kepdawg
05-02-2007, 04:54 PM
Cotton Bowl eyes Texas Tech-OSU
Big 12 teams would begin playing at Fair Park in 2008
04:20 PM CDT on Wednesday, May 2, 2007
By BRIAN DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News
brdavis@dallasnews.com
Hot on the heels of a new contract extension for the Texas-Oklahoma series, Dallas city officials are close to bringing another Big 12 matchup to the Cotton Bowl – Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma State.
The Red Raiders and Cowboys would meet at Fair Park beginning in 2008 and play in conjunction with the State Fair of Texas, according to two sources close to the contract talks.
Financial parameters are still being negotiated, and the deal has not been finalized. But a Dallas City Hall official characterized the deal as being "awfully close."
OSU athletic director Mike Holder said Wednesday he wants to talk with Tech's Gerald Myers about "the possibility of making this game an annual event."
"Playing Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl in conjunction with the State Fair of Texas has a lot of appeal for our university," Holder said. "We have a large recruiting presence in Texas for students and student-athletes. A lot of our alumni live in Texas."
Myers would not say if a deal was imminent, but he admitted that Tech would love to play in Dallas, too. The Dallas-Fort Worth area is by far the biggest area of Tech alumni outside of Lubbock.
"I think there is a big upside to playing a game in Dallas," Myers said. "That's why I say don't ever say never. But at this point, we don't have any conference game scheduled in Dallas."
Speculation has been rampant that Tech would sign a deal with Texas A&M. The two schools have talked in the past, but a source with the city of Dallas said the issue is basically dead. The Aggies simply do not want to give up a home game at Kyle Field.
A&M athletic director Bill Byrne could not be immediately reached for comment.
So without A&M as a willing partner, city officials turned to Oklahoma State.
But getting OSU's approval meant convincing Dallas billionaire Boone Pickens, who has spent millions of his own money for massive facility upgrades in Stillwater, Okla. That includes renovating the football stadium which bears his name.
The city official said Dallas mayor Laura Miller reached out to Pickens and helped arrange a meeting with State Fair of Texas president Errol McKoy, Pickens and Holder. At that meeting, McKoy made his pitch and Pickens informed Holder that he thought this would be a good move for OSU.
On Wednesday, Miller declined to say where negotiations stood with Texas Tech and OSU, or if she even met with Pickens.
"I can't tell you," Miller said. "I've been very good about the Cotton Bowl. I don't talk about it – until the press event."
The mayor did say, however, that she's been actively working with the schools to reach a deal.
"I'm on the phone, on the phone, on the phone, on the phone, in the car, at home, in the morning, in the night," Miller said, adding that she hopes to reach a deal before she leaves office in June. "That's been my goal. That's seven, eight weeks."
Miller held a news conference on the Cotton Bowl's 50-yard line on April 19 to announce that Texas and OU had signed an extension that will keep the Red River Rivalry in Dallas through 2015. Grambling and Prairie View A&M officials have also agreed to a similar extension.
By adding Tech-OSU to the mix, city officials believe they have another good reason to spend $30 million in stadium improvement courtesy of bonds. In March, a Dallas Morning News poll found that 48 percent of respondents said Dallas shouldn't use the money for stadium upgrades.
The city has been scrambling to keep high-profile games at Fair Park since AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic officials decided to move their New Year's Day game to the Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington beginning in 2010.
Staff Writers Dave Levinthal and Chip Brown contributed to this report.
Big 12 teams would begin playing at Fair Park in 2008
04:20 PM CDT on Wednesday, May 2, 2007
By BRIAN DAVIS / The Dallas Morning News
brdavis@dallasnews.com
Hot on the heels of a new contract extension for the Texas-Oklahoma series, Dallas city officials are close to bringing another Big 12 matchup to the Cotton Bowl – Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma State.
The Red Raiders and Cowboys would meet at Fair Park beginning in 2008 and play in conjunction with the State Fair of Texas, according to two sources close to the contract talks.
Financial parameters are still being negotiated, and the deal has not been finalized. But a Dallas City Hall official characterized the deal as being "awfully close."
OSU athletic director Mike Holder said Wednesday he wants to talk with Tech's Gerald Myers about "the possibility of making this game an annual event."
"Playing Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl in conjunction with the State Fair of Texas has a lot of appeal for our university," Holder said. "We have a large recruiting presence in Texas for students and student-athletes. A lot of our alumni live in Texas."
Myers would not say if a deal was imminent, but he admitted that Tech would love to play in Dallas, too. The Dallas-Fort Worth area is by far the biggest area of Tech alumni outside of Lubbock.
"I think there is a big upside to playing a game in Dallas," Myers said. "That's why I say don't ever say never. But at this point, we don't have any conference game scheduled in Dallas."
Speculation has been rampant that Tech would sign a deal with Texas A&M. The two schools have talked in the past, but a source with the city of Dallas said the issue is basically dead. The Aggies simply do not want to give up a home game at Kyle Field.
A&M athletic director Bill Byrne could not be immediately reached for comment.
So without A&M as a willing partner, city officials turned to Oklahoma State.
But getting OSU's approval meant convincing Dallas billionaire Boone Pickens, who has spent millions of his own money for massive facility upgrades in Stillwater, Okla. That includes renovating the football stadium which bears his name.
The city official said Dallas mayor Laura Miller reached out to Pickens and helped arrange a meeting with State Fair of Texas president Errol McKoy, Pickens and Holder. At that meeting, McKoy made his pitch and Pickens informed Holder that he thought this would be a good move for OSU.
On Wednesday, Miller declined to say where negotiations stood with Texas Tech and OSU, or if she even met with Pickens.
"I can't tell you," Miller said. "I've been very good about the Cotton Bowl. I don't talk about it – until the press event."
The mayor did say, however, that she's been actively working with the schools to reach a deal.
"I'm on the phone, on the phone, on the phone, on the phone, in the car, at home, in the morning, in the night," Miller said, adding that she hopes to reach a deal before she leaves office in June. "That's been my goal. That's seven, eight weeks."
Miller held a news conference on the Cotton Bowl's 50-yard line on April 19 to announce that Texas and OU had signed an extension that will keep the Red River Rivalry in Dallas through 2015. Grambling and Prairie View A&M officials have also agreed to a similar extension.
By adding Tech-OSU to the mix, city officials believe they have another good reason to spend $30 million in stadium improvement courtesy of bonds. In March, a Dallas Morning News poll found that 48 percent of respondents said Dallas shouldn't use the money for stadium upgrades.
The city has been scrambling to keep high-profile games at Fair Park since AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic officials decided to move their New Year's Day game to the Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington beginning in 2010.
Staff Writers Dave Levinthal and Chip Brown contributed to this report.