Texas A&M Accepts Bid to SBC Cotton Bowl
Dec 05, 2004 | Football
December 05, 2004
Texas A&M Director of Athletics Bill Byrne and Aggie head football coach Dennis Franchione accepted a bid to the SBC Cotton Bowl to face Tennessee which was extended by bowl chairman Gayle Earls on Sunday.
"We gladly accept the SBC Cotton Bowl invitation and look forward to a great game and wonderful hospitality in Dallas," Byrne said. "The Cotton Bowl has a tremendous history and with its location in the Metroplex, I am encouraged about how many Aggie fans will get the opportunity to attend the game and the festivities."
It marks A&M's 11th appearance in the SBC Cotton Bowl and first since Jan. 1, 1998 when the Aggies and No. 5 UCLA did battle. A&M lost that hard fought game, 29-23, but bounced back the next season to win the Big 12 Championship over top-ranked Kansas State in St. Louis.
"The SBC Cotton Bowl is rich in tradition and we look forward to going to Dallas," Coach Fran said. "Tennessee is a great opponent and you have two tremendous schools with great followings, and both schools are steeped in tradition as well. I think this is going to be a great week for our players and our fans."
This will mark the 28th bowl appearance for A&M, which has posted a 13-14 record in bowls. The last bowl appearance for A&M was a 28-9 victory over TCU in the 2001 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl in Houston.
The Aggies and Vols only meeting came at the 1957 Gator Bowl. Tennessee won that meeting, 3-0, after converting a 17-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. It marked A&M coach Paul "Bear" Bryant's final game in the maroon and white, and it capped the senior season for A&M's Heisman Trophy winner John David Crow.
Franchione has faced Tennessee twice in his coaching career and split the meetings. Both games played during his tenure at Alabama. Franchione's team was the victor in 2002 by the score of 34-14 in Knoxville, Tenn., avenging a 35-24 loss a year earlier on Alabama's turf.
A&M holds a 4-6 record in SBC Cotton Bowl games.
The Aggies' long association with the SBC Cotton Bowl first happened in the 1941 Classic with a 13-12 victory over Fordham.
A&M made three consecutive trips in the 1980's. The Aggies beat Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson and the Auburn Tigers, 36-16, in 1986, and were outscored, 28-12, by Ohio State in the 1987 Classic. On Jan. 1, 1988, the Aggies beat the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, 35-10, as another Heisman Trophy winner, Tim Brown, fell to the Aggies.
A&M made four appearances in the 1990s with another three-game stretch from 1992-94. Florida State won a defensive struggle by a 10-2 count in 1992. Notre Dame and its six first and second round draft picks (Rick Mirer, Jerome Bettis, Tom Carter, Irv Smith, Demetrius DuBose, and Reggie Brooks) beat A&M, 28-3, in 1993. The 1994 Classic was a rematch between Notre Dame and Texas A&M and it went down to the final minutes. The Fighting Irish held on for a 24-21 victory.
A&M's first bowl appearance was actually in Dallas as E. King Gill, the original 12th Man, and head coach Dana X. Bible beat Centre College, 22-14, on Jan, 2, 1922 at Fair Park Stadium. Gill came out of the press box and stood ready on the A&M sideline but never entered the game. Since that time, the A&M student body "stands ready" throughout football games as the 12th Man.
The SBC Cotton Bowl is slated for a 10 a.m. (central) kick and will be televised nationally on FOX.
Cotton Bowl Selection Quotes and Notes
SBC COTTON BOWL CLASSIC CHAIRMAN GAYLE EARLS: "The SBC Cotton Bowl is ecstatic to have two tremendous teams so rich in tradition with such passionate fans in Tennessee and Texas A&M. With the extraordinary talent on both rosters, January 1st is already setting up to be a Classic to remember."
TENNESSEE DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS MIKE HAMILTON: "Tennessee and the Cotton Bowl have a long history together, as this is our sixth trip to the Cotton Bowl. Some of our greatest players and greatest football moments are part of this game's outstanding New Year's Day tradition."
TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH DENNIS FRANCHIONE: "The SBC Cotton Bowl is rich in tradition and we look forward to going to Dallas. Tennessee is a great opponent and you have two tremendous schools with great followings, and both schools are steeped in tradition as well. I think this is going to be a great week for our players and our fans."
TENNESSEE HEAD COACH PHILIP FULMER: "Dennis (Franchione) has done just a fantastic job in a short time turning their program around to where they're accustomed. We're excited to be playing a team like Texas A&M. They have a fabulous tradition, as great of a tradition as any in the country. There's the 12th Man, their stadium and their fan support. We are ecstatic about the chance to return to the great City of Dallas. The Cotton Bowl is renowned in the bowl lineup and we're excited to be a part of its history."
TENNESSEE NOTES:
The Volunteers, ranked 15th in the final BCS poll, accepted their bid after Saturday night's SEC Championship game. Tennessee is making its sixth appearance in the SBC Cotton Bowl, the Vols' second most attended bowl behind UT's seven appearances in the Sugar Bowl.
Tennessee, the SEC East Division Champions with a 9-3 record, will be making their 16th consecutive bowl appearance, and their first trip to Dallas since the 2001 Classic against Kansas State. The Vols are 2-3-0 all-time in the SBC Cotton Bowl.
