{"id":393,"date":"2015-10-07T08:00:04","date_gmt":"2015-10-07T12:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/?p=393"},"modified":"2018-01-04T14:17:23","modified_gmt":"2018-01-04T19:17:23","slug":"the-cotton-bowl-the-house-that-doak-built","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2015\/10\/07\/the-cotton-bowl-the-house-that-doak-built\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cotton Bowl, The House that Doak Built"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Aerial<\/a>

This aerial photograph shows the Cotton Bowl stadium in Fair Park filled with fans. From the Lester Strother Texas Metro Collection. UNTA_AR0327-101-002.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n

In the years following World War II, Doak Walker (a.k.a. \u201cThe Doaker\u201d) was the college football favorite. A true All-American, Doak led the SMU Mustangs in academics, athletics, and leadership, leaving behind a solid legacy for all Mustangs to come. He entered Southern Methodist University as a Freshman in 1945 and l<\/span>ed the Mustangs to Southwest Conference championships and Cotton Bowl appearances in 1947 and 1948. Fans across the metroplex were so enamored with Doak and his team that the school decided to move its games away from its home field to the Cotton Bowl, which quickly expanded its seating to meet the demands of spectators. In 1948, he won the Heisman Trophy, and he graduated in 1949. He joined the Detroit Lions in 1950, and was inducted to the Football Hall of Fame in 1959. An honorary plaque hangs at the Cotton Bowl\u2019s main entrance that reads \u201cThe Cotton Bowl, the House that Doak Built.\u201d To watch Doak Walker receiving a \u201cGreatest College Football Player of the Decade\u201d award, click <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

Doak Walker passed away in 1998, but the Cotton Bowl still stands at Fair Park in Dallas. In 1930, construction on the Cotton Bowl began to replace the old wooden Fair Park Stadium. The Cotton Bowl classic was played here until 2009, when it moved to the flashier, newer Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. The Dallas Cowboys also called the Cotton Bowl home from 1960 to 1971. The Red River Shootout, now known as the Red River Rivalry, is an annual football game between the University of Texas Longhorns and the University of Oklahoma Sooners. The game takes place during the State Fair of Texas and ticket sales are split evenly among the two schools. The Cotton Bowl was also a venue for the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and it has hosted the Dallas Independent School District\u2019s football playoffs since 1974. To watch football highlights from a Chicago Bears and New York Giants game at the Cotton Bowl in 1956, click <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>. (Unfortunately, you’ll have to skip through a news story about a murder-suicide to get to the game.)<\/span><\/p>\r\n

For those Texans that weren\u2019t into football (admittedly, there\u00a0are few), the Cotton Bowl offered musical excitement, as well. Elvis Presley attracted 27,000 fans to the Cotton Bowl in 1956, when he was just 21 years old. Aerosmith also recorded their first live album here in the late 70s, and other notable musicians like Bruce Springsteen, Heart, Journey, and Van Halen have played at this venue in Fair Park.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The sporting industry is one of the biggest industries in America, and it indirectly affects other areas of our economy that may not always be immediately evident, such as agriculture and transportation. An article in the January 1966 issue of the Texas Metro claims that the Cotton Bowl brought one million new dollars to the area every year. The Dallas Cowboys and the north Texas stadiums, like the Cotton Bowl, combined with the DFW Airport provide a lot of good to our part of the state.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

The photograph of the Cotton Bowl comes from the <\/span>Lester Strother Texas Metro Magazine collection<\/span><\/a>. The Texas Metro was founded to publicize the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and the many economic opportunities in the Southwest Metroplex. <\/span>The collection includes 183 linear feet of articles and photographs from the magazine, as well as other grey literature.<\/span><\/p>\r\n

 <\/p>\r\n

-by Alexandra Traxinger Sch\u00fctz<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the years following World War II, Doak Walker (a.k.a. \u201cThe Doaker\u201d) was the college football favorite. A true All-American, Doak led the SMU Mustangs in academics, athletics, and leadership, leaving behind a solid legacy for all Mustangs to come. He entered Southern Methodist University as a Freshman in 1945 and led the Mustangs to… Read more »<\/a>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[114,126,124,127,128],"class_list":["post-393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-cotton-bowl","tag-doak-walker","tag-football","tag-red-river-shootout","tag-smu"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p60UnY-6l","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":23,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2014\/06\/13\/red-river-showdown\/","url_meta":{"origin":393,"position":0},"title":"Red River Showdown","author":"Morgan","date":"June 13, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"With the much celebrated announcement this week that the Red River Showdown would remain at the Cotton Bowl until the year 2025, an 85 year-old Dallas tradition was upheld. Each year, Dallas becomes awash in a sea of burnt orange and red as legions of fans from north and south\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2014\/06\/13\/red-river-showdown\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/04\/CottonBowl.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/04\/CottonBowl.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/04\/CottonBowl.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/04\/CottonBowl.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":360,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2015\/09\/30\/how-cool-is-the-state-fair-of-texas\/","url_meta":{"origin":393,"position":1},"title":"How Cool is the State Fair of Texas?","author":"Alexandra","date":"September 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 The 2015 State Fair of Texas has been up and running for a full 6\u00a0days now, and hopes are high to beat\u00a0the record-breaking numbers it saw last year. A welcome reprieve from the hot lines at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, families are excited for the cool weather\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Big Tex\"","block_context":{"text":"Big Tex","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/tag\/big-tex\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"An aerial view of the State Fair of Texas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_AR0327-052-002_01-740x601.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_AR0327-052-002_01-740x601.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_AR0327-052-002_01-740x601.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_AR0327-052-002_01-740x601.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":367,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2015\/10\/14\/remembering-texas-stadium\/","url_meta":{"origin":393,"position":2},"title":"Remembering Texas Stadium","author":"Alexandra","date":"October 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Football is fun. It\u2019s a moneymaker, too. That\u2019s one reason Irving decided to construct Texas Stadium, after the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Clint Murchison Jr., expressed interest in moving the team out of the Cotton Bowl. Through revenue bonds, Irving financed the stadium, and it opened in 1971 as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Dallas Cowboys\"","block_context":{"text":"Dallas Cowboys","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/tag\/dallas-cowboys\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A view of the field and open roof at Texas Stadium in Irving, 1972. From the Lester Strother Texas Metro Collection. UNTA_AR0327-101-002","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_AR0327-101-002-001-740x595.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_AR0327-101-002-001-740x595.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_AR0327-101-002-001-740x595.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/09\/UNTA_AR0327-101-002-001-740x595.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":455,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2015\/11\/04\/the-kimbell-art-museum\/","url_meta":{"origin":393,"position":3},"title":"The Kimbell Art Museum","author":"Alexandra","date":"November 4, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"You can\u2019t visit DFW without visiting Fort Worth\u2019s Kimbell Art Museum. The museum\u2019s permanent collections are impressive and free to view, and the touring exhibits are exciting and rotated often. This isn\u2019t just a museum for tourists, though. The artistic, the worldly, and the cultured of the Southwest Metroplex pay\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"architecture\"","block_context":{"text":"architecture","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/tag\/architecture\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The exterior of the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, UNTA_AR0327-023-002","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/11\/UNTA_AR0327-023-002_01-740x598.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/11\/UNTA_AR0327-023-002_01-740x598.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/11\/UNTA_AR0327-023-002_01-740x598.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/11\/UNTA_AR0327-023-002_01-740x598.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":27,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2014\/06\/22\/upper-trinity-regional-water-district\/","url_meta":{"origin":393,"position":4},"title":"Upper Trinity Regional Water District","author":"Morgan","date":"June 22, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Due to the recent drought conditions affecting much of Texas and the Western United States, water supply sustainability has become increasingly worrisome and, in many cases, contentious as ownership rights, environmental concerns, urban planning, and farming issues often collide. Rapid population growth of cities and towns coupled with the dry\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2014\/06\/22\/upper-trinity-regional-water-district\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/04\/LakeRalphmap.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/04\/LakeRalphmap.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/04\/LakeRalphmap.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/04\/LakeRalphmap.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2014\/09\/13\/the-model-cities-program\/","url_meta":{"origin":393,"position":5},"title":"The Model Cities Program","author":"Morgan","date":"September 13, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"In the 1960s, the times, they were a-changin\u2019. Amidst the cultural upheavals and social movements lay two very real problems that President Lyndon B. Johnson sought to address with his Great Society Programs. Johnson\u2019s ultimate goal was to eliminate racial injustices and poverty. Because the two often went hand-in-hand, 1966\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/2014\/09\/13\/the-model-cities-program\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/04\/UNTA_HM8-007-001_0.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/04\/UNTA_HM8-007-001_0.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/04\/UNTA_HM8-007-001_0.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/14\/2015\/04\/UNTA_HM8-007-001_0.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=393"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":553,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/393\/revisions\/553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.library.unt.edu\/southwest-metroplex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}