Cotton Bowl

About the Cotton Bowl

Inside Fair Park in Dallas, one of America’s ten largest stadiums has no permanent team. The Cotton Bowl opened in 1930, the oldest surviving stadium in Texas, and it lives on the strength of a single game each October: the Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma. Its history runs from the Great Depression through the 1994 World Cup to the present day, a monument sustained by one rivalry game and the State Fair of Texas.

The stadium was originally called Fair Park Stadium, built for $328,000 as part of the State Fair of Texas complex. It became the Cotton Bowl in 1936 when the Cotton Bowl Classic, one of college football’s original New Year’s Day bowl games, made it its home. For decades, the Cotton Bowl was one of the most important venues in American sports: the Dallas Cowboys played here from 1960 to 1971, the Cotton Bowl Classic was appointment television on New Year’s Day, and the State Fair of Texas turned the surrounding fairgrounds into the biggest party in the South every October.

The Red River Rivalry is the Cotton Bowl’s reason for being. Every October, during the State Fair, Texas and Oklahoma split the stadium 50/50, burnt orange on one side, crimson on the other, the 50-yard line as the dividing border. The spectacle of 92,000 fans in two colors, Big Tex standing outside, the smell of fried food in the air, it is one of the most distinctive game-day settings in all of American sports and the single event that has kept this stadium relevant for nearly a century.

The Cotton Bowl hosted six matches during the 1994 FIFA World Cup, proving it could stage top-level soccer on the international stage. A major renovation in 2008–2010 added 17,000 seats, modernized the infrastructure, and preserved the Art Deco character of the Fair Park complex. The stadium is a Texas landmark, its survival tied to the Red River Rivalry and the enduring pull of Fair Park itself.

Getting to the Cotton Bowl

Public Transit

The Cotton Bowl is served by DART light rail, with Fair Park station steps from the stadium.

DART is the best option, especially during the State Fair of Texas when parking is scarce and expensive. The Green Line drops you at the gates, fast, cheap, and avoids the nightmare of Fair Park traffic.

Driving + Parking

The stadium address is 3750 The Midway, Dallas, TX 75210. I-30 is the primary approach from all directions.

Fair Park surface lots cost $10–$30 on event days. During the State Fair (late September through October), parking is more expensive and fills very early. Neighborhood parking is restricted and enforced during events. DART is strongly recommended during the State Fair, driving to Fair Park during the fair is a test of patience.

Rideshare

Uber and Lyft have designated zones on Parry Avenue near the Fair Park entrance. From downtown Dallas hotels, expect $8–$12. From Uptown, $10–$15. During the State Fair, surge pricing is heavy, take DART. Post-event pickups are easier from the 2nd Avenue gate on the east side.

From the Airport

Construction & Design

The Cotton Bowl was built for a fair, not a football team. In 1930 the architect Mark Lemmon designed a 45,507-seat concrete bowl for the State Fair of Texas grounds at Fair Park, and it opened simply as Fair Park Stadium for about $328,200. The Art Deco buildings around it, the largest such collection in the country, still frame the approach. The stadium took the Cotton Bowl name in 1936, after the bowl game it would come to host.

Then Doak Walker happened. The SMU running back drew such crowds in the late 1940s that the stadium had to grow to hold them, which is how it earned the nickname “The House That Doak Built.” A second deck went onto the west side in 1948, lifting capacity to 67,000, and the east side was double-decked the next year to reach 75,504. For decades after, the Cotton Bowl was one of the biggest stadiums in the country with no permanent tenant.

The modern shape arrived between 2008 and 2010. A renovation of roughly $57 million encircled the upper deck, added around 17,000 seats, and brought capacity to today’s 92,100, all while keeping the building’s historic character intact. The same stretch saw the Cotton Bowl Classic decamp to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, leaving the old bowl its name but not its signature game.

The field has changed with the times. Natural grass gave way to AstroTurf in 1970, grass was reinstalled specifically for the 1994 World Cup, and the stadium now plays on an artificial Matrix Turf surface. A new two-year renovation, announced in late 2023 and budgeted near $140 million, is the largest investment in the place since the upper deck was closed, a sign that Dallas still has plans for a stadium that turns 100 in 2030.

History of the Cotton Bowl

The Cotton Bowl was built in 1930 as Fair Park Stadium, a 46,000-seat venue designed by architect Mark Lemmon as part of the State Fair of Texas complex. It was renamed the Cotton Bowl in 1936 when the first Cotton Bowl Classic was played, and the stadium’s identity became inseparable from the bowl game and the fair.

Dallas Cowboys Era (1960–1971): The Cotton Bowl was the original home of the Dallas Cowboys. Tom Landry, Don Meredith, Bob Lilly, and Roger Staubach all played here before the team moved to Texas Stadium in Irving. The Cowboys’ first 12 NFL seasons were played inside these walls, including the 1966 NFL Championship Game on January 1, 1967, a narrow loss to the Packers the year before the two teams met again in Green Bay’s famous “Ice Bowl.”

1994 FIFA World Cup (June–July 1994): The Cotton Bowl hosted six World Cup matches, more than any other venue in the southern United States. The tournament’s success in Dallas helped establish MLS and proved that American soccer could thrive in a football town. FC Dallas’s existence owes something to those six games.

Red River Rivalry: The annual Texas vs. Oklahoma game has been a Fair Park fixture during the State Fair of Texas since 1929, and has filled the Cotton Bowl itself since 1932. The stadium splits 50/50 between burnt orange and crimson, Big Tex looming outside, fried food and rivalry in the air. It is the single event that has kept this venue relevant for nearly a century, and it remains one of the most distinctive spectacles in American sports.

2008–2010 Renovation: A roughly $57 million renovation added about 17,000 seats, encircled the upper deck, installed modern amenities, and brought capacity to 92,100, all while preserving the Art Deco character of Fair Park. A separate, larger renovation budgeted near $140 million followed for 2024-2025. The Cotton Bowl Classic moved to AT&T Stadium in Arlington in 2010, but the stadium retained its name and its identity.

From the Cowboys’ first touchdown to six World Cup matches to 92,000 fans split in two colors every October, the Cotton Bowl is a Texas monument, the oldest stadium in the state, sustained by a rivalry, a fair, and a city that has never stopped finding reasons to fill it.

Sources & Further Reading

• Wikipedia entry on the Cotton Bowl: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Bowl_(stadium). Capacity, the expansion timeline, costs, surface history, and the 1994 World Cup.
• Cotton Bowl official site: cottonbowlstadium.com. Events, seating, and visitor information at Fair Park.
• FIFA, “USA 1994: three memorable games in Dallas”: fifa.com. The Cotton Bowl’s role in the 1994 World Cup.