168-689: The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl ) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium in Dallas before moving to Cowboys Stadium (now AT&T Stadium ) in nearby Arlington in 2010. Since 2014, the game has been sponsored by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and officially known as
336-563: A 0–0 tie. The Army–Navy game of 1893 saw the first documented use of a football helmet by a player in a game. Joseph M. Reeves had a crude leather helmet made by a shoemaker in Annapolis and wore it in the game after being warned by his doctor that he risked death if he continued to play football after suffering an earlier kick to the head. In 1879, the University of Michigan became the first school west of Pennsylvania to establish
504-536: A 104–48–4 record during his 16-season tenure as head coach and developed a game known as Angleball as a way for his players to maintain fitness in the off-season. Engle never had a losing season at Penn State, and his 5–5 final season was his only non-winning season. His 1959 and 1960 Nittany Lions teams won the Liberty Bowl, while his 1961 and 1962 teams reached the Gator Bowl, winning the first and losing
672-570: A 13–6 Tide victory in New Orleans. Perhaps the most notable game between these two teams came four years later, in a 1979 Sugar Bowl rematch, resulting in another Alabama victory. The rivalry was intensified during the 1980s, when the Lions and Tide met in 10 consecutive seasons, all during regular season play. After this time, the rivalry went dormant for two decades before being renewed for a 2-game home-and-home series in 2010 and 2011. Alabama leads
840-566: A 45-year self-imposed ban. When the Irish made that decision, 9–1 LSU was overlooked for the game, and the Tigers stayed home instead. The Irish, led by quarterback Joe Theismann , faced top-ranked and undefeated Texas . Notre Dame led 17–14 late in the fourth quarter, but the Longhorns scored a late touchdown to clinch a 21–17 victory and an undisputed national championship. The same two teams met
1008-463: A 56-game undefeated streak that included a 1902 trip to play in the first college football bowl game , which later became the Rose Bowl Game . During this streak, Michigan scored 2,831 points while allowing only 40. Organized intercollegiate football was first played in the state of Minnesota on September 30, 1882, when Hamline was convinced to play Minnesota . Minnesota won 2 to 0. It
1176-463: A 7–5 record in the second of four years they were ineligible for the postseason. In January 2014, Bill O'Brien left Penn State to accept the head coaching position with the NFL 's Houston Texans . On January 11, 2014, Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin was hired as the 16th Penn State head football coach. He is the first African American head football coach at Penn State. In Franklin's first year,
1344-552: A 9–6–1 record against the Panthers from 1950 to 1965. When Paterno was named head coach in 1965, the next 31 games would swing heavily in the Nittany Lion's favor, holding a 23–7–1 advantage from 1966 to 2000. The rivalry went on a 15-year hiatus prior to the scheduling of a 4-game series in 2011 that would see Penn State travel to Pittsburgh in 2016 & 2018 with Pitt returning to Happy Valley in 2017 & 2019. The series
1512-434: A Penn State home football game. The 2005 season saw the naming of the tent-city. In anticipation of the 2005 contest between No. 16 Penn State and No. 6 Ohio State, students began camping six days in advance of the game outside the gate so that they would get a first row seat for, arguably, the biggest game of the 2005 season for Penn State. On Tuesday of the week preceding the game, "Paternoville" first appeared. Credited with
1680-413: A Penn State home football game. The students camp out to support the team and to acquire the best possible seats for the weekend's upcoming game, since seating is first-come, first serve for students. While the name "Paternoville" came about during Penn State's 2005 football season, students have long camped out for first row seats. Prior to 1993, the university distributed non-seat-specific tickets. Starting
1848-528: A Sunday. The other major bowl games that year—the Rose Bowl , Sugar Bowl , and Orange Bowl —were played on Monday, January 2. The 1968 game saw SWC champs Texas A&M , led by coach Gene Stallings defeat former A&M head coach Bear Bryant and the Alabama Crimson Tide . Stallings was one of Bryant's " Junction Boys " as well as a former assistant, and would eventually go on to coach
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#17327720246822016-583: A blowout to force a tie for the conference crown, and opened the door for Arkansas to stroll to Dallas on New Year's Day. After the Bulldogs jumped out to a 10–0 lead, the Hogs came roaring back, scoring 31 unanswered points, and defeating Georgia, 31–10. Arkansas finished the season 10–2. The 1977 Cotton Bowl featured SWC Champions Houston Cougars, who were entering the Cotton Bowl for the first time, against
2184-588: A close 23–20 loss to the #3 Iowa Hawkeyes on the road October 9, 2021. On October 23, 2021, Penn State battled the Illinois Fighting Illini through an NCAA record 9 overtimes, eventually losing 20–18. The teams both scored fieldgoals in the first 2 overtimes, tying the score 16–16. Neither team scored until the 8th overtime when Illinois finally broke the stalemate, quickly followed by a run from Penn State's Noah Cain. Penn State did not score during its first conversion attempt in overtime 9, leaving
2352-514: A college football team. On May 30, 1879, Michigan beat Racine College 1–0 in a game played in Chicago. The Chicago Daily Tribune called it "the first rugby-football game to be played west of the Alleghenies ." Other Midwestern schools soon followed suit, including the University of Chicago , Northwestern University , and the University of Minnesota . The first western team to travel east
2520-493: A fourth-quarter blocked extra point by TCU's Chico Mendoza proved the margin of victory as TCU won, 28–27. TCU QB Chuck Curtis passed for 174 yards, threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another to lead the Frogs. In 1960, Syracuse defeated Texas 23–14 to win the national championship . Syracuse was led by bowl MVP Ernie Davis , who ran for one touchdown, caught a Cotton Bowl Classic record 87-yard touchdown, and intercepted
2688-447: A great deal to Harvard's rugby. They decided to play with 15 players on each team. On November 13, 1875, Yale and Harvard played each other for the first time ever, where Harvard won 4–0. At the first The Game (as the annual contest between Harvard and Yale came to be named) the future "father of American football" Walter Camp was among the 2000 spectators in attendance. Walter, a native of New Britain, Connecticut , would enroll at Yale
2856-548: A liking to the rugby game, and its use of the try which, until that time, was not used in American football. The try would later evolve into the score known as the touchdown . On June 4, 1875, Harvard faced Tufts University in the first game between two American colleges played under rules similar to the McGill/Harvard contest, which was won by Tufts 1–0. The rules included each side fielding 11 men at any given time,
3024-501: A new code of rules based on the rugby game first introduced to Harvard by McGill University in 1874. Three of the schools—Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton—formed the Intercollegiate Football Association, as a result of the meeting. Yale initially refused to join this association because of a disagreement over the number of players to be allowed per team (relenting in 1879) and Rutgers were not invited to
3192-433: A pass leading to a third touchdown. There was a brawl on the field just before the end of the first half; some said it was because of Texas taking cheap shots at Ernie Davis. The University of Texas president Logan Wilson called for an NCAA hearing on the fight after the game. Syracuse Athletic Director Lew Andreas asserted that no one from his university had accused Texas of dirty play, and attributed those claims to members of
3360-503: A player to pick up the ball and run with it whenever he wished. Another rule, unique to McGill, was to count tries (the act of grounding the football past the opposing team's goal line; there was no end zone during this time), as well as goals, in the scoring. In the Rugby rules of the time, a try only provided the attempt to kick a free goal from the field. If the kick was missed, the try did not score any points itself. Harvard quickly took
3528-552: A point, this time a Penn State win 31–30. The last four matchups (2016–2019), all victories for Penn State have seen the Nittany Lions outscore the Terrapins by a combined score of 201–20 (38–14, 66–3, 38–3, 59–0). The next matchup took place on November 12, 2022, at Beaver Stadium, with Penn State winning 30–0. Penn State leads the series 42–3–1 through the 2022 season. Since 1993, Penn State has played Michigan State for
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#17327720246823696-465: A professional roster spot as an undrafted free agent . Despite these opportunities, only around 1.6% of NCAA college football players end up playing professionally in the NFL. Even after the emergence of the professional National Football League (NFL), college football has remained extremely popular throughout the U.S. Although the college game has a much larger margin for talent than its pro counterpart,
3864-426: A record of 14–5 (.737) in "major" bowls and is the only coach to have won all five major college bowls during his career. James Franklin is the head coach of Penn State since the 2014 season. Penn State and Maryland met in briefly interrupted stretches between 1917 and 1993, with a near-consecutive run played all but three years (1976, 1981, and 1983) between 1960 and 1993. However, the one-sided record belies what
4032-510: A rougher version of football called "the Boston Game" in which the kicking of a round ball was the most prominent feature though a player could run with the ball, pass it, or dribble it (known as "babying"). The man with the ball could be tackled, although hitting, tripping, "hacking" and other unnecessary roughness was prohibited. There was no limit to the number of players, but there were typically ten to fifteen per side. A player could carry
4200-533: A round ball instead of a rugby-style oblong ball. This series of games represents an important milestone in the development of the modern game of American football. In October 1874, the Harvard team once again traveled to Montreal to play McGill in rugby, where they won by three tries. In as much as Rugby football had been transplanted to Canada from England, the McGill team played under a set of rules which allowed
4368-565: A run around end from his team's 5-yard line and down the open field. Alabama 's Tommy Lewis jumped off the bench and tackled Moegle. The referee, Cliff Shaw, saw what happened and signaled touchdown even though Moegle was "tackled" at the 42-yard line. The 1957 Classic matched the TCU Horned Frogs against the Jim Brown -led Syracuse Orangemen . Brown rushed for 135 yards, scored three touchdowns and kicked three extra points but
4536-615: A spot in the Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis against Big Ten West champion Wisconsin , which they won after trailing 28–14 in the first half. They outscored the Badgers 24–3 in the second half to take home the Nittany Lions' fourth Big Ten Title. On August 18, 2017, Penn State announced that Franklin signed a six-year contract extension worth $ 5.738 million a year. That deal includes retention bonuses paid at
4704-537: A team be required to advance the ball a minimum of five yards within three downs. These down-and-distance rules, combined with the establishment of the line of scrimmage, transformed the game from a variation of rugby football into the distinct sport of American football. Camp was central to several more significant rule changes that came to define American football. In 1881, the field was reduced in size to its modern dimensions of 120 by 53 1 ⁄ 3 yards (109.7 by 48.8 meters). Several times in 1883, Camp tinkered with
4872-470: A traditional opponent for the Nittany Lions, the two teams are still often considered among the best in the country, claim a combined 20 national titles, and have met in a bowl game three times. The series began on December 19, 1959, in that year's edition of the Liberty Bowl , a 7–0 win for No. 12 Penn State. Sixteen years later, the Nittany Lions and Crimson Tide met in the 1975 Sugar Bowl, resulting in
5040-512: A youth, he excelled in sports like track , baseball, and association football, and after enrolling at Yale in 1876, he earned varsity honors in every sport the school offered. Following the introduction of rugby-style rules to American football, Camp became a fixture at the Massasoit House conventions where rules were debated and changed. Dissatisfied with what seemed to him to be a disorganized mob, he proposed his first rule change at
5208-592: Is generally considered to be the second tier of American and Canadian football; ahead of high school competition , but below professional competition . In some parts of the United States, especially the South and Midwest , college football is more popular than professional football. For much of the 20th century, college football was generally considered to be more prestigious than professional football. The overwhelming majority of professional football players in
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5376-538: Is governed by U Sports for universities. The Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (for colleges) governs soccer and other sports but not gridiron football. Other countries, such as Mexico , Japan and South Korea , also host college football leagues with modest levels of support. Unlike most other major sports in North America , no official minor league farm organizations exist for American football or Canadian football . Therefore, college football
5544-469: Is talk of a potential neutral site matchup sometime in the future. The Nittany Lions and Panthers have met on the football field 100 times. Penn State holds a 10-win advantage in the series, 53–43–4, through the 2019 season. The rivalry started in 1922, when Syracuse fought Penn State to a scoreless tie. But it was during the 1950s and 1960s that the rivalry intensified, as it enjoyed a competitive and often controversial string of contests. Syracuse football
5712-633: Is tied at 18–18–1 through the 2022 season. The rivalry began before Penn State was a member of the Big Ten. Penn State won the first four meetings of the series, which were held between 1912 and 1964. Then Ohio State won in 1975 in a game held in Columbus, Ohio and again in 1976 during the first ever matchup between the two teams in State College, Pennsylvania. Penn State and Ohio State would meet again in 1980 in their first and only postseason bowl,
5880-684: Is widely regarded as having originated with a game played in Montreal, in 1865, when British Army officers played local civilians. The game gradually gained a following, and the Montreal Football Club was formed in 1868, the first recorded non-university football club in Canada. Early games appear to have had much in common with the traditional " mob football " played in Great Britain. The games remained largely unorganized until
6048-822: The Boston College Eagles 6–3, in the first and only appearance at the Cotton Bowl Classic by Tigers coach Frank Howard . Attendance at this game was given as 20,000. Later that year, a group of prominent Dallas citizens took over the staging of the game as the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. A few months later, the CBAA became an agency of the Southwest Conference . From 1941 to 1994, the SWC's champion hosted
6216-487: The College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954. Bob Higgins returned to his alma mater and served as Penn State's head football coach for 19 seasons . He compiled a 91–57–11 overall record, which included 11 winning seasons and only five losing seasons. Higgins' 1947 team tied SMU in the Cotton Bowl. Higgins was forced to retire due to poor health following the 1948 season. He was inducted into
6384-456: The College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954. For one season, Joe Bedenk , also a Penn State alum, served as the Nittany Lions' head football coach. He was promoted from offensive line coach after the retirement of his predecessor. Bedenk posted a 5–4 record in his 1949 , his lone season as head coach, before requesting to return to his previous post as offensive line coach. Rip Engle came to Penn State from Brown . Engle posted
6552-555: The Fighting Illini at home. Penn State won in rout 56–21 going to a 4–5 record. Penn State players voted to not accept a bowl invitation so their final record was 4–5. A major offseason change was replacing first-year offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca with Texas offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich . James Franklin is currently under a ten-year $ 75,000,000 contract (as of 2021). In 2021, Penn State improved upon its lackluster 2020 season going 7–6. The Nittany Lions finished
6720-572: The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic ; it was previously sponsored by Mobil (1989–1995) and Southwestern Bell Corporation/SBC Communications/ AT&T (1997–2014). Historically, the game hosted the champion of the Southwest Conference (SWC) against a team invited from elsewhere in the country, frequently a major independent or a runner-up from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Following the dissolution of
6888-500: The Land Grant Trophy . Penn State holds possession of the trophy after winning the 2022 contest. Beginning with the league's expansion and new division format in 2011, the two teams were in different divisions and did not play annually, however this series renewed in the 2014 season and continues yearly as they are both in the Big Ten's Eastern Division. Penn State has a 17–10 record in these trophy games. The all-time series
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7056-496: The Mason–Dixon line , began on November 6, 1893, at the inaugural game of Beaver Field in State College, and Penn State won the contest 32–0. The first two decades of the series was dominated by Penn State taking 12 of 15 matchups between 1893 and 1912. From 1913 to 1949 Pitt would hold a 26–6–2 advantage, before Rip Engle took over as head coach for Penn State in 1950. With Joe Paterno as an assistant coach, Engle led Penn State to
7224-666: The Michigan Wolverines . Penn State got its first victory of the season 27–17 going 1–5. Penn State took on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in Piscataway where they won again 23–7 thus giving them a 2–5 record. Penn State went home to take on the Michigan State . They trailed 10–21 at halftime but rallied back to win 39–24 getting a 3–5 record. For the Big Ten Championship week Penn State hosted
7392-518: The NFL and other leagues previously played college football. The NFL draft each spring sees 224 players selected and offered a contract to play in the league, with the vast majority coming from the NCAA . Other professional leagues, such as the CFL and UFL , additionally hold their own drafts each year which also see primarily college players selected. Players who are not selected can still attempt to obtain
7560-564: The Old Main lawn on campus in State College, Pennsylvania , before the 500-seat Beaver Field opened in 1893. He was succeeded by Samuel B. Newton , who posted a 12–14 (.462) record in three seasons, 1896–1898. Sam Boyle coached for only one year in 1899 and compiled a 4–6–1 record (.409). Pop Golden coached the Nittany Lions for three seasons from 1900 to 1902, tallying a record of 16–12–1 (.569). Daniel A. Reed took over for
7728-576: The Old Main lawn on campus in State College, Pennsylvania . They compiled a 12–8–1 record in these seasons, playing as an independent from 1887 to 1890. In 1891, the Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Football Association (PIFA) was formed. It consisted of Bucknell University , Dickinson College , Franklin & Marshall College , Haverford College , Penn State, and Swarthmore College . Lafayette College , and Lehigh University were excluded because it
7896-414: The Old Main lawn on campus in State College, Pennsylvania . They compiled a 12–8–1 record in these seasons, playing as an independent from 1887 to 1890. In 1891, the Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Football Association (PIFA) was formed. It consisted of Bucknell (University at Lewisburg), Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Haverford, Penn State and Swarthmore. Lafayette and Lehigh were excluded because it
8064-719: The Orange Bowl in 1968, 1969, 1973 and 2005; the Fiesta Bowl in 1977, 1980, 1981, 1986, 1991 and 1996; the Sugar Bowl in 1982; and the Rose Bowl in 1994. In June 1990, Penn State's athletics program, after a century as a Division I-A independent, joined the Big Ten Conference . Beaver Stadium was expanded six times during Paterno's tenure. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and
8232-583: The rivalry with Pittsburgh . In 1987 , Coach Dick MacPherson finally led Syracuse to a resounding 48–21 victory over the Nittany Lions in the Carrier Dome . Syracuse won again the following year in Happy Valley but lost the last two games before the series was suspended in 1991 . The rivalry has since been renewed three times since the series suspension — in 2008, 2009, and 2013. The Nittany Lions won all three of these contests. Penn State leads
8400-545: The "Ice Bowl." LSU got the better of Arkansas most of the game, but the game truly belonged to the weatherman. In 1948 Penn State , in a bowl game for the first time in 25 years, played Dallas' SMU to a 13–13 tie. Because none of the Dallas hotels would provide accommodations for the two African-American members of the Penn State team, the Penn State team ended up staying at a Naval Air Station 14 miles from Dallas. This
8568-442: The 1892 season. Penn State then played as an independent again until joining the Big Ten Conference in 1990 and beginning play in 1993. Penn State then won its first Big Ten championship in 1994 , they won two more in 2005 and 2008 , and they won a fourth under James Franklin in 2016. † Co-champions † Co-champions Before the 2006 season, Beaver Stadium was updated and seasons of note were honored by being listed in front of
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#17327720246828736-475: The 1903 season and went 5–3 (.625). Tom Fennell coached the Nittany Lions for five seasons from 1904 to 1908, posting a 33–17–1 (.657) record. In 1907 the school adopted the Nittany Lion mascot, a mountain lion named after nearby Mount Nittany . An early mascot was "Old Coaly", a mule that hauled stone for the original Old Main (completed in 1863 and demolished in 1929). Bill Hollenback took over
8904-514: The 1980 Fiesta Bowl, which Penn State won. After the Fiesta Bowl, the two teams would not meet again until Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993. Since then, the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes have played each other annually. Ohio State leads the series 25–14 through the 2024 season. This is a long-standing series between in-state rivals Penn State and Pittsburgh . The rivalry, once one of the fiercest and most important in college football north of
9072-454: The 1980s, many SWC teams were left ineligible for postseason play due to NCAA probations for rule violations. Also, the conference's quality of play suffered a marked decline. The SWC champion lost the last seven times in which it received an automatic bid to the game, and the last national champion for almost four decades to play in the Cotton Bowl Classic was Notre Dame in 1977 (eventual national champions Alabama and Clemson would later play in
9240-595: The 1982 and 1986 championships under Joe Paterno's tenure, both of which are consensus national championships. Historically, Penn State played as an independent from 1887 through 1890, then in 1891 as a member of the Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Football Association Penn State won the PIFA championship with a 4–1–0 PIFA record, losing only to Bucknell (Bucknell's record was 3–1–1). The PIFA dissolved prior to
9408-401: The 19th century, when intramural games of football began to be played on college campuses. Each school played its own variety of football. Princeton University students played a game called "ballown" as early as 1820. In 1827, a Harvard tradition known as "Bloody Monday" began, which consisted of a mass ballgame between the freshman and sophomore classes. In 1860, both the town police and
9576-587: The 2000 Classic. The Arkansas Razorbacks , now a member of the SEC (as of 1992), and Texas Longhorns, now a member of the Big XII (as of 1996) faced off in the first college football game of the last year of the 20th Century. After a lackluster first half ended with the game tied 3–3, the Razorbacks opened things up, led by Offensive MVP running back Cedric Cobbs . Arkansas beat their former hated rival, 27–6, holding
9744-562: The AP and UPI (Coaches) polls national titles before the bowl games (which was standard at that time), Arkansas still had a chance to claim a share of the national championship with a victory over Nebraska. After a hard-fought defensive battle, the Hogs prevailed 10–7. That victory, coupled with an Alabama loss in the Orange Bowl to Texas (a team Arkansas defeated in Austin, Texas.), gave Arkansas
9912-530: The BCS and ESPN had forestalled any possibility of the Cotton Bowl Classic joining the BCS until 2015 at the earliest. Later findings that the Fiesta Bowl reimbursed employees more than $ 46,000 for political contributions could have opened the door for the Cotton Bowl to replace the Fiesta in the BCS bowl rotation; however, the Fiesta Bowl did not lose its BCS rotation. In the 2010 Cotton Bowl Classic played between
10080-440: The BCS in 2011. The Cotton Bowl had recently been remodeled and expanded to over 92,000 seats as part of a long-term drive to regain major status for the bowl game. However, Dallas' frequently cold January weather had been a longstanding concern, and was thought to have hampered any prospect of upgrading the game to the BCS. In contrast, the new stadium would offer top amenities and a retractable roof. A new four-year agreement between
10248-791: The Big 12 after the Bowl Alliance and its successor, the Bowl Championship Series –usually the championship game loser or a division runner-up. From 1996 to 1998, the other participant was either the champion of the Western Athletic Conference or the runner-up of the Pac-10 Conference . In 1996, the No. 5 BYU Cougars joined Notre Dame as the only programs outside of a major conference to play in
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#173277202468210416-489: The Big Ten Conference in 1993, the series was canceled. However, Maryland ended up joining the Big Ten as well, in 2014, reinstating the rivalry after more than 2 decades of being dormant. Maryland would win the first matchup by a point (20–19) after infamously declining to shake hands with Penn State captains at midfield during the coin toss at Beaver Stadium. The second meeting as conference foes would be played in Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium and would again be decided by
10584-500: The COVID-19 pandemic. Penn State lost 25–38. The Nittany Lions took on Maryland who they had not lost to since 2014. The Terrapins beat Penn State 19–35 in Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions traveled to Nebraska to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers where the Nittany Lions comeback fell short and lost 23–30. The Nittany Lions fought the Iowa Hawkeyes but lost 21–41 giving Penn State its first ever 0–5 start in its history. The Nittany Lions, determined to win, traveled to Ann Arbor to defeat
10752-416: The College of New Jersey, in the first collegiate football game . The game more closely resembled soccer than football as it is played in the 21st century. It was played with a round ball , and used a set of rules suggested by Rutgers captain William J. Leggett , based on The Football Association 's first set of rules , which were an early attempt by the former pupils of England's public schools, to unify
10920-417: The Cotton Bowl Classic was a 12–7 loss to Texas in 1962. The 2004 Cotton Bowl Classic would also be New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning 's last college football game. Manning led his team to beat Oklahoma State 31–28. The 2007 Cotton Bowl Classic was between Auburn Tigers and the Nebraska Cornhuskers ; Auburn won 17–14. In the 2008 Cotton Bowl Classic, Missouri 's running back Tony Temple broke
11088-429: The Cotton Bowl Classic. In 1943, The Texas Longhorns represented the SWC in their first ever bowl game against a highly ranked Georgia Tech team at the time. Prior to the game, sportswriters boasted that Texas did not belong in the same league as Georgia Tech. Texas proved the public wrong by defeating the Yellow Jackets 14–7 in what was mostly a defensive battle. This Cotton Bowl was the first bowl appearance for Texas as
11256-451: The Cotton Bowl after the 2015 and 2018 seasons, respectively). Finally, the Cotton Bowl Classic was played outdoors during cold weather on occasion (most notably the 1979 game). Meanwhile, the Fiesta Bowl , unhindered by conference tie-ins and played in generally warm weather, propelled itself to major-bowl status by attracting national championship contenders, most notably with its January 1987 matchup between Penn State and Miami . In
11424-404: The Cotton Bowl in the modern era, defeating the Kansas State Wildcats 19–15, winning an NCAA record 14th game, and finishing the season ranked fifth in the country with a 14–1 record. In 1999, the Cotton Bowl arranged for a team from the Southeastern Conference to be the Big 12 opponent, and Southwestern Bell (now AT&T) began sponsoring the event. More often than not, the SEC representative
11592-419: The Cotton Bowl stadium, the 8–4, No. 20 Ole Miss Rebels defeated the 11–1, No. 7 Texas Tech Red Raiders , 47–34. Tech quarterback Graham Harrell broke the NCAA record in this game for most touchdown passes thrown by anyone in Cotton Bowl Classic history. In 2010, the Cotton Bowl Classic moved to the new Cowboys Stadium (now AT&T Stadium) in Arlington, as part of a bid by bowl officials to make it part of
11760-566: The Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City to codify the first set of intercollegiate football rules. Before this meeting, each school had its own set of rules and games were usually played using the home team's own particular code. At this meeting, a list of rules, based more on the Football Association's rules than the rules of the recently founded Rugby Football Union , was drawn up for intercollegiate football games. Old "Football Fightum" had been resurrected at Harvard in 1872, when Harvard resumed playing football. Harvard, however, preferred to play
11928-400: The Grantland Rice Trophy emblematic of the national championship awarded by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA). In the 1966 game, Arkansas put its 22-game winning streak at risk playing LSU, who defeated the Razorbacks, 14–7. The 1967 game was moved to Saturday, December 31, 1966, due to the Dallas Cowboys hosting the NFL Championship Game at the stadium on New Year's Day,
12096-569: The Irish and quarterback Joe Montana roll to a 38–10 victory. The Irish vaulted from fifth to first in the final polls with the victory. The 1973 game featured Texas and Alabama once again playing in a bowl game. Alabama led 13–10 going into the 4th quarter when Texas quarterback, Alan Lowry, ran the bootleg to perfection and scrambled 32 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. Again, Texas defeated Alabama and Bear Bryant , 17–13. The 1976 Cotton Bowl showcased SWC co-Champ Arkansas against SEC stalwart Georgia. The Razorbacks had beaten No. 2 Texas A&M in
12264-479: The Lakewood area. "Woodrow" became the first high school ever to produce two Heisman winners. For 53 years, the SWC champion played as the home team in the Cotton Bowl Classic, a tie-in which continued through the 1994 season . Until the mid-1980s, the contest was almost universally counted as a major New Year's Day bowl. However, by the late 1980s, the Cotton Bowl Classic's prestige had fallen significantly. During
12432-531: The Longhorns a possible national title. The 1989 game between UCLA and Arkansas was highly publicized in the Dallas area because Bruin quarterback Troy Aikman was expected to be the top pick in the 1989 NFL draft ; the first pick was held by the Dallas Cowboys . Much was made of Cowboys longtime head coach Tom Landry watching Aikman practice at Texas Stadium , UCLA's practice facility for game preparation. Landry never got to draft Aikman, because he
12600-470: The Longhorns faced a highly talented Mississippi Rebels team. The game was a low scoring meeting that came down to the final quarter as Texas won 12–7. The 1963 game featured the returning Texas Longhorns and the LSU Tigers , who, like Mississippi, were from the SEC. Lynn Amedee 's 23-yard field goal gave the Tigers a 3–0 halftime lead after Texas had missed their own which led to an 80-yard drive. This
12768-676: The Longhorns to negative yards rushing, and sacking the Texas QB a bowl-record 8 times. The 2003 Cotton Bowl Classic saw a rematch between the Texas Longhorns and the LSU Tigers. LSU led at the half 17–7 however Roy Williams of Texas had a tremendous breakout in the second half to lead Texas to victory over the Tigers, 35–20. The 2004 Cotton Bowl Classic saw the return of the Mississippi Rebels , whose last appearance in
12936-544: The Longhorns up 14–10 with 2:05 remaining. Alabama's Joey Jones returned the ensuing kickoff to the Texas 38-yard line, and Tide quarterback Walter Lewis took over with 1:54 left. On the very next play, UT's William Graham picked off a Lewis pass at the one. The Longhorns took a safety to insure better field position and Texas once again stunned Alabama and the Bear with a 14–12 victory. The 1984 game featured No. 7 Georgia of
13104-479: The Longhorns would go on to appear in a record 22 Cotton Bowls, the most of any team. In 1946, Missouri was defeated by Texas , despite the 4th quarter work of freshman fullback Robert (Bob) Lee Clodfelter, who was to mature under Weeb Ewbank at Washington University in St. Louis the next three years. In 1947 LSU and Arkansas played in front of 38,000 people to a scoreless tie in what would later become known as
13272-735: The NCAA lifted Penn State's postseason ban and the Nittany Lions were bowl eligible. The Nittany Lions were named to the Pinstripe Bowl where they won against Boston College on December 27, 2014, at Yankee Stadium. To start off the 2015 season, Penn State lost to Temple 27–10, its first loss to the Owls since 1941. The loss was followed by victories against Buffalo , Rutgers , San Diego State , Army and Indiana . The Nittany Lions then lost to Ohio State 38–10 in Columbus before winning, 31–30, at Maryland . The victory against Maryland brought
13440-510: The NFL, are not permitted by the NCAA to be paid salaries. Colleges are only allowed to provide non-monetary compensation such as athletic scholarships that provide for tuition, housing, and books. With new bylaws made by the NCAA, college athletes can now receive "name, image, and likeness" (NIL) deals, a way to get sponsorships and money before their pro debut. Modern North American football has its origins in various games, all known as "football", played at public schools in Great Britain in
13608-512: The National Championship Foundation which are recognized by the NCAA . Head coach Dick Harlow brought a new form of defense, trying to go in-between or around offensive blockers rather than try to overpower them. Harlow's Nittany Lions compiled a 20–8 (.714) record in his three seasons (1915–1917) and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach for his accomplishments. Hugo Bezdek
13776-447: The Nittany Lions as head coach for the 1909 season and went undefeated at 5–0–2, but left for Missouri for 1910. Bill's older brother Jack Hollenback took over for the 1910 season and went 5–2–1 (.688), but Bill returned to Penn State from 1911 to 1914. Bill went 23–9–2 in his second tenure for a combined record of 28–9–4 (.732). In 1911 and 1912, his teams went 8–0–1 and 8–0 and were awarded retroactive national championships by
13944-864: The Nittany Lions have achieved numerous on-field successes, including two consensus national championships in 1982 and 1986 , four Big Ten Conference Championships in 1994, 2005, 2008, and 2016, 13 undefeated seasons in 1887, 1894, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1920, 1921, 1947, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1986 and 1994, and 53 appearances in college bowl games , with an all-time post-season bowl record of 31–20–2. The team ranks seventh among NCAA Division I college football programs in all-time total wins. The Nittany Lions play their home games at Beaver Stadium , located on-campus in University Park, Pennsylvania . The first recorded game in Penn State football history occurred on November 12, 1881, when Penn State traveled to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania to play Bucknell , known until 1886 as
14112-524: The Nittany Lions to six wins, making them bowl eligible for the second year since the postseason ban was lifted. Penn State then shut out the Illinois 39–0 in the second to last home game of the 2015 season. They then lost to Michigan in Happy Valley 28–16 and to Michigan State 55–16 at MSU. The win–loss record for Penn State in the 2015 regular season was 7–5, and 7–6 after a loss to Georgia in
14280-756: The North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, North Carolina . On November 13, 1887, the Virginia Cavaliers and Pantops Academy fought to a scoreless tie in the first organized football game in the state of Virginia . Students at UVA were playing pickup games of the kicking-style of football as early as 1870, and some accounts even claim that some industrious ones organized a game against Washington and Lee College in 1871, just two years after Rutgers and Princeton's historic first game in 1869. But no record has been found of
14448-592: The Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Ole Miss Rebels at the new Cowboys Stadium, the Rebels shut down the high scoring Cowboys offense to win the 74th annual Cotton Bowl Classic 21–7. College football NAIA : NJCAA : College football ( French : football universitaire ) is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur student-athletes at universities and colleges. It
14616-473: The SEC against undefeated No. 2 Texas of the SWC. Texas led 9–3 with more than four minutes to play in a battle of field goals between Georgia's Kevin Butler and Texas' Jeff Ward. A Chip Andrews (Georgia) punt was muffed by Texas defensive back Craig Curry late in the fourth quarter, then Georgia quarterback John Lastinger ran 17 yards for a touchdown with 3:22 left to play to capture a 10–9 victory, costing
14784-661: The SWC in 1996, the game hosted a runner-up from the Big 12 Conference , facing an SEC team from 1999 to 2014. The Cotton Bowl Classic has served as one of six bowls in the College Football Playoff (CFP) since the 2014 season; it hosted a national semifinal following the 2015, 2018 and 2021 seasons. With the expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams in 2024, the Cotton Bowl Classic will become an annual feature of that playoff, along with
14952-648: The Taxslayer Bowl in Jacksonville. The 2016 season featured an upset over No. 2 Ohio State during a "White-Out" in State College . Following the win, Penn State was ranked 24th in the AP Poll, its first ranking since 2011. Penn State finished the regular season 10–2, 8–1 in Big Ten play. After winning a tiebreaker against rivals Ohio State , Penn State went on to claim the Big Ten East title and
15120-707: The Tide. After the Aggies defeated the Tide 20–16, Bryant embraced Stallings and carried him off the field. In 1969, Texas was off and running with its new offensive formation, the Wishbone. After dismantling all opponents of the 1968 season, Texas won the SWC crown again and this time faced the Tennessee Volunteers, in what was a lopsided win for Texas with almost 400 rushing yards. Texas won 36–13. The 1970 game featured Notre Dame 's return to bowl games after
15288-765: The University at Lewisburg. Penn State won 9–0, which was nine goals to none. At the time, this was really a game of "American rugby". The father of American football, Walter Camp, did not develop the "scrimmage", the "first down" and the "gridiron" (yard markings) until 1882. Although this game was reported in two State College newspapers and the Mirror (University at Lewisburg campus newspaper), Bucknell denies that this game ever happened. Penn State did not field teams from 1882 through 1886. Penn State played its first season in 1887, but had no head coach for their first five years, from 1887 to 1891. The teams played its home games on
15456-560: The ball only when being pursued. As a result of this, Harvard refused to attend the rules conference organized by Rutgers, Princeton and Columbia at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City on October 20, 1873, to agree on a set of rules and regulations that would allow them to play a form of football that was essentially Association football; and continued to play under its own code. While Harvard's voluntary absence from
15624-425: The ball was advanced by kicking or carrying it, and tackles of the ball carrier stopped play – actions of which have carried over to the modern version of football played today Harvard later challenged its closest rival, Yale, to which the Bulldogs accepted. The two teams agreed to play under a set of rules called the "Concessionary Rules", which involved Harvard conceding something to Yale's soccer and Yale conceding
15792-473: The bench seating). This allows them to seat more fans in a given amount of space than the typical professional stadium, which tends to have more features and comforts for fans. Only three stadiums owned by U.S. colleges or universities, L&N Stadium at the University of Louisville , Center Parc Stadium at Georgia State University , and FAU Stadium at Florida Atlantic University , consist entirely of chair back seating. College athletes, unlike players in
15960-563: The best position to compete on the field and in life." In addition to the guaranteed money, Franklin's contract extension has incentives including $ 800,000 for a national title, $ 400,000 for a College Football Playoff appearance and $ 350,000 for winning the Big Ten Championship Game. His incentives are capped at $ 1 million per year. Penn State went to 7–0 to begin the 2017 season, before losing on consecutive weekends to Ohio State and Michigan State . Penn State finished
16128-426: The bowl game rushing record by gaining 281 yards on 24 carries. (The record was previously held by Rice's Dickey Maegle, who had rushed for 265 yards.) Missouri beat Arkansas 38–7. In April 2008, Cotton Bowl Classic officials announced that in 2009 and 2010 the game would be moved from its traditional start time of 10 a.m. CST on January 1 to 1 p.m. CST on January 2. In the final Cotton Bowl Classic game to be held in
16296-474: The center. Later changes made it possible to snap the ball with the hands, either through the air or by a direct hand-to-hand pass. Rugby league followed Camp's example, and in 1906 introduced the play-the-ball rule, which greatly resembled Camp's early scrimmage and center-snap rules. In 1966, rugby league introduced a four-tackle rule (changed in 1972 to a six-tackle rule) based on Camp's early down-and-distance rules. Camp's new scrimmage rules revolutionized
16464-563: The city of New Haven , banned the play of all forms of football in 1860. American football historian Parke H. Davis described the period between 1869 and 1875 as the 'Pioneer Period'; the years 1876–93 he called the 'Period of the American Intercollegiate Football Association'; and the years 1894–1933 he dubbed the "Period of Rules Committees and Conferences". On November 6, 1869, Rutgers University faced Princeton University , then known as
16632-489: The college authorities agreed the Bloody Monday had to go. Harvard students responded by going into mourning for a mock figure called "Football Fightum", for whom they conducted funeral rites. The authorities held firm, and it was another dozen years before football was once again played at Harvard. Dartmouth played its own version called " Old division football ", the rules of which were first published in 1871, though
16800-575: The door open for Illinois to eventually score and win the game. The Nittany Lions' only subsequent wins came against Maryland (31–14) and Rutgers (28–0). They closed out the 2021 season playing Arkansas at the Outback Bowl, losing the game 24–10. Penn State has a strong 2022 campaign losing to only Michigan and Ohio State and defeating Pac 12 champion Utah in the 2023 Rose Bowl. Penn State has also been named national champions on seven occasions by NCAA-designated major selectors. Penn State claims
16968-427: The end of each year of the contract. "My family and I are very thankful to be a part of the Penn State community," Franklin said in a statement. "I am pleased with the progress our program has made in the community, in the classroom and on the field. I look forward to diligently working with President Barron and Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour on implementing a plan that puts our University and our student-athletes in
17136-472: The final time that Bear Bryant would face the Longhorns. Having lost to Texas in all meetings prior, Alabama went into the fourth quarter ahead 10–0 and it would appear that the Bear would finally get a win over Texas while at Alabama. But the Longhorns scored their first points with a quarterback draw by Robert Brewer on a 3rd-and-long with 10:38 remaining. On Texas' next possession, Terry Orr scored from eight yards out to cap an 11-play, 80-yard drive to put
17304-417: The final whistle, the students rushed the field. The Paternoville name continued after the game. Since the original "Paternoville", two other games have garnered comparable camp-outs. They were the 2005 game against the University of Wisconsin Badgers, which was Senior Day for the 2005 season, and the 2006 contest against University of Michigan Wolverines. However, students camp out for every game, not solely
17472-649: The first game in Virginia. On April 9, 1880, at Stoll Field , Transylvania University (then called Kentucky University) beat Centre College by the score of 13 + 3 ⁄ 4 –0 in what is often considered the first recorded game played in the South . The first game of "scientific football" in the South was the first instance of the Victory Bell rivalry between North Carolina and Duke (then known as Trinity College) held on Thanksgiving Day , 1888, at
17640-404: The first meeting he attended in 1878: a reduction from fifteen players to eleven. The motion was rejected at that time but passed in 1880. The effect was to open up the game and emphasize speed over strength. Camp's most famous change, the establishment of the line of scrimmage and the snap from center to quarterback , was also passed in 1880. Originally, the snap was executed with the foot of
17808-404: The first time. The Yale team was coached and captained by David Schley Schaff, who had learned to play football while attending Rugby School . Schaff himself was injured and unable to play the game, but Yale won the game 3–0 nonetheless. Later in 1872, Stevens Tech became the fifth school to field a team. Stevens lost to Columbia, but beat both New York University and City College of New York during
17976-454: The following year. By 1873, the college students playing football had made significant efforts to standardize their fledgling game. Teams had been scaled down from 25 players to 20. The only way to score was still to bat or kick the ball through the opposing team's goal, and the game was played in two 45-minute halves on fields 140 yards long and 70 yards wide. On October 20, 1873, representatives from Yale, Columbia, Princeton, and Rutgers met at
18144-431: The game dates to at least the 1830s. All of these games, and others, shared certain commonalities. They remained largely "mob" style games, with huge numbers of players attempting to advance the ball into a goal area, often by any means necessary. Rules were simple, and violence and injury were common. The violence of these mob-style games led to widespread protests and a decision to abandon them. Yale , under pressure from
18312-464: The game lost money even though some 17,000 attended. Nonetheless, Sanford persevered, and in 1938 the game made a profit as Rice defeated Byron White 's Colorado 28–14 in front of a crowd of 37,000. Some 40,000 attended the 1939 match between Saint Mary's College of California and Texas Tech , with the Gaels upsetting the undefeated Red Raiders 20–13. In 1940, an underdog Clemson team surprised
18480-404: The game, though not always as intended. Princeton, in particular, used scrimmage play to slow the game, making incremental progress towards the end zone during each down . Rather than increase scoring, which had been Camp's original intent, the rule was exploited to maintain control of the ball for the entire game, resulting in slow, unexciting contests. At the 1882 rules meeting, Camp proposed that
18648-545: The game. Three of the four Heisman Trophy winners from the 1984–87 seasons finished their college career in the Cotton Bowl Classic: Doug Flutie for Boston College in January 1985, Bo Jackson of Auburn in 1986, and Tim Brown of Notre Dame in 1988. Brown and fellow Heisman winner Davey O'Brien , who played in the 1937 Cotton Bowl, both attended nearby Woodrow Wilson High School in
18816-472: The last two decades of the 19th century. Several major rivalries date from this time period. November 1890 was an active time in the sport. In Baldwin City, Kansas , on November 22, 1890, college football was first played in the state of Kansas . Baker beat Kansas 22–9. On the 27th, Vanderbilt played Nashville (Peabody) at Athletic Park and won 40–0. It was the first time organized football played in
18984-502: The media. The issue was dropped shortly thereafter. In 1961, Davis became the first black athlete to win the Heisman Trophy , but died of leukemia before his pro career could begin. Duke defeated Arkansas 7–6 in the 1961 game. Duke scored with 2:45 remaining and recovered a fumble on the ensuing series to win the game. In 1962, Texas would again be selected to play in the Cotton Bowl after winning another SWC crown. This time
19152-498: The meeting made it hard for them to schedule games against other American universities, it agreed to a challenge to play the rugby team of McGill University , from Montreal , in a two-game series. It was agreed that two games would be played on Harvard's Jarvis baseball field in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 14 and 15, 1874: one to be played under Harvard rules, another under the stricter rugby regulations of McGill. Jarvis Field
19320-415: The meeting. The rules that they agreed upon were essentially those of rugby union at the time with the exception that points be awarded for scoring a try , not just the conversion afterwards ( extra point ). Incidentally, rugby was to make a similar change to its scoring system 10 years later. Walter Camp is widely considered to be the most important figure in the development of American football. As
19488-452: The mid-19th century. By the 1840s, students at Rugby School were playing a game in which players were able to pick up the ball and run with it, a sport later known as rugby football . The game was taken to Canada by British soldiers stationed there and was soon being played at Canadian colleges. The first documented gridiron football game was played at University College , a college of the University of Toronto , on November 9, 1861. One of
19656-589: The minds of many fans, the Fiesta replaced the Cotton as a major bowl. Despite this, the Cotton Bowl Classic still retained enough prestige that it was included as one of the top bowls in the Bowl Coalition when it was formed in 1992. However, in 1995, the new Bowl Alliance (the predecessor of the BCS) chose to include the Fiesta over the Cotton in its rotation. While it was still capable of landing Top 10 teams, it
19824-535: The most of any coach at any school. Under Paterno, Penn State played as an Independent from 1966 to 1992, and he continued to coach them when they joined the Big Ten Conference in 1993–2011. He also served as Penn State's athletic director from 1980 to 1982. His final record is 409–136–3. His teams won national championships in 1982 and 1986, posted non-losing records in all seasons but five, and appeared in 37 bowl games with 24 wins. His teams also won
19992-610: The most wins in FBS football (409). Following the Pennsylvania Attorney General's release of a grand jury summary of child sexual abuse charges involving former assistant Jerry Sandusky , the Penn State board of trustees fired Paterno in November 2011. Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley finished out the 2011 season as interim head coach after Paterno's ouster. In July 2012, the NCAA decided to vacate all of
20160-508: The naming, freshman Dan Clark and the other students camping with him created a banner reading "Paternoville". The name stuck, and on Wednesday morning, October 5, 2005, newspapers were already referring to the campsite as "Paternoville". State-wide, regional, and even national media outlets began paying attention to the show in front of Gate A. Local businesses printed t-shirts up for the students, brought truckloads of food, and distributed various things like magazines and small footballs to keep
20328-730: The nearest college to play football. It took place at Hamilton Park in New Haven and was the first game in New England. The game was essentially soccer with 20-man sides, played on a field 400 by 250 feet. Yale wins 3–0, Tommy Sherman scoring the first goal and Lew Irwin the other two. After the first game against Harvard, Tufts took its squad to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine for the first football game played in Maine . This occurred on November 6, 1875. Penn 's Athletic Association
20496-537: The next year, but this time, the Irish ended the Longhorns' 30-game winning streak with a 24–11 victory, denying Texas the Associated Press national championship (the Longhorns had already clinched the regular season championship in the UPI poll, a pre-bowl poll until the 1974 season; Nebraska won the AP title). Texas and Notre Dame met again in the 1978 game, with the Longhorns again top-ranked, only to see
20664-620: The next year. He was torn between an admiration for Harvard's style of play and the misery of the Yale defeat, and became determined to avenge Yale's defeat. Spectators from Princeton also carried the game back home, where it quickly became the most popular version of football. On November 23, 1876, representatives from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia met at the Massasoit House hotel in Springfield, Massachusetts to standardize
20832-650: The other New Year's Six bowls. Traditional conference tie-ins prior to 2024 will still try to be respected for the 2024 and 2025 seasons but are no longer obligated to be met. The winner of the Cotton Bowl is awarded the Field Scovell Trophy. The Cotton Bowl Classic was founded in Dallas in 1937 at the Texas State Fair Grounds , when Texas oil executive J. Curtis Sanford financed the first bowl game. Texas Christian and star quarterback Sammy Baugh took on Marquette , winning 16–6, but
21000-419: The participants in the game involving University of Toronto students was William Mulock , later chancellor of the school. A football club was formed at the university soon afterward, although its rules of play then are unclear. In 1864, at Trinity College , also a college of the University of Toronto, F. Barlow Cumberland and Frederick A. Bethune devised rules based on rugby football. Modern Canadian football
21168-486: The regular season with wins over Rutgers Nebraska and Maryland . Penn State capped the 2017 season at the Fiesta Bowl, beating Washington , 35–28. In 2018 the Lions went 9–4 with a loss to Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl. The 2019 season was spectacular for Penn State going 11–2 with the losses only to Minnesota by 26–31 and to Ohio State and beat American Athletic Conference Champion Memphis who at that time
21336-489: The rules of their various public schools. The game was played at a Rutgers Field in New Brunswick, New Jersey . Two teams of 25 players attempted to score by kicking the ball into the opposing team's goal. Throwing or carrying the ball was not allowed, but there was plenty of physical contact between players. The first team to reach six goals was declared the winner. Rutgers won by a score of six to four. A rematch
21504-625: The rules were changed to allow tackling below the waist, and in 1889, the officials were given whistles and stopwatches. After leaving Yale in 1882, Camp was employed by the New Haven Clock Company until his death in 1925. Though no longer a player, he remained a fixture at annual rules meetings for most of his life, and he personally selected an annual All-American team every year from 1889 through 1924. The Walter Camp Football Foundation continues to select All-American teams in his honor. College football expanded greatly during
21672-562: The rules were formulated before the game. Penn State Nittany Lions football The Penn State Nittany Lions team represents the Pennsylvania State University in college football . The Nittany Lions compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference , which they joined in 1993 after playing as an Independent from 1892 to 1992. Established in 1887,
21840-413: The same year Penn State football began competition in the Big Ten Conference, students were assigned seats on a first-come-first-serve basis, so that the first students to pass through "Gate A" at the south-east corner of the stadium would be assigned first row seats, and so on down the line. Since then, students have camped out in small to massive numbers in order to guarantee themselves a front row seat to
22008-591: The score of this contest. Washington and Lee also claims a 4 to 2 win over VMI in 1873. On October 18, 1888, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 6 to 4 in the first intercollegiate game in the state of North Carolina . On December 14, 1889, Wofford defeated Furman 5 to 1 in the first intercollegiate game in the state of South Carolina . The game featured no uniforms, no positions, and
22176-431: The scoring rules, finally arriving at four points for a touchdown, two points for kicks after touchdowns , two points for safeties, and five for field goals . Camp's innovations in the area of point scoring influenced rugby union's move to point scoring in 1890. In 1887, game time was set at two-halves of 45 minutes each. Also in 1887, two paid officials—a referee and an umpire —were mandated for each game. A year later,
22344-400: The season unranked and with a 4–5 Big Ten Conference record. They went 2–3 on the road while maintaining a winning 5–2 record at Beaver Stadium . The season started strong on September 4, 2021, when Penn State defeated the #12 ranked Wisconsin Badgers football team. They won their next 4 games including a 28–20 win over the #22 Auburn Tigers football team. Then they began to struggle after
22512-419: The second. Engle retired following the 1965 season and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1973. Penn State assistant Joe Paterno was promoted to head coach following the retirement of Engle. Paterno spent 46 seasons as the head football coach, the longest tenure of any head coach in the FBS, and 16 more seasons as an assistant, making his 62 total years coaching at Penn State
22680-435: The series 10–5 with the last game played in 2011. This White Out tradition dates back to a student section white out in 2004 (against Purdue) and has become one of the most eagerly anticipated games during the football season. In recent years, Penn State students have donned white clothes, paint - anything white - to show their solidarity and support for the Nittany Lions. Forming a mass of bouncing and infectious enthusiasm,
22848-490: The series 43–23–5 with the most recent game played in 2013. Penn State and West Virginia have played each other 59 times. The first game was in 1904 when Penn State won that game 34–0. The two teams announced on September 19, 2013, that a home and home series has been scheduled for 2023 and 2024. This series has been dominated by the Nittany Lions who lead the series 50–9–2. Though the Crimson Tide are not as much of
23016-427: The sheer number of fans following major colleges provides a financial equalizer for the game, with Division I programs – the highest level – playing in huge stadiums, six of which have seating capacity exceeding 100,000 people. In many cases, college stadiums employ bench-style seating, as opposed to individual seats with backs and arm rests (although many stadiums do have a small number of chair back seats in addition to
23184-487: The state of Tennessee . The 29th also saw the first instance of the Army–Navy Game . Navy won 24–0. Rutgers was first to extend the reach of the game. An intercollegiate game was first played in the state of New York when Rutgers played Columbia on November 2, 1872. It was also the first scoreless tie in the history of the fledgling sport. Yale football starts the same year and has its first match against Columbia,
23352-599: The students have "Whited Out" Beaver Stadium, the Bryce Jordan Center and other sports venues, making them some of the noisiest and most intimidating stadiums in America. Beano Cook of ESPN says, "If you aren't impressed with the White Out, you're probably one of those people who think the moon landing was faked." Originally named "Paternoville", Nittanyville is a student camp out that occurs every week of
23520-432: The students occupied. Throughout the week, players, coaches, and many alumni and media personalities paid visits to Paternoville. On Friday, ESPN's "Cold Pizza" morning show was broadcast from in front of the Bryce Jordan Center, across from the stadium, with some of the cast walking through Paternoville interviewing students and taping their activities, despite the constant drizzle. The next day, ESPN's College Gameday also
23688-489: The suite façade. The following seasons are highlighted; Penn State has earned invitations to 53 bowl games . The Nittany Lions have compiled a bowl record of 31–20–2 (.604), including a 17–7–1 (.700) record in the major bowls (Rose, Orange, Sugar, Fiesta, and Cotton). Coach Joe Paterno was responsible for most of these bids and victories, compiling more appearances (37) than any other coach in college football en route to his bowl record of 24–12–1 (.662). Paterno also has
23856-422: The team's wins from 1998 to 2011. Paterno's statue outside Beaver Stadium was also taken down. The revised record dropped Paterno from first to twelfth on the all-time wins list, but on January 16, 2015, the NCAA restored Paterno's vacated wins, and thus his record as the winningest FBS football coach. To many he is "The best Penn State head coach ever." New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien
24024-466: The two schools organized a game for October 23, 1869, but it was rained out. Students of the University of Virginia were playing pickup games of the kicking-style of football as early as 1870, and some accounts even claim it organized a game against Washington and Lee College in 1871; but no record has been found of the score of this contest. Due to scantiness of records of the prior matches some will claim Virginia v. Pantops Academy November 13, 1887, as
24192-642: The undefeated Maryland Terrapins. Houston won 30–21, handing the Terps their only loss of the year. The 1979 Cotton Bowl Classic , nicknamed the Chicken Soup Game, featured one of the most historic comebacks in bowl history. Notre Dame trailed Houston 34–12 midway through the fourth quarter. Thanks to a blocked punt and the brilliance of future NFL Hall of Famer Joe Montana , the Irish rallied to win 35–34, their second consecutive Cotton Bowl Classic victory. The 1982 game between Texas and Alabama would be
24360-525: Was 12–1. Penn State beat Memphis 53–39 in the Cotton Bowl. The 2020 season was James Franklin 's first losing season with the Nittany Lions. They started off the season with COVID-19 pandemic spring cancelations. Penn State traveled to Bloomington to take on Indiana where they lost in overtime 35–36 with Michael Penix Jr. 's pendulum touch two-point conversion winning the Game for Indiana . The Nittany Lions took on Ohio State at home with no whiteout due to
24528-412: Was Penn State's head football coach for 12 seasons and was the Nittany Lions' first athletics director. Bezdek posted a 65–30–11 record, which included two undefeated seasons and a berth in the 1922 Rose Bowl, a game they lost. Bezdek's Nittany Lions posted a losing record in only two of Bezdek's seasons, going 1–2–1 in 1918 and 3–5–1 in 1928. Bezdek retired after the 1929 season and was inducted into
24696-579: Was a major reason why the longtime rule of waiting until retirement to be inducted into the Hall of Fame was changed to any coach over 75 years of age. Players including Kerry Collins , Charlie Zapiec , Matt Millen , Shane Conlan , Jack Ham , Dennis Onkotz , Franco Harris , Greg Buttle , Keith Dorney , John Cappelletti , Curt Warner , Larry Johnson , LaVar Arrington and Ted Kwalick played collegiately for him. He won numerous coaching and sportsman honors during his long run at Penn State. Paterno has
24864-473: Was also the first time one team scored over 100 points and the opposing team was shut out. The next week, Princeton outscored Lafayette 140 to 0. The first intercollegiate game in the state of Vermont happened on November 6, 1886, between Dartmouth and Vermont at Burlington, Vermont . Dartmouth won 91 to 0. Penn State played its first season in 1887, but had no head coach for their first five years, from 1887 to 1891. The teams played its home games on
25032-512: Was at the time a patch of land at the northern point of the Harvard campus, bordered by Everett and Jarvis Streets to the north and south, and Oxford Street and Massachusetts Avenue to the east and west. Harvard beat McGill in the "Boston Game" on the Thursday and held McGill to a 0–0 tie on the Friday. The Harvard students took to the rugby rules and adopted them as their own, The games featured
25200-553: Was branded the Keystone Classic in 2016, which saw Pitt hold on for a thrilling 42–39 victory fending off a fierce fourth quarter comeback that fell short on an interception late in the 4th quarter. The Nittany Lions would take the final three games, winning 33–13 in 2017, 51–6 in 2018, and most recently 17–10 in Beaver Stadium in 2019. There are no future games scheduled between the two schools, although there
25368-555: Was broadcast in front of the Bryce Jordan Center, hours before the showdown between the cross-border rivals. Before noon, the tents were packed away and hundreds of students began to line up for entry into the stadium. That night, in a historic game, the Nittany Lions upset the No. 6 ranked Buckeyes 17–10 in front of a crowd of almost 110,000. The game being decided on a fumble by Ohio State quarterback and future Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, caused by Penn State defensive end Tamba Hali and recovered by defensive tackle Scott Paxson. After
25536-544: Was felt they would dominate the Association. Penn State won the championship with a 4–1–0 record. Bucknell's record was 3–1–1 (losing to Franklin & Marshall and tying Dickinson). The Association was dissolved prior to the 1892 season. George W. Hoskins was the first head football coach at Penn State. He posted a 17–4–4 record in his from 1892 to 1895 as head coach, and his .760 winning percentage ranks highest in program history. His first team played its home game on
25704-478: Was felt they would dominate the Association. Penn State won the championship with a 4–1–0 record. Bucknell's record was 3–1–1 (losing to Franklin & Marshall and tying Dickinson). The Association was dissolved prior to the 1892 season. The first nighttime football game was played in Mansfield, Pennsylvania on September 28, 1892, between Mansfield State Normal and Wyoming Seminary and ended at halftime in
25872-421: Was fired the next month, but his successor, Jimmy Johnson , did. UCLA and Aikman won, 17–3. The Cotton Bowl Classic has seen its share of great quarterbacks. Sammy Baugh , Davey O'Brien , Babe Parilli , Bobby Layne , Norm Van Brocklin , Y. A. Tittle , Bart Starr , Roger Staubach , Ken Stabler , Joe Theismann , Joe Montana , Dan Marino , Doug Flutie , Troy Aikman , and Eli Manning all have played in
26040-409: Was hired as the 15th head football coach at Penn State, taking over the Nittany Lions football program in January 2012. Early in O'Brien's tenure, the NCAA sanctioned Penn State with a four-season postseason ban and a loss of 40 scholarships due to the child sex abuse scandal. O'Brien posted an 8–4 record in his first season as head coach of the Nittany Lions. O'Brien's 2013 Nittany Lions team posted
26208-424: Was led by Ben Schwartzwalder , and Penn State by Rip Engle , then Joe Paterno . From 1950 to 1970 , Syracuse won 11 games to Penn State's 10. After Schwartzwalder retired in 1973 , Syracuse floundered. Penn State won 16 straight from 1971 to 1986 . Conference realignment and scheduling disagreements also dampened the intensity of the rivalry. Penn State fans and players increasingly turned their attention to
26376-562: Was looking to pick "a twenty" to play a game of football against Columbia. This "twenty" never played Columbia, but did play twice against Princeton. Princeton won both games 6 to 0. The first of these happened on November 11, 1876, in Philadelphia and was the first intercollegiate game in the state of Pennsylvania . Brown entered the intercollegiate game in 1878. The first game where one team scored over 100 points happened on October 25, 1884, when Yale routed Dartmouth 113–0. It
26544-414: Was no longer in a position to decide the national championship. In 18 of the 21 seasons since 1995, the Cotton Bowl has featured two ranked opponents. In the other three seasons, one of the teams was ranked (2002, 2003, and 2010). In 1995, the SWC gave up control of the Cotton Bowl Classic as part of its planned dissolution after the season. From 1999 to 2014, the Cotton Bowl Classic had the second pick from
26712-409: Was often a competitive matchup until its final years. While Maryland only compiled one win and one tie, numerous games were narrowly lost by missed field goals and turnovers . In 1975, a field goal attempt by kicker Mike Sochko hit the upright with under a minute left, and Maryland lost 15–13. Ten years later, the Terps missed three field goals to eventually lose 20–18. After the Nittany Lions' move to
26880-542: Was played at Princeton a week later under Princeton's own set of rules (one notable difference was the awarding of a "free kick" to any player that caught the ball on the fly, which was a feature adopted from The Football Association's rules; the fair catch kick rule has survived through to modern American game). Princeton won that game by a score of 8 – 0. Columbia joined the series in 1870 and by 1872 several schools were fielding intercollegiate teams, including Yale and Stevens Institute of Technology . Columbia University
27048-559: Was played six weeks after the assassination of John F. Kennedy (coincidentally, a retired Naval officer) in Dallas. The 1964 game is the second bowl game in college football history to pair the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation (the 1963 Rose Bowl being the first). In 1965, the Arkansas Razorbacks took an undefeated record (10–0) into the Classic versus a 9–1 Nebraska Cornhuskers team. Although Alabama had been awarded
27216-549: Was the 1881 Michigan team , which played at Harvard, Yale and Princeton. The nation's first college football league, the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives (also known as the Western Conference), a precursor to the Big Ten Conference , was founded in 1895. Led by coach Fielding H. Yost , Michigan became the first "western" national power. From 1901 to 1905, Michigan had
27384-489: Was the first field goal in the Classic since 1942. Amedee recovered a Longhorn fumble at the 37 early in the third quarter and Jimmy Field scored 5 plays later on a touchdown run. Buddy Hamic recovered a Longhorn fumble to set up an Amedee field goal 13 plays later as the Tigers shut the Longhorns out. In 1964, No. 1 Texas completed an undefeated season by defeating No. 2 Navy (led by Heisman Trophy winner and future Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach ). The game
27552-656: Was the first game west of the Mississippi River . November 30, 1905, saw Chicago defeat Michigan 2 to 0. Dubbed "The First Greatest Game of the Century", it broke Michigan's 56-game unbeaten streak and marked the end of the "Point-a-Minute" years. Organized collegiate football was first played in the state of Virginia and the south on November 2, 1873, in Lexington between Washington and Lee and VMI . Washington and Lee won 4–2. Some industrious students of
27720-486: Was the first interracial game played at the Cotton Bowl Stadium . The 1953 Cotton Bowl would be a rematch of the 1951 bowl game as Texas and Tennessee played for the second time. Texas defensive stars shut out the Vols 16–0 as the Longhorns avenged the previous meeting when Tennessee beat Texas 20–14. The 1954 Cotton Bowl Classic featured one of the most famous plays in college football history. Rice 's Dickey Moegle (last name spelling later changed to "Maegle") began
27888-461: Was the runner-up from the West Division. However, Tennessee appeared in 2001 and 2005, and Missouri appeared in 2014. Through 2008, the Cotton Bowl Classic continued to be played on New Year's Day (except in 2004 and 2006, when the game was moved to January 2) and was usually the second game of the day to kick off, generally following the Outback Bowl . This decade was kicked off in grand fashion, as two former Southwest Conference rivals faced off in
28056-488: Was the third school to field a team. The Lions traveled from New York City to New Brunswick on November 12, 1870, and were defeated by Rutgers 6 to 3. The game suffered from disorganization and the players kicked and battled each other as much as the ball. Later in 1870, Princeton and Rutgers played again with Princeton defeating Rutgers 6–0. This game's violence caused such an outcry that no games at all were played in 1871. Football came back in 1872, when Columbia played Yale for
28224-420: Was through collegiate competition that gridiron football first gained popularity in the United States . Like gridiron football generally, college football is most popular in the United States and Canada. While no single governing body exists for college football in the United States, most schools, especially those at the highest levels of play, are members of the NCAA . In Canada, collegiate football competition
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