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05-15-2007, 01:46 PM
End result: UT in same Dallas seats
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/05-07/0515ut.jpg
03:01 AM CDT on Tuesday, May 15, 2007
By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
chipbrown@dallasnews.com
AUSTIN – Even though Texas won the right to sit over the tunnel at the Cotton Bowl for its annual showdown with Oklahoma, Longhorns athletic director DeLoss Dodds said Monday UT will continue to sit in the end zone opposite the tunnel.
"The contract allows the home team to pick, and we're leaving it the way it was," said Dodds, referring to the game's unique seating in which fans from each team are split down the 50-yard-line.
Texas is the home team for this year's Red River Rivalry and figured to take advantage of its newly acquired right to sit over the tunnel, where Oklahoma fans have sat for years.
Dodds said Monday there are three reasons why Texas is staying put: 1) improved "security" around the tunnel; 2) the ability to see a giant replay screen that sits over the tunnel; and 3) band seating.
For the past few years, portable screens have been used to cover the tunnel and block fans from seeing when the teams are in the tunnel. This has limited disruptive behavior towards the players from the stands. The fans sitting over the tunnel also have their backs to the giant replay screen in the Cotton Bowl.
Dodds said the Texas band is so big the school might have had to bring a reduced band because the tunnel eats into some choice seating.
The Sooners' long tradition of sitting over the Cotton Bowl tunnel was once considered a big mental advantage. OU fans could yell directly at UT players, and over the years, the occasional cup of beer or other debris was dumped on players' heads. UT officials voiced their displeasure.
Texas argued for and secured the right for the home team to choose where it sits when the two teams agreed to a five-year extension _ through 2010 _ before last season. The two schools have since agreed to another extension, keeping the game at the Cotton Bowl through 2015.
OU spokesman Kenny Mossman confirmed on Monday that Texas has notified the Sooners about its desire to continue sitting in the end zone opposite the tunnel. The home school has to inform the other of its decision in the spring for ticket printing purposes.
OU officials know sitting over the tunnel is still a big deal to their fans. During contract negotiations in 2006, they agreed to switch sides just to move talks along so the game would stay in Dallas.
"We didn't have to agree to anything," OU athletic director Joe Castiglione told The News last October. "Let's make it loud and clear to everybody, there are always choices."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/05-07/0515ut.jpg
03:01 AM CDT on Tuesday, May 15, 2007
By CHIP BROWN / The Dallas Morning News
chipbrown@dallasnews.com
AUSTIN – Even though Texas won the right to sit over the tunnel at the Cotton Bowl for its annual showdown with Oklahoma, Longhorns athletic director DeLoss Dodds said Monday UT will continue to sit in the end zone opposite the tunnel.
"The contract allows the home team to pick, and we're leaving it the way it was," said Dodds, referring to the game's unique seating in which fans from each team are split down the 50-yard-line.
Texas is the home team for this year's Red River Rivalry and figured to take advantage of its newly acquired right to sit over the tunnel, where Oklahoma fans have sat for years.
Dodds said Monday there are three reasons why Texas is staying put: 1) improved "security" around the tunnel; 2) the ability to see a giant replay screen that sits over the tunnel; and 3) band seating.
For the past few years, portable screens have been used to cover the tunnel and block fans from seeing when the teams are in the tunnel. This has limited disruptive behavior towards the players from the stands. The fans sitting over the tunnel also have their backs to the giant replay screen in the Cotton Bowl.
Dodds said the Texas band is so big the school might have had to bring a reduced band because the tunnel eats into some choice seating.
The Sooners' long tradition of sitting over the Cotton Bowl tunnel was once considered a big mental advantage. OU fans could yell directly at UT players, and over the years, the occasional cup of beer or other debris was dumped on players' heads. UT officials voiced their displeasure.
Texas argued for and secured the right for the home team to choose where it sits when the two teams agreed to a five-year extension _ through 2010 _ before last season. The two schools have since agreed to another extension, keeping the game at the Cotton Bowl through 2015.
OU spokesman Kenny Mossman confirmed on Monday that Texas has notified the Sooners about its desire to continue sitting in the end zone opposite the tunnel. The home school has to inform the other of its decision in the spring for ticket printing purposes.
OU officials know sitting over the tunnel is still a big deal to their fans. During contract negotiations in 2006, they agreed to switch sides just to move talks along so the game would stay in Dallas.
"We didn't have to agree to anything," OU athletic director Joe Castiglione told The News last October. "Let's make it loud and clear to everybody, there are always choices."