The Cotton Bowl was used by Southern Methodist from 1932-1978, and again from 1995-1999; it replaced their usage of Ownby Stadium both times. The Mustangs replaced it with Gerald J. Ford Stadium in 2000.

Overall, NC State had a record of 0-1 at this field.

  * Non-conference games

Athletics have been taking place on the grounds of the current Cotton Bowl since the State Fairgrounds in Dallas opened for the first time in 1886; originally, the spot was used as a horse race track. Though details on the exact location of structures from the 1886 fair are scarce, I've found nothing to suggest that the original grandstands moved any time between the first year and 1902, when the entire fair grounds burnt down, and pictures from the 1900 fair, juxtaposed with similar fire maps, indicate it was in approximately the same location as the current Cotton Bowl [1] [2].

The first evidence of football on the fair grounds was on October 12th, 1907, when Texas and Texas A&M played on Gaston Park, a baseball diamoned located just southweset of the racetrack that stood from 1906 until 1915 [3]. Much of the earliest football games on the grounds definitely took place on this field, including the 1912 and 1914 editions of the Red River Rivalry [4]. The first match I've found to specifically say it was played on Fair Park Field, the name of the race track, was the game on Halloween 1914 between Texas A&M and LSU; it was definitely played at the race track, as post-game reports noted that "The grounds were very hard from the tramp of soldiery in the military maneuvers at the state fair," while another article notes that the soldiers pitched camp "on the infield of the race track" [5].

After Gaston Park was torn down in 1915, it appears as if all of the football games at Fair Park were held in the race track, which increasingly came to be called Fair Park Field or Stadium. In 1921, the original stands were torn down to make way for a wooden stadium. In 1930, however, the wooden grandstands and bleachers were torn down to make way for a new bowl which bore the same name, increasing the capacity from about 12-15,000 to 45,507 [8]. The new bowl was expected to have 46 rows of seats and a playing field 18 feet below ground level, with a similar design to the Rose Bowl and Georgia's Sanford Stadium [6]. It was renamed the Cotton Bowl by fair officials in January 1936 when plans emerged to hold a post-season game of the same name [7].

The stadium was expanded in 1948 with the addition of a west deck, and a matching deck was added to the east side the following year, allowing capacities of 67,000 and 75,504. In 1968, the bleachers were replaced with seat-back chairs, lowering the capacity to 72,032. From 1993 to 1994, the stadium was renovated fairly heavily for the first time in decades in order to host the World Cup soccer matches. The renovations replaced the stadium's astroturf, which it had used since 1970, with natural grass, and also included the removal of some seats to make room for a regulation soccer pitch; this lowered the capacity to 71,615. I haven't been able to figure out what work happened, but the bowl apparently shrank to 68,252 seats in 1996. In 2008, the two upper decks were connected, bringing the venue's total seating to 92,100 [8] [9].

Now, the venue continues to host football action, though only as a neutral site venue. Each fall, it hosts the State Fair Classic (between Prairie View A&M and Grambling State) and the Red River Rivalry (between Oklahoma and Texas). In spring 2024, renovations focusing on the fan-experience were initiated, increasing accesibility, widening concourses, improving the bathrooms, concessions areas, and press box, and improving the WiFi at the stadium. Work was notably not expected to interrupt the 2024 State Fair of Texas, and the project is expected to conclude ahead of the 2025 fair [16].

Pictures of Cotton Bowl