Cotton Bowl ( stadium ) The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1930 and became known as " The House That Doak Built " due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s . Originally known as Fair Park Stadium , it is located in Fair Park , site of the State Fair of Texas in Dallas , Texas , USA . Concerts or other events using a stage allow the playing field to be used for additional spectators . The Cotton Bowl was the longtime home of the annual Cotton Bowl Classic college football bowl game , for which the stadium is named . In January 2010 , the game was moved to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington . The Cowboys hosted the Green Bay Packers for the 1966 NFL championship at the Cotton Bowl . Artificial turf was installed in 1970 and removed in 1993 in preparation for the 1994 FIFA World Cup . The stadium has been home to many football teams over the years , including : SMU Mustangs ( NCAA ) , Dallas Cowboys ( NFL ; 1960 – 1971 ) , Dallas Texans ( NFL ) ( 1952 ) , Dallas Texans ( prior to moving to Kansas City ) ( AFL ; 1960 – 1962 ) , and soccer teams , the Dallas Tornado ( NASL ; 1967 – 1968 ) , and FC Dallas ( the Dallas Burn before 2005 ) ( Major League Soccer ; 1996 – 2002 , 2004 – 2005 ) . It was also one of the nine venues used for the 1994 FIFA World Cup . History . Construction began on Fair Park Stadium in 1930 in Fair Park , Dallas on the same site as a wooden football stadium . Completed that year , the first game in the stadium was between Dallas - area high schools in October 1930 . Built for a cost of $ 328 , 000 , the stadium held 45 , 507 spectators . In 1936 , the name officially changed to the Cotton Bowl . In 1948 , the stadium was decked on the west side , increasing capacity to 67 , 000 . The east side was decked the following year , increasing capacity to 75 , 504 . These decks were added to respond to the demand for fans to watch SMU halfback Doak Walker , leading the Cotton Bowl to be known as " the house that Doak built . " The superstructure was also built at this time , creating the distinctive facade for the stadium . In 1968 , chair - backs were installed , reducing capacity to 72 , 032 . In 1970 , the Cotton Bowl installed an AstroTurf surface , which remained until 1993 . In 1950 , as a way to break the Texas League record for opening - day attendance , Richard Burnett got permission to play in the Cotton Bowl , which at the time could hold as many as 75 , 000 . In order to draw a big crowd , he wanted a lineup of former stars to don Dallas Eagles uniforms and face one Tulsa hitter in the top of the first inning . Most of the retired stars were cool to the idea , except for then - current Dallas Eagles manager Charlie Grimm . When the legendary Ty Cobb agreed to come to Dallas , the others followed his lead . Preceding the game was a parade through downtown Dallas . " It was the pre - game show that got ' em , " bellowed Dizzy Dean by way of self - congratulation . " Cobb , Cochrane , Home Run Baker , Speaker , and Ol ' Diz in Dallas duds . " The 54 , 151 who showed up were lucky enough to see Ty Cobb hit several balls into the stands , just to show he could still handle the bat . The Kilgore College Rangerettes drill team performed on the field prior to the game . Texas governor Allan Shivers threw out the first pitch . Defensively , the old - timer lineup of the Eagles were : Duffy Lewis in left field , Cobb in center field , Texas native Tris Speaker in right field , Frank " Home Run " Baker at third base , Travis Jackson at shortstop , Charlie Gehringer at second base , manager Grimm at first base , Mickey Cochrane at catcher , and former Houston Buffaloes star pitcher Dizzy Dean on the mound . Dean walked the leadoff batter for Tulsa , Harry Donabedian , on a 3 - 2 count , and then the regular Dallas players took the field . Dean got into an orchestrated rhubarb and was tossed from the game . The attendance figure still stands as the largest in Texas League history and second largest in the history of the minor leagues . The Cotton Bowl hosted six matches of the 1994 World Cup . In preparation for these games , the stadium field was widened , and the press box was enlarged . Capacity was decreased to 71 , 615 in 1994 and to 68 , 252 in 1996 . The Stadium also Hosted the Gold Cup Soccer Matches in 1993 . 1994 FIFA World Cup matches . In the 2000s ( decade ) , the renewed dominance of both the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns created a new interest in their rivalry , and the stadium . Temporary stands were erected in each end zone to increase seating for these games . In November 2006 , the city of Dallas and the State Fair of Texas finally agreed on funding for a long - planned $ 50 million renovation , with $ 30 million of this amount from a city bond . Thus , in April 2007 , the schools signed a contract to play at the Cotton Bowl through 2015 , coupled with a $ 57 million fund for upgrades and improvements to the aging stadium . The 2008 game was held on October 11 . The 2008 renovations include the expansion of the seating capacity of the stadium from 68 , 252 to 92 , 100 , mostly through the complete encircling of the second deck , new media and VIP facilities , a new scoreboard and video screen , updated restrooms and concession areas , lighting , utility and sound upgrades and the replacement of all the stadium ' s seats . A new record for attendance was set when 96 , 009 fans attended the 2009 Oklahoma vs . Texas football game . Stadium usage . Football . Cotton Bowl Classic . From 1937 to 2009 , the Cotton Bowl hosted the Cotton Bowl Classic , an annual NCAA Division I bowl game . Beginning in 2010 , the bowl game has been played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington , Texas . From 1941 to 1994 , the Southwest Conference champion would play in the bowl game ; since 1997 , the first postseason of the Big 12 Conference , its second - place team has competed against an SEC team in the Cotton Bowl Classic . Dallas Cowboys . The Dallas Cowboys also called the Cotton Bowl home for 12 seasons , from the team ' s formation in 1960 until 1971 , when the Cowboys moved to Texas Stadium . Heart of Dallas Bowl . Since 2011 , the Cotton Bowl has been the home of the Heart of Dallas Bowl , an annual New Year ' s Day college football bowl game . The game was tentatively named the " Dallas Football Classic " prior to TicketCity being announced as the bowl game ' s title sponsor . The game was called the " TicketCity Bowl " for the first two match ups . On October 4 , 2012 , the name changed again to its current incarnation . The game has had bowl tie - ins with the Big 12 Conference in 2011 , Conference USA in 2012 , and the Big Ten Conference in both 2011 and 2012 . The inaugural game saw the Texas Tech Red Raiders defeat the Northwestern Wildcats , 45 – 38 . Red River Rivalry . The annual college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the University of Texas at Austin Longhorns , also known before 2005 as the Red River Shootout , is played at the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair of Texas , instead of on either school ' s campus . Ticket sales are equally divided between the two schools , and the fans are split on the 50 - yard line . The Longhorns have a record of 59 - 43 - 5 against the Sooners . SMU Mustangs . The Cotton Bowl served as the home for the SMU Mustangs football team for two periods in the program ' s history . SMU played at least a few games at the Cotton Bowl from 1932 to 1947 , and moved there permanently in 1948 due to Doak Walker ' s popularity . The Mustangs played at the Cotton Bowl until 1978 , when they moved to Texas Stadium . The Cotton Bowl also served as home to SMU in the 1990s , after the team served the NCAA death penalty and played at Ownby Stadium on campus . Games moved back to campus in 2000 with the completion of Gerald J . Ford Stadium . State Fair Classic . In addition to the Red River Rivalry , the Grambling State University Tigers and the Prairie View A & M University Panthers play each other at the Cotton Bowl in the State Fair Classic . This game often occurs the weekend before the Texas - OU Red River Rivalry game . It is a neutral site for both teams ; Grambling State is located in northern Louisiana and Prairie View A & M is located about northwest of Houston , Texas . The halftime show , the " Battle of the Bands , " is arguably more eagerly anticipated than the game itself . The State Fair Classic is heavily marketed in the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex , with local hip hop stations encouraging a large turnout among the region ' s African - American community . Powderpuff Football . Blondes vs . Brunettes powderpuff football games are played in cities across the United States . Proceeds from the event are donated to The Alzheimer ' s Association . The annual contests were started by Sara Allen Abbott whose father , Texas State Representative Joseph Hugh Allen , died of Alzheimer ' s disease in 2008 . Looking for a way to raise funds for The Alzheimer ' s Association , Abbott organized a powder puff football game in tribute to her father , a lifelong football fan . The games are currently played in over 20 cities throughout the United States . The increasing popularity of the game in the Dallas area resulted in moving the 2012 game to the Cotton Bowl where it could accommodate a larger crowd . Soccer . 1994 FIFA World Cup . The Cotton Bowl was one of the venues of 1994 FIFA World Cup Dallas Burn . FC Dallas of MLS ( formerly known as the Dallas Burn ) called the Cotton Bowl home for its first 7 seasons , between 1996 and 2002 , as well as for the 2004 and 2005 seasons , before opening their own stadium , Pizza Hut Park , in Frisco . Concerts . The stadium has also been a venue for a number of historic concerts , most notably that which featured then 21 - year - old Elvis Presley , which took place on October 11 , 1956 , and attracted what was then the largest audience in Texas history for an outdoor concert , in excess of 27 , 000 . Many consecutive summers of huge concerts , featuring several artists , began in July 1978 , with the 1st annual Texxas Jam , which sold out with over 80 , 000 attendees . Each Texxas Jam had a unique lineup of major artists chosen by the promoter . Over the years , the Texxas Jam featured some of the top - billed headliner artists of the day , including Aerosmith , Heart , Deep Purple , Boston , Journey , Ted Nugent , Scorpions , Loverboy , Cheap Trick , Van Halen , Blue Öyster Cult , Sammy Hagar , Nazareth , Styx , Foghat , Santana , The Eagles & Triumph , among others . The annual events came to an end in the summer of 1988 , when Van Halen headlined the " Monsters Of Rock " Tour . Since then , the stadium has continued to be used as a major concert venue ; Eric Clapton notably held his first massive 3 - day Crossroads Guitar Festival there in 2004 . The Cotton Bowl was also the site for the 1991 Drum Corps International World Championships .