Just a matter of time...
Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2005 6:30 pm
Before Texas/OU shit on almost 100 years of history and make their annual game a home and home.
Dallas News Article
By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
Since 1929, the Texas-Oklahoma football game has been as much a part of the State Fair of Texas as corny dogs and Big Tex. There is a very real chance, however, that Texas and OU could be playing their last game at the Cotton Bowl in 2007 before taking their Red River rivalry back to the campuses.
The issue surfaced last week when both schools announced a new sponsorship agreement with SBC Communications Inc. for their annual October clash.
The length of the contract with SBC – three years – coincides with a clause Texas and OU have to opt out of their agreement with the city of Dallas to play at Fair Park. The current deal runs through the 2008 game but with a chance to opt out after the 2007 game.
"The decision whether to opt out after the 2007 game would probably need to be made about a year in advance," Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds said. "Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione and I are having conversations with our staffs about it and trying to decide where Dallas is with our game and what the Cotton Bowl stadium is going to look like in 2008."
There are several factors that will determine if Texas-OU remains a tradition at the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair. Foremost is whether the 75-year-old stadium will be improved.
"I don't think the University of Oklahoma is sitting here saying that we want gold-plated hand rails," Mr. Castiglione said. "But if you go sit in that stadium and see its condition, you'll see that there has to be some improvements.
"Turn it around. They want this game in Dallas. What are they offering to us? If the stadium is not in good enough condition to hold the game, what choice do we have? But we would rather not wait until the last year of the contract to make that decision."
State Fair of Texas president Errol McKoy said Tuesday he forwarded a $26 million proposal to renovate the Cotton Bowl to Dallas Mayor Laura Miller and the City Council a year ago.
Ms. Miller said Tuesday she was committed to keeping Texas-OU in Dallas and also attracting more games to the Cotton Bowl. Public bonds would almost assuredly fund major Cotton Bowl work, she said.
Ms. Miller said last November that city officials would get the money to improve the Cotton Bowl and would seek a longer contractual commitment from Texas and OU.
Mr. Dodds and Mr. Castiglione said Tuesday they were not aware of a renovation proposal and hadn't heard from the city about extending their contract.
"This is the first I've heard of it," Mr. Dodds said. "But it's not our decision to tell Dallas what to do to improve the stadium. It's our decision what to do with the game based on the facts we'll have at the time."
Mr. McKoy said the proposed renovation could be done by the 2007 game and would increase seating to more than 80,000 (from its current capacity of 75,000). There would be remodeled concession stands, improvements to the interior and exterior, a new scoreboard, a new sound system and new field lighting as well as resurfaced streets and walkways.
"When it's finished, the stadium will look as nice as the ones in Austin or Norman," Mr. McKoy said. "We feel $26 million will get the job done."
Mr. Dodds has said if improvements aren't made to the Cotton Bowl, he would favor going to a home-and-home series. Mr. Dodds said he wouldn't favor moving the game to the Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington – expected to be ready for the 2009 season – because the State Fair is the basis of the game's tradition and the reason for playing it in Dallas.
Mr. Castiglione has declined to comment on the future of the game beyond 2007. He said OU president David Boren and the school's board of regents would have to approve any decision to move the game.
"The schools, they're thinking home-and-home," said Dallas City Council member Leo Chaney, who represents the Fair Park area. "It's disheartening to me. We'll need to do something."
UT and OU officials signed the current contract to play their game in Fair Park under the assumption the Cowboys' new stadium was going to be built near the Cotton Bowl.
Even Ms. Miller admitted at the time that both schools were eyeing the new Cowboys stadium as a destination for their game.
"This facility is not what they want for the long term," Ms. Miller said of the Cotton Bowl when the five-year agreement was announced in March 2004.
Mr. Castiglione said: "At the time, the State Fair grounds was a prominent site that appeared to be very high, if not No. 1, on everybody's list. ... That's why we weren't making any long-term plans for the Cotton Bowl."
But the deal for a new Cowboys stadium in Dallas fell through.
UT and OU officials are watching carefully to see if the SBC Cotton Bowl Classic will stay at the Cotton Bowl once the Cowboys finish building their new stadium. The Cowboys' new facility will have a retractable roof, which would eliminate inclement weather as a detraction.
"That's a tell-tale piece of the puzzle, if the Cotton Bowl game decided to go somewhere else," Mr. Dodds said. "That would say something."
SBC Cotton Bowl president Rick Baker has declined to discuss the future of the bowl game beyond 2007, when its current contract in Fair Park expires.
The Cotton Bowl has already lost events and fan traffic this year with the departure of Major League Soccer club FC Dallas, which now plays at a smaller, soccer-specific stadium in Frisco.
Mr. McKoy said his proposed $26 million renovation to the Cotton Bowl is important to keep games such as Texas-OU and Grambling-Prairie View in Dallas as well as attract new games. Mr. McKoy said Texas A&M and Texas Tech are serious about moving their series to the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair beginning in 2007.
"Notre Dame has been looking to schedule a regular-season game at the Cotton Bowl to help their recruiting in the Southwest," Mr. McKoy said. "We also have been a premier venue for soccer games, including the World Cup in 1994. And we've also been a destination for major concerts. For all those reasons, it's a wise investment by the city to renovate the Cotton Bowl."
The future of the Texas-OU football game at Fair Park appears to depend on it.
Staff writers Brian Davis and Dave Levinthal contributed to this report.
E-mail chipbrown@dallasnews.com
QUOTE BOARD
"Even if you don't like football, you have to like money. The schools' alumni really like coming to Dallas, but the bottom line is still money. We need to have more seats in the stadium. We need upgrades."
— Craig Holcomb, executive director for Friends of Fair Park and a former City Council member.
"We're trying to attract new games to the Cotton Bowl. This is an economic engine for the city."
— Leo Chaney, City Council member who represents the Fair Park area.
"This is and will continue to be the place to play college football. We're talking about keeping huge football games during the State Fair. They're not going anywhere. We will get the money, make the improvements and ask the teams for a longer commitment. And I think we're going to get it."
— Dallas mayor Laura Miller at a news conference last November overlooking the Cotton Bowl field.
Dallas News Article
By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
Since 1929, the Texas-Oklahoma football game has been as much a part of the State Fair of Texas as corny dogs and Big Tex. There is a very real chance, however, that Texas and OU could be playing their last game at the Cotton Bowl in 2007 before taking their Red River rivalry back to the campuses.
The issue surfaced last week when both schools announced a new sponsorship agreement with SBC Communications Inc. for their annual October clash.
The length of the contract with SBC – three years – coincides with a clause Texas and OU have to opt out of their agreement with the city of Dallas to play at Fair Park. The current deal runs through the 2008 game but with a chance to opt out after the 2007 game.
"The decision whether to opt out after the 2007 game would probably need to be made about a year in advance," Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds said. "Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione and I are having conversations with our staffs about it and trying to decide where Dallas is with our game and what the Cotton Bowl stadium is going to look like in 2008."
There are several factors that will determine if Texas-OU remains a tradition at the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair. Foremost is whether the 75-year-old stadium will be improved.
"I don't think the University of Oklahoma is sitting here saying that we want gold-plated hand rails," Mr. Castiglione said. "But if you go sit in that stadium and see its condition, you'll see that there has to be some improvements.
"Turn it around. They want this game in Dallas. What are they offering to us? If the stadium is not in good enough condition to hold the game, what choice do we have? But we would rather not wait until the last year of the contract to make that decision."
State Fair of Texas president Errol McKoy said Tuesday he forwarded a $26 million proposal to renovate the Cotton Bowl to Dallas Mayor Laura Miller and the City Council a year ago.
Ms. Miller said Tuesday she was committed to keeping Texas-OU in Dallas and also attracting more games to the Cotton Bowl. Public bonds would almost assuredly fund major Cotton Bowl work, she said.
Ms. Miller said last November that city officials would get the money to improve the Cotton Bowl and would seek a longer contractual commitment from Texas and OU.
Mr. Dodds and Mr. Castiglione said Tuesday they were not aware of a renovation proposal and hadn't heard from the city about extending their contract.
"This is the first I've heard of it," Mr. Dodds said. "But it's not our decision to tell Dallas what to do to improve the stadium. It's our decision what to do with the game based on the facts we'll have at the time."
Mr. McKoy said the proposed renovation could be done by the 2007 game and would increase seating to more than 80,000 (from its current capacity of 75,000). There would be remodeled concession stands, improvements to the interior and exterior, a new scoreboard, a new sound system and new field lighting as well as resurfaced streets and walkways.
"When it's finished, the stadium will look as nice as the ones in Austin or Norman," Mr. McKoy said. "We feel $26 million will get the job done."
Mr. Dodds has said if improvements aren't made to the Cotton Bowl, he would favor going to a home-and-home series. Mr. Dodds said he wouldn't favor moving the game to the Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington – expected to be ready for the 2009 season – because the State Fair is the basis of the game's tradition and the reason for playing it in Dallas.
Mr. Castiglione has declined to comment on the future of the game beyond 2007. He said OU president David Boren and the school's board of regents would have to approve any decision to move the game.
"The schools, they're thinking home-and-home," said Dallas City Council member Leo Chaney, who represents the Fair Park area. "It's disheartening to me. We'll need to do something."
UT and OU officials signed the current contract to play their game in Fair Park under the assumption the Cowboys' new stadium was going to be built near the Cotton Bowl.
Even Ms. Miller admitted at the time that both schools were eyeing the new Cowboys stadium as a destination for their game.
"This facility is not what they want for the long term," Ms. Miller said of the Cotton Bowl when the five-year agreement was announced in March 2004.
Mr. Castiglione said: "At the time, the State Fair grounds was a prominent site that appeared to be very high, if not No. 1, on everybody's list. ... That's why we weren't making any long-term plans for the Cotton Bowl."
But the deal for a new Cowboys stadium in Dallas fell through.
UT and OU officials are watching carefully to see if the SBC Cotton Bowl Classic will stay at the Cotton Bowl once the Cowboys finish building their new stadium. The Cowboys' new facility will have a retractable roof, which would eliminate inclement weather as a detraction.
"That's a tell-tale piece of the puzzle, if the Cotton Bowl game decided to go somewhere else," Mr. Dodds said. "That would say something."
SBC Cotton Bowl president Rick Baker has declined to discuss the future of the bowl game beyond 2007, when its current contract in Fair Park expires.
The Cotton Bowl has already lost events and fan traffic this year with the departure of Major League Soccer club FC Dallas, which now plays at a smaller, soccer-specific stadium in Frisco.
Mr. McKoy said his proposed $26 million renovation to the Cotton Bowl is important to keep games such as Texas-OU and Grambling-Prairie View in Dallas as well as attract new games. Mr. McKoy said Texas A&M and Texas Tech are serious about moving their series to the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair beginning in 2007.
"Notre Dame has been looking to schedule a regular-season game at the Cotton Bowl to help their recruiting in the Southwest," Mr. McKoy said. "We also have been a premier venue for soccer games, including the World Cup in 1994. And we've also been a destination for major concerts. For all those reasons, it's a wise investment by the city to renovate the Cotton Bowl."
The future of the Texas-OU football game at Fair Park appears to depend on it.
Staff writers Brian Davis and Dave Levinthal contributed to this report.
E-mail chipbrown@dallasnews.com
QUOTE BOARD
"Even if you don't like football, you have to like money. The schools' alumni really like coming to Dallas, but the bottom line is still money. We need to have more seats in the stadium. We need upgrades."
— Craig Holcomb, executive director for Friends of Fair Park and a former City Council member.
"We're trying to attract new games to the Cotton Bowl. This is an economic engine for the city."
— Leo Chaney, City Council member who represents the Fair Park area.
"This is and will continue to be the place to play college football. We're talking about keeping huge football games during the State Fair. They're not going anywhere. We will get the money, make the improvements and ask the teams for a longer commitment. And I think we're going to get it."
— Dallas mayor Laura Miller at a news conference last November overlooking the Cotton Bowl field.
;)