KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Friday will mark the fourth time the Missouri Tigers have made an appearance at the Cotton Bowl Classic, but the game’s history goes back 88 years.
Before the Cotton Bowl was played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the classic got its start at Fair Park located in Dallas. Some of the biggest names in football have hit the turf and the stands can tell quite the story.
Behind the Xs and Os are the storylines between the hash marks. For more than three decades Charlie Fiss was in charge of knowing them all.
The former communications director for the Cotton Bowl is now the game’s official historian. When Fiss started, he tasked himself with studying the history dating back to the first game in 1937.
“It’s a lot of fun to read the history and how we got to this point that we are,” Fiss reflected.
That storied history includes Joe Montana, Bo Jackson, Eli Manning, Derrick Henry, Nick Bosa and Bryce Young.
Missouri’s biggest Cotton Bowl win came in 2008, with Tony Temple breaking the 54-year-old record for rushing yards.
Changes to the game’s playbook came in 2010, moving the site from Fair Park to AT&T stadium with the help of Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys.
“With him building the new stadium and having that opportunity, it got back to where it once was back in the day, in the '60s, '70s and '80s during the great hay day of the Cotton Bowl Classic.”
Charlie says the classic was passed over for big bowl games in its later years at Fair Park.
The weather isn’t always favorable in the winter months. The perks of a retractable roof and state-of-the-art facilities at AT&T stadium propelled the Cotton Bowl back to the top.
It's playing host to the College Football Playoff semifinals next year.
“The stadium and Jerry Jones and what he and the Dallas Cowboys have meant to our game is incredible,” Fiss said.
To Fiss, the classic is more than an experience for the athletes.
“We’re in the memory-making business. Whether that’s for the student athlete, the coaches, their families, the administration of the University and the fans that come to the games," he said. "We want everyone to come and experience one of the best moments of their life.”
