the Longhorns on an 85-yard drive in the closing two minutes and handing off to Steve Worster for the winning touchdown.
Nov. 2, 1968: North Texas State quarterback Steve Ramsey enjoys one of the biggest passing days in school history, throwing for 433 yards and five touchdowns in a 55-34 victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats in Denton. Ramsey sets three school records and repeatedly hooks up with future Pittsburgh Steelers' receiver Ron Shanklin as the Mean Green win on homecoming in a pouring rain.
Jan. 1, 1970: Notre Dame breaks a self-imposed bowl ban, in place since 1925, to travel to Dallas and meet No. 1 Texas in a mega-hyped Cotton Bowl. Behind Billy Dale's 1-yard scoring dive with 1:06 left, the Longhorns beat the Irish, 21-17, to cap an 11-0 national championship season.
Jan. 1, 1971: Exacting some revenge for a heartbreaking, last-second loss to Texas the year before, Notre Dame dominates Texas, 24-11, in the Cotton Bowl. Irish quarterback Joe Theismann rushes for two scores and passes for another as Notre Dame snaps Texas' 30-game winning streak.
Nov. 3, 1973: Relentless Texas running back Roosevelt Leaks breaks the Southwest Conference rushing record with a whopping 342 yards in a 42-14 romp over SMU at the Cotton Bowl. Leaks' day -- capped by a 53-yard touchdown gallop in the fourth quarter -- smashes the previous mark of 297 held by Texas A&M's Bob Smith.
Oct. 12, 1974: With the game tied at 13 midway through the fourth quarter, No. 2 Oklahoma's swarming defense strips Texas running back Earl Campbell of the ball. The fumble recovery by Lee Roy Selmon sets up Tony DiRienzo's game-winning field goal in a 16-13 victory that propels the Sooners to a national championship.
Oct. 11, 1975: After coaches Barry Switzer and Darrell Royal feud over improper recruiting allegations to ratchet up the rivalry's intensity to a fever pitch, Oklahoma running back Horace Ivory seals the Sooners' 24-17 victory in the Cotton Bowl with a 33-yard run with 5 minutes remaining. Switzer improves to 26-0-1 at Oklahoma.
Oct. 9, 1976: With President Gerald Ford in attendance at the Cotton Bowl, Texas and Oklahoma play one of the most boring games in series history -- a 6-6 tie. Longhorns' running back Earl Campbell rushes for 91 yards but can't find the end zone against a stingy Sooners' defense.
Nov. 13, 1976: Bobby Bowden's first team at Florida State has to make a 2-point conversion in the game's final two minutes to steal a 21-20 victory over North Texas State in Denton. Dubbed the "Snow Bowl," the game is played with six inches of snow covering the turf at Fouts Field.
Oct. 8, 1977: Forced into action due to injuries to Mark McBath and John Aune, seldom-used Texas quarterback Randy McEachern responds by leading the Longhorns on an 80-yard drive in a 13-6 win over Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. Running back Earl Campbell rushes for 124 yards as fifth-ranked Texas beats OU for the first time since 1970.
Jan. 2, 1978: Notre Dame ruins the national title hopes of No. 1 Texas for the second time in seven seasons, romping over the Longhorns, 38-10, in the Cotton Bowl. Irish running back Vagas Ferguson scores three times and Terry Eurick twice in a performance so inspiring that it vaults Notre Dame, and its quarterback, Joe Montana, from No. 5 to No. 1 in the final national rankings.
Jan. 1, 1979: Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana overcomes frigid temperatures and a bout with the flu (with an assist from a bowl of chicken soup) to lead the Irish to a thrilling 35-34 comeback win over the Houston Cougars in the Cotton Bowl. On one of the coldest New Year's Days in Dallas history, wind-chill temperatures during the game reach minus-10 degrees.
Jan. 1, 1980: Backup quarterback Terry Elston earns most valuable player honors by leading Houston to a dramatic 17-14 victory over Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl. On fourth down and with 12 seconds to play, Elston splits two Huskers' defenders with a 6-yard pass to Eric Herring for the winning touchdown.
Oct. 25, 1980: SMU's Pony Express makes its debut when freshman quarterback Lance McIlhenny replaces Mike Ford as the Mustangs' starting quarterback. McIlhenny joins Eric Dickerson and Craig James in the backfield in a shocking 20-6 upset win over the No. 2-ranked Texas Longhorns in Austin before a national TV audience on ESPN.
Nov. 20, 1982: Eric Dickerson of SMU breaks Earl Campbell's Southwest Conference career rushing record in the Mustangs' conference-clinching 17-17 tie with Arkansas. Dickerson's 81 rushing yards against the Razorbacks give him a career total of 4,450, and Russell Carter's blocked field goal in the final minute preserves the tie and SMU's berth in the Cotton Bowl.
Jan. 1, 1983: SMU completes an unbeaten season (11-0-1) by defeating Pittsburgh 7-3 in the Cotton Bowl. Quarterback Lance McIlhenny scores the game's only touchdown on a 9-yard run in the third quarter, and Blaine Smith intercepts a Dan Marino pass in the end zone late in the fourth quarter to preserve the win.
Jan. 2, 1984: Georgia turns a muffed Texas punt return by Craig Curry into the game-winning touchdown with just 3:22 to play in the Cotton Bowl. Quarterback John Lastinger takes advantage of the costly turnover and sprints 17 yards for the touchdown that produces the 10-9 upset of No. 2 Texas.
Oct. 13, 1984: No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Oklahoma battle to a controversial 15-15 tie during a driving rainstorm in the Cotton Bowl. The Sooners hold a 15-12 lead with seconds to play when an apparent interception in the end zone is waved off and Texas gets one final chance. On the last play, Jeff Ward's field goal ties the game.
Jan. 2, 1985: Doug Flutie, Boston College's heralded Heisman Trophy winner, has the Eagles soaring high early and often during a record-setting day against Houston in the Cotton Bowl. Flutie throws for three touchdowns, including a 63-yarder to future Dallas Cowboy Kelvin Martin, to help B.C. down the Cougars, 45-28.
Oct. 5, 1985: The celebration of "Eddie Robinson Day" at the State Fair of Texas is highlighted by the legendary Grambling coach becoming the winningest coach in college football history with his team's 27-7 victory over Prairie View in the Cotton Bowl.
Jan. 1, 1986: Bo Jackson brings the headlines, but Texas A&M's defense steals the spotlight in a 36-16 win in the Cotton Bowl. The Wrecking Crew stuffs Auburn's Heisman Trophy winner twice late in the game on fourth down, the first at the Aggies' 2-yard line.
Jan. 1, 1988: In their third straight Cotton Bowl appearance, Texas A&M defeats another Heisman Trophy winner, this time Tim Brown and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 35-10. Two years after blasting Auburn and Bo Jackson, the Aggies pile up 294 rushing yards and the Aggies' Wrecking Crew defense forces four turnovers.
Jan. 1, 1989: In his final college game, Troy Aikman leads the UCLA Bruins to a 17-3 win over Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. Aikman has a hand in 14 third-down conversions, while his defensive teammates hold the Hogs to just 42 yards of offense.
Sept. 16, 1989: Coach Forrest Gregg's resurrected SMU team scores 17 points in the last five minutes to overtake Connecticut, 31-30, in a game labeled "The Miracle On Mockingbird." It's SMU's first victory since the football program was suspended after the '86 season for NCAA rules violations.
Oct. 14, 1989: Peter Gardere, who will become the first Texas quarterback to defeat Oklahoma four times, achieves a memorable first win, guiding the Longhorns 66 yards in the last two minutes for a 28-24 comeback victory. Gardere, starting only his second game, hits Johnny Walker for the game-winning 25-yard score.
Oct. 8, 1994: Mammoth Texas defensive lineman Stoney Clark stops Sooners' running back James Allen at the 1-yard line on the game's final play as the Longhorns hang on for a 17-10 victory in the Cotton Bowl. The play goes down in Texas history as the "Stone Cold Stop."
Nov 18, 1995: SMU and TCU both lose in their final Southwest Conference football games. The SWC dissolves in the spring of 1996, with the Mustangs and Horned Frogs forced to take shelter in the Western Athletic Conference. The final eight SWC champions lost their bowl games, a sad finale for a once-proud conference.
Dec. 31, 1998: Under new coach Dennis Franchione, TCU upsets USC in the Sun Bowl, 28-19, the Horned Frogs' first bowl win in 41 years. TCU's defense holds the Trojans' offense to a Sun Bowl-record minus-23 yards rushing.
Jan. 1, 1999: Texas running back Ricky Williams, who had won the Heisman Trophy a few weeks earlier, runs for 203 yards and two touchdowns in the Longhorns' 38-11 romp over Mississippi State in the Cotton Bowl. The victory is Texas' first in Dallas on Jan. 1 since 1982.
Nov. 20, 1999: TCU junior star running back LaDainian Tomlinson sets an NCAA record for most rushing yards in a game with 406 in a 52-24 win over UTEP, a mark that still stands today. In the same game, Tomlinson also set the record for the most rushing yards in a half with 287.
Oct. 6, 2001: Sooners' All-America safety Roy Williams creates a Superman-like play to seal a 14-3 victory over Texas in the Cotton Bowl. With little time left and No. 5 Texas on its own goal line, Williams flies over two blockers to bat the ball from quarterback Chris Simms, a fumble that OU recovers for a game-clinching touchdown.
Oct. 13, 2001: Winless North Texas shocks unbeaten Middle Tennessee State, 24-21, to begin its unlikely journey to its first bowl game in 42 years. The Eagles finish 5-6 after losing their last regular-season game, but still win the Sun Belt Conference and are awarded a trip to New Orleans, where they get smashed by Colorado State.
Dec. 3, 2004: North Texas freshman running back Jamario Thomas leads the nation in rushing yards (1,801), averaging 180.1 yards per game and winning the Sun Belt Conference's player of the year, offensive player of the year and freshman of the year awards. Thomas sets the NCAA freshman record for total number of 200-yard rushing games with five.
Oct. 8, 2005: The Red River Rivalry celebrates its 100th anniversary and Texas wins for the first time in five years. Quarterback Vince Young throws for three touchdowns and running back Jamaal Charles sprints 80 yards for another score as Texas triumphs, 45-12, en route to a national championship.
Nov. 12, 2005: TCU honors LaDainian Tomlinson during halftime of its game against UNLV. He had finished his college career with 5,263 rushing yards, sixth-most in NCAA Division I history. As a senior, Tomlinson won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back and was fourth in the Heisman voting.
Oct. 16, 2007: In an otherwise forgettable season, North Texas quarterback Giovanni Vizza sets a school record with a 99-yard touchdown pass to receiver Casey Fitzgerald in a 31-21 win over Louisiana-Monroe, the first for former Southlake Carroll coach Todd Dodge at the university. It's the 16th 99-yard pass in NCAA Division I football history.
Dec. 23, 2008: TCU defeats previously unbeaten Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl, 17-16. It marks the second matchup between the two teams, as Boise State had previously knocked off TCU, 34-31, in the inaugural Fort Worth Bowl in 2003. The teams played again in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.
Nov. 28, 2009: Coach Gary Patterson's TCU Horned Frogs capture the Mountain West Conference championship, finishing the regular season 12-0 and recording the program's first undefeated regular season in 71 years. The conference championship earns the Horned Frogs an at-large spot in the Bowl Championship Series, and they were a missed Texas field goal against Nebraska from playing in the national championship game.
Dec. 24, 2009: SMU plays in first bowl game in 25 years and easily defeats Nevada, 45-10, in the Hawaii Bowl.
[SIZE=14pt]Century in the Making [/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]The top college moments in North Texas[/SIZE]
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Download the colleges ballot
Read more about Century in the Making
Oct. 19, 1912: Oklahoma defeats Texas, 21-6, in the first Texas-OU game played in Dallas. The Red River Rivalry is moved to the Metroplex (first Gaston Park, then, in 1932, to Fair Park and eventually the Cotton Bowl) because the location is approximately halfway between the two college campuses in Austin and Norman.
1920: TCU wins its last nine games and captures its first conference championship in the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The Horned Frogs, led by defensive end and future head coach Dutch Meyer, get a berth in Fort Worth's Dixie Bowl, where they lose to Centre College, 63-7.
Jan. 2, 1922: Texas A&M's fabled 12th Man is born when Aggies' coach D.X. Bible calls student E. King Gill out of the stands at halftime of the Dixie Classic in Dallas. Despite numerous Aggie injuries, Gill doesn't play in the game -- a 22-14 upset of top-ranked Centre College -- but stands at the ready at Bible's side the entire game.
1923: Finally welcomed to the Southwest Conference, TCU arrives by losing five consecutive games in a dubious debut amongst Texas' big boys of college football. The Horned Frogs finish 4-5 overall, including a 40-0 loss to rival and undefeated SWC champ SMU.
Nov. 30, 1929: New coach Francis Schmidt leads TCU to its first Southwest Conference title, capped by a 7-7 tie against powerhouse SMU. Quarterback Howard Grubbs scores on a 1-yard plunge late in the game, and the Horned Frogs intercept a late Mustangs' pass to preserve the tie and the title.
Oct. 11, 1930: After Fort Worth Star-Telegram publisher Amon G. Carter raises $150,000 for a state-of-the-art football facility, TCU opens his namesake stadium in style with a 40-0 trouncing of the Southwest Conference rival Arkansas Razorbacks before a near-sellout crowd of 15,000 in Cowtown.
Sept. 26, 1931: Sparked by quarterback Grassy Hinton and running back Red Oliver, TCU earns a monumental victory -- and its first over an intersectional opponent -- when Ben Boswell kicks a 26-yard field goal in the third quarter for a 3-0 win over national powerhouse LSU.
Nov. 30, 1935: In the first of seemingly many Games of the Century, undefeated SMU beats undefeated TCU and Sammy Baugh on a Bob Finley-to-Bobby Wilson 45-yard touchdown pass that became known as "The $85,000 Pass" because the Mustangs advanced to the Rose Bowl and an unfathomable payout.
Jan. 1, 1936: Despite being powered by All-American quarterback Sammy Baugh, TCU struggles and stumbles to an ugly 3-2 victory over LSU in the Sugar Bowl at a rainy, muddy Tulane Stadium. The victory, in which the Horned Frogs' defense makes three goal-line stands inside its own 1, gives TCU the national championship. Though ineffective on offense, Baugh intercepts two passes and punts 14 times.
Jan. 1, 1937: Slingin' Sammy Baugh provides the fledgling Cotton Bowl the star power it needs to get the inaugural game off the ground. College football's sensational passer connects with flanker L.D. Meyer on a 55-yard play to score TCU's first touchdown in a 16-6 win over Marquette.
Oct. 29, 1938: A rising TCU quarterback named Davey O'Brien breaks open a close game with three second-half touchdown passes to lead the Horned Frogs to a 39-7 trouncing of shell-shocked Baylor. It is a sign of things to come that season in Fort Worth.Nov. 26, 1938: Davey O'Brien, Ki Aldrich and seven others play 60 minutes as TCU beats SMU, 20-7, and is crowned national champion in all major polls. The Frogs run their record to 11-0 with a win over Carnegie Tech in the Sugar Bowl.
Jan. 1, 1941: This New Year's Day Cotton Bowl is sponsored by the Southwest Conference, and fans respond with the game's first sellout (45,507). Earl "Alabama" Smith sparks Texas A&M to a 13-12 victory over Fordham thanks to his infamous "Hideout Pass." Smith lingers near the Aggies' sideline, slips undetected behind Rams defenders and races 62 yards for A&M's first score.
Jan. 1, 1946: Texas quarterback Bobby Layne produces one of the most impressive performances in Cotton Bowl history, having a hand -- or foot -- in all 40 Longhorns points in a victory over Missouri. Layne, just a sophomore, runs for four touchdowns and passes for two others and kicks four extra points.
Nov. 1, 1947: Intense fan interest and the popularity of Doak Walker prompts SMU to move its game against Texas and Bobby Layne from on-campus Ownby Stadium to the Cotton Bowl. Behind Walker's two touchdowns, SMU wins, 14-13, before an overflow crowd of 50,000. It's the day the Cotton Bowl became "The House That Doak Built."
Nov. 29, 1947: In a 19-19 tie with TCU that keeps No. 2-ranked SMU unbeaten at 9-0-1, Doak Walker rushes for 119 yards, completes 10 of 14 passes for 136 yards, returns three kickoffs for 163 yards, scores two touchdowns and kicks an extra point. He is so fatigued after rallying the Mustangs for the last-second touchdown to erase TCU's 19-13 lead that he misses the potential game-winning extra point.
Jan. 1, 1948: Though just a sophomore, SMU's Doak Walker continues his amazing career by scoring on a 2-yard run and tossing a 53-yard touchdown pass as the Mustangs manage a 13-13 tie against Penn State in the first Cotton Bowl between unbeaten national powers.
Oct. 9, 1948: Two future coaching legends square off in the Cotton Bowl as Oklahoma quarterback Darrell Royal's Sooners upset Texas fullback Tom Landry's Longhorns, 20-14, to break a nine-game losing streak in the series. Landry scores a touchdown, but the Sooners instantly turn a one-sided annual matchup into a heated, competitive rivalry.
Jan. 1, 1949: SMU Heisman Trophy winner Doak Walker and sophomore Kyle Rote defeat Norm Van Brocklin and Oregon, 21-13, in the Cotton Bowl. The Mustangs win their first bowl game with superb special teams, highlighted by Walker's quick kick, pinning the Ducks at their 1-yard line, and Rote's record 84-yard punt.
Nov. 26, 1949: TCU quarterback Lindy Berry throws for three touchdowns and picks off a pass to slam the door shut on SMU in a 21-13 victory in the season finale. Berry clinches the game against the Frogs' archrival with a 21-yard scoring pass to John Archer in the fourth quarter.
Dec. 3, 1949: With Doak Walker injured, SMU's Kyle Rote single-handedly leads a near-upset of 28-point favorite Notre Dame. Rote passes for 148 yards, runs for 115, punts for a 48-yard average and scores all three SMU touchdowns in a pulsating 27-20 loss in Dallas.Oct. 14, 1950: Oklahoma running back Billy Vessels runs roughshod over a Texas defender at the goal line on an 11-yard run to tie the game with 4 minutes to play, and the Sooners hang on to beat the Longhorns, 14-13, in the Cotton Bowl. Vessels' effort keeps OU undefeated and paves the way for the Sooners' first national championship.
Oct. 10, 1953: Oklahoma's unparalleled, unimaginable streak of 47 consecutive victories commences with a modest 19-14 triumph over Texas in the Cotton Bowl. The Longhorns trim their deficit to five with 29 seconds to play after an intentional safety attempt by the Sooners deteriorates into a touchdown, but OU hangs on for a win. The Sooners don't lose again for the next four years.
Jan. 1, 1954: In the most bizarre play in Cotton Bowl history, Alabama's Tommy Lewis lunges off his team's sideline to tackle Rice's Dicky Maegle as he races toward an apparent touchdown. After a huddle -- and without an instant replay hood -- referees award Maegle a 95-yard scoring run that helps the Owls to a 28-6 victory.
Jan. 1, 1957: In one of the most dominant performances in the history of the Cotton Bowl, Syracuse All-American Jim Brown rushes for 132 yards, scores three touchdowns and kicks three extra points. Somehow, TCU withstands the one-man onslaught and hangs on to win, 28-27.
Oct. 12, 1957: Now the coach at Texas after a successful career as OU's quarterback, Darrell Royal faces legendary Sooners' coach Bud Wilkinson for the first time and loses, 21-7, at the Cotton Bowl. While OU's running attack controls the game and the clock, Texas' offense is held to a record-low minus-7 yards on the ground.
Dec. 14, 1957: Long before it grew into UT-Arlington and eventually dropped football, tiny Arlington State College repeats as national junior college champions with a 21-12 victory over Cerritos JC at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Arlington State, coached by the legendary Chena Gilstrap, had earned its first title in 1956 by upsetting Compton JC in Pasadena.
Oct. 11, 1958: Shockingly ending Oklahoma's six-game winning streak in the series, Texas quarterback Bobby Lackey hits Bobby Bryant with a 7-yard touchdown pass in the final five minutes, then punctuates the 15-14 upset by kicking the extra point at the Cotton Bowl.
Jan. 1, 1960: Syracuse all-purpose star and All-American running back Ernie Davis dominates the Cotton Bowl, catching an 87-yard touchdown pass, scoring on a 1-yard touchdown run, intercepting a pass and snatching a 2-point conversion in the Orangemen's 23-14 victory over Texas, which earns the school its first national championship.
Nov. 8, 1961: TCU pulls a shocker over No. 1 Texas in the Longhorns' own back yard. Few experts gave the Horned Frogs a chance, but quarterback Sonny Gibbs hooks up with Buddy Iles for a 50-yard touchdown in the second quarter for the only points of a 6-0 surprise.
Oct. 11, 1963: In an epic battle with No. 4 Navy and Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach, SMU roars from behind to claim a 32-28 victory over the Midshipmen. Billy Gannon goes over from the 1 for the Mustangs' winning touchdown with 47 seconds to play.Oct. 12, 1963: Texas' David McWilliams makes the key play of the game, stripping the ball from Oklahoma receiver Lance Rentzel as the No. 2 Longhorns roll to a surprisingly easy 28-7 win over the No. 1 Sooners at the Cotton Bowl. The victory is the catalyst for Texas' first national championship.
Jan. 1, 1964: For the first time, the Cotton Bowl Classic matches the nation's top-ranked teams, and No. 1 Texas knocks off No. 2 Navy and Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach, 28-6. Staubach completes 21 of 31 passes for 228 yards, but is constantly harassed and sacked for minus-47 yards.
Jan. 1, 1965: The Cotton Bowl crowns another national champion when quarterback Fred Marshall drives Arkansas 80 yards for the winning touchdown in a 10-7 defeat of Nebraska. Starting at right guard for the Hogs is Jerry Jones, the future owner of the Dallas Cowboys.
Jan. 2, 1966: LSU's Joe Labruzzo scores twice in the second quarter to snap Arkansas' 22-game winning streak with a 14-7 upset in the Cotton Bowl. It is a costly defeat for the Hogs, dashing their hopes of capturing a second consecutive national championship.
Sept. 16, 1966: Jerry LeVias gives SMU something it hasn't enjoyed since the days of Doak Walker -- an electrifying big-play performer. Texas A&M and the Mustangs are tied until LeVias breaks free on a dazzling 83-yard punt return to scorch the Aggies, 21-14.
Jan. 1, 1968: Playing in its first bowl game in 26 years, Texas A&M defeats Alabama, 20-16, as quarterback Ed Hargett throws for two touchdowns and outduels Ken Stabler in the Cotton Bowl. Aggies coach Gene Stallings earns the landmark victory over his former boss, Bear Bryant, and gets a big Bear hug at midfield after the game.
Oct. 12, 1968: Neither Texas nor Oklahoma is ranked in the nation's Top 15, but the Longhorns' 26-20 win in the Cotton Bowl carries great significance nonetheless. Texas unveils the wishbone offense and quarterback James Street runs it to perfection, leading the Longhorns on an 85-yard drive in the closing two minutes and handing off to Steve Worster for the winning touchdown.
Nov. 2, 1968: North Texas State quarterback Steve Ramsey enjoys one of the biggest passing days in school history, throwing for 433 yards and five touchdowns in a 55-34 victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats in Denton. Ramsey sets three school records and repeatedly hooks up with future Pittsburgh Steelers' receiver Ron Shanklin as the Mean Green win on homecoming in a pouring rain.
Jan. 1, 1970: Notre Dame breaks a self-imposed bowl ban, in place since 1925, to travel to Dallas and meet No. 1 Texas in a mega-hyped Cotton Bowl. Behind Billy Dale's 1-yard scoring dive with 1:06 left, the Longhorns beat the Irish, 21-17, to cap an 11-0 national championship season.
Jan. 1, 1971: Exacting some revenge for a heartbreaking, last-second loss to Texas the year before, Notre Dame dominates Texas, 24-11, in the Cotton Bowl. Irish quarterback Joe Theismann rushes for two scores and passes for another as Notre Dame snaps Texas' 30-game winning streak.
Nov. 3, 1973: Relentless Texas running back Roosevelt Leaks breaks the Southwest Conference rushing record with a whopping 342 yards in a 42-14 romp over SMU at the Cotton Bowl. Leaks' day -- capped by a 53-yard touchdown gallop in the fourth quarter -- smashes the previous mark of 297 held by Texas A&M's Bob Smith.
Oct. 12, 1974: With the game tied at 13 midway through the fourth quarter, No. 2 Oklahoma's swarming defense strips Texas running back Earl Campbell of the ball. The fumble recovery by Lee Roy Selmon sets up Tony DiRienzo's game-winning field goal in a 16-13 victory that propels the Sooners to a national championship.
Oct. 11, 1975: After coaches Barry Switzer and Darrell Royal feud over improper recruiting allegations to ratchet up the rivalry's intensity to a fever pitch, Oklahoma running back Horace Ivory seals the Sooners' 24-17 victory in the Cotton Bowl with a 33-yard run with 5 minutes remaining. Switzer improves to 26-0-1 at Oklahoma.
Oct. 9, 1976: With President Gerald Ford in attendance at the Cotton Bowl, Texas and Oklahoma play one of the most boring games in series history -- a 6-6 tie. Longhorns' running back Earl Campbell rushes for 91 yards but can't find the end zone against a stingy Sooners' defense.
Nov. 13, 1976: Bobby Bowden's first team at Florida State has to make a 2-point conversion in the game's final two minutes to steal a 21-20 victory over North Texas State in Denton. Dubbed the "Snow Bowl," the game is played with six inches of snow covering the turf at Fouts Field.
Oct. 8, 1977: Forced into action due to injuries to Mark McBath and John Aune, seldom-used Texas quarterback Randy McEachern responds by leading the Longhorns on an 80-yard drive in a 13-6 win over Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl. Running back Earl Campbell rushes for 124 yards as fifth-ranked Texas beats OU for the first time since 1970.
Jan. 2, 1978: Notre Dame ruins the national title hopes of No. 1 Texas for the second time in seven seasons, romping over the Longhorns, 38-10, in the Cotton Bowl. Irish running back Vagas Ferguson scores three times and Terry Eurick twice in a performance so inspiring that it vaults Notre Dame, and its quarterback, Joe Montana, from No. 5 to No. 1 in the final national rankings.
Jan. 1, 1979: Notre Dame quarterback Joe Montana overcomes frigid temperatures and a bout with the flu (with an assist from a bowl of chicken soup) to lead the Irish to a thrilling 35-34 comeback win over the Houston Cougars in the Cotton Bowl. On one of the coldest New Year's Days in Dallas history, wind-chill temperatures during the game reach minus-10 degrees.
Jan. 1, 1980: Backup quarterback Terry Elston earns most valuable player honors by leading Houston to a dramatic 17-14 victory over Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl. On fourth down and with 12 seconds to play, Elston splits two Huskers' defenders with a 6-yard pass to Eric Herring for the winning touchdown.
Oct. 25, 1980: SMU's Pony Express makes its debut when freshman quarterback Lance McIlhenny replaces Mike Ford as the Mustangs' starting quarterback. McIlhenny joins Eric Dickerson and Craig James in the backfield in a shocking 20-6 upset win over the No. 2-ranked Texas Longhorns in Austin before a national TV audience on ESPN.
Nov. 20, 1982: Eric Dickerson of SMU breaks Earl Campbell's Southwest Conference career rushing record in the Mustangs' conference-clinching 17-17 tie with Arkansas. Dickerson's 81 rushing yards against the Razorbacks give him a career total of 4,450, and Russell Carter's blocked field goal in the final minute preserves the tie and SMU's berth in the Cotton Bowl.
Jan. 1, 1983: SMU completes an unbeaten season (11-0-1) by defeating Pittsburgh 7-3 in the Cotton Bowl. Quarterback Lance McIlhenny scores the game's only touchdown on a 9-yard run in the third quarter, and Blaine Smith intercepts a Dan Marino pass in the end zone late in the fourth quarter to preserve the win.
Jan. 2, 1984: Georgia turns a muffed Texas punt return by Craig Curry into the game-winning touchdown with just 3:22 to play in the Cotton Bowl. Quarterback John Lastinger takes advantage of the costly turnover and sprints 17 yards for the touchdown that produces the 10-9 upset of No. 2 Texas.
Oct. 13, 1984: No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Oklahoma battle to a controversial 15-15 tie during a driving rainstorm in the Cotton Bowl. The Sooners hold a 15-12 lead with seconds to play when an apparent interception in the end zone is waved off and Texas gets one final chance. On the last play, Jeff Ward's field goal ties the game.
Jan. 2, 1985: Doug Flutie, Boston College's heralded Heisman Trophy winner, has the Eagles soaring high early and often during a record-setting day against Houston in the Cotton Bowl. Flutie throws for three touchdowns, including a 63-yarder to future Dallas Cowboy Kelvin Martin, to help B.C. down the Cougars, 45-28.
Oct. 5, 1985: The celebration of "Eddie Robinson Day" at the State Fair of Texas is highlighted by the legendary Grambling coach becoming the winningest coach in college football history with his team's 27-7 victory over Prairie View in the Cotton Bowl.
Jan. 1, 1986: Bo Jackson brings the headlines, but Texas A&M's defense steals the spotlight in a 36-16 win in the Cotton Bowl. The Wrecking Crew stuffs Auburn's Heisman Trophy winner twice late in the game on fourth down, the first at the Aggies' 2-yard line.
Jan. 1, 1988: In their third straight Cotton Bowl appearance, Texas A&M defeats another Heisman Trophy winner, this time Tim Brown and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 35-10. Two years after blasting Auburn and Bo Jackson, the Aggies pile up 294 rushing yards and the Aggies' Wrecking Crew defense forces four turnovers.
Jan. 1, 1989: In his final college game, Troy Aikman leads the UCLA Bruins to a 17-3 win over Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. Aikman has a hand in 14 third-down conversions, while his defensive teammates hold the Hogs to just 42 yards of offense.
Sept. 16, 1989: Coach Forrest Gregg's resurrected SMU team scores 17 points in the last five minutes to overtake Connecticut, 31-30, in a game labeled "The Miracle On Mockingbird." It's SMU's first victory since the football program was suspended after the '86 season for NCAA rules violations.
Oct. 14, 1989: Peter Gardere, who will become the first Texas quarterback to defeat Oklahoma four times, achieves a memorable first win, guiding the Longhorns 66 yards in the last two minutes for a 28-24 comeback victory. Gardere, starting only his second game, hits Johnny Walker for the game-winning 25-yard score.
Oct. 8, 1994: Mammoth Texas defensive lineman Stoney Clark stops Sooners' running back James Allen at the 1-yard line on the game's final play as the Longhorns hang on for a 17-10 victory in the Cotton Bowl. The play goes down in Texas history as the "Stone Cold Stop."
Nov 18, 1995: SMU and TCU both lose in their final Southwest Conference football games. The SWC dissolves in the spring of 1996, with the Mustangs and Horned Frogs forced to take shelter in the Western Athletic Conference. The final eight SWC champions lost their bowl games, a sad finale for a once-proud conference.
Dec. 31, 1998: Under new coach Dennis Franchione, TCU upsets USC in the Sun Bowl, 28-19, the Horned Frogs' first bowl win in 41 years. TCU's defense holds the Trojans' offense to a Sun Bowl-record minus-23 yards rushing.
Jan. 1, 1999: Texas running back Ricky Williams, who had won the Heisman Trophy a few weeks earlier, runs for 203 yards and two touchdowns in the Longhorns' 38-11 romp over Mississippi State in the Cotton Bowl. The victory is Texas' first in Dallas on Jan. 1 since 1982.
Nov. 20, 1999: TCU junior star running back LaDainian Tomlinson sets an NCAA record for most rushing yards in a game with 406 in a 52-24 win over UTEP, a mark that still stands today. In the same game, Tomlinson also set the record for the most rushing yards in a half with 287.
Oct. 6, 2001: Sooners' All-America safety Roy Williams creates a Superman-like play to seal a 14-3 victory over Texas in the Cotton Bowl. With little time left and No. 5 Texas on its own goal line, Williams flies over two blockers to bat the ball from quarterback Chris Simms, a fumble that OU recovers for a game-clinching touchdown.
Oct. 13, 2001: Winless North Texas shocks unbeaten Middle Tennessee State, 24-21, to begin its unlikely journey to its first bowl game in 42 years. The Eagles finish 5-6 after losing their last regular-season game, but still win the Sun Belt Conference and are awarded a trip to New Orleans, where they get smashed by Colorado State.
Dec. 3, 2004: North Texas freshman running back Jamario Thomas leads the nation in rushing yards (1,801), averaging 180.1 yards per game and winning the Sun Belt Conference's player of the year, offensive player of the year and freshman of the year awards. Thomas sets the NCAA freshman record for total number of 200-yard rushing games with five.
Oct. 8, 2005: The Red River Rivalry celebrates its 100th anniversary and Texas wins for the first time in five years. Quarterback Vince Young throws for three touchdowns and running back Jamaal Charles sprints 80 yards for another score as Texas triumphs, 45-12, en route to a national championship.
Nov. 12, 2005: TCU honors LaDainian Tomlinson during halftime of its game against UNLV. He had finished his college career with 5,263 rushing yards, sixth-most in NCAA Division I history. As a senior, Tomlinson won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back and was fourth in the Heisman voting.
Oct. 16, 2007: In an otherwise forgettable season, North Texas quarterback Giovanni Vizza sets a school record with a 99-yard touchdown pass to receiver Casey Fitzgerald in a 31-21 win over Louisiana-Monroe, the first for former Southlake Carroll coach Todd Dodge at the university. It's the 16th 99-yard pass in NCAA Division I football history.
Dec. 23, 2008: TCU defeats previously unbeaten Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl, 17-16. It marks the second matchup between the two teams, as Boise State had previously knocked off TCU, 34-31, in the inaugural Fort Worth Bowl in 2003. The teams played again in the 2010 Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.
Nov. 28, 2009: Coach Gary Patterson's TCU Horned Frogs capture the Mountain West Conference championship, finishing the regular season 12-0 and recording the program's first undefeated regular season in 71 years. The conference championship earns the Horned Frogs an at-large spot in the Bowl Championship Series, and they were a missed Texas field goal against Nebraska from playing in the national championship game.
Dec. 24, 2009: SMU plays in first bowl game in 25 years and easily defeats Nevada, 45-10, in the Hawaii Bowl.
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