ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas A&M and Arkansas are renewing their rivalry and their ties to the Dallas area.
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A series that dates to 1903 but has been dormant for 17 years will be revived at the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium when it opens in 2009. The schools came to the construction site Monday to announce a 10-year contract with rollover clauses that could keep the neutral site game going at least 30 years.
The contract doesn't mean that Oklahoma State and Texas Tech won't be able to play at the new stadium in Arlington. The schools have been negotiating, but no details have been announced.
"We're still talking about it. We'd like to make a decision one way or another sooner rather than later,” OSU athletic director Mike Holder said. "It's taken longer to get a consensus than I had anticipated.”
The Aggies and Razorbacks played every year when they were Southwest Conference rivals, and every other season they would face SMU in Dallas, home to a strong alumni base for both schools.
The first break in those bonds came in 1991, when Arkansas left the SWC for the Southeastern Conference, losing to Texas A&M 13-3 in College Station on the way out. Five years later, the SWC broke up, removing SMU from the Aggies' schedule.
For both programs, the bonds will be re-established on Oct. 3, 2009, in the $1 billion palace being built by Cowboys owner and Arkansas alum Jerry Jones.
"We hope it lasts for a long, long time,” said Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long.
"One of the things that's extremely important for us … is to get back into Texas in recruiting,” said Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino, whose new school leads the A&M series 38-24-3. "This will certainly help us to be able to go into young men's houses and tell them they'll be able to come every year to Dallas and play in the best football stadium in the United States.”
The Cotton Bowl, which is also moving to the new Cowboys stadium from the east Dallas facility that bears its name, never had to worry about a sellout when Arkansas was invited. And Razorback fans were famous for turning the SWC basketball tournament into a series of Arkansas home games at Dallas' Reunion Arena.
The stadium will have a listed capacity of about 80,000, with ticket allotments split evenly between the schools. The contract should guarantee each school $4 million to $5 million annually, Long said.
Oklahoman Staff Writer Mike Baldwin contributed to this report
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Get it done Holder! This would be a great deal for Cowboy football. The OSU/Tech offensive match up is one of the best in football today. I only wish that we could do this with a more marquee opponent, say LSU.
I understand the concern that OSU will "lose" a home game. However, Holder has said it before - if they move the OSU/TTU series, they will guarantee 7 home games that year by adding a home non-conference game. He's guaranteed 6 home games EVERY year and said he wants to bump that guarantee up to 7 games EVERY year.
It's ridiculous to take a conference home game away from the Stillwater merchants. Building a new stadium that's only going to used 5 or more times every other year is not good. I am totally against this and I would hope that more OSU fans from the northern half of Oklahoma and on into Kansas would become more vocal about this.
Danny, stay on the OU stories to post, maybe you'll have better luck. It's none of your business what OSU does since you don't care anyway. By the way, I'd be willing to bet that you never went to either school.
Danny, please don't forget that over half over your fan base never graduated or attended ou, so keep your fair weather fans that wouldn't fill the stadium in the mid 90's with Blake and Schnelly. OSU's fan base is about 80% alums...true to their alma mater. Something ou can't and will never be able to say.
"This will certainly help us to be able to go into young men's houses and tell them they'll be able to come every year to Dallas and play in the best football stadium in the United States.”
Sounds like a good reason for OSU to play there too. Not to mention the extra money and additional non-con home game that they would secure in years that Tech would have been a home game. Plus, never having to go all the way to Lubbock for a game.
danny you are a complete idiot.....do you realize how BIG of an alum base is in the dallas area for both the schools? once again thinking outside of the box is a far stretch for you but next time think a few things out before you spew crap and make a total fool of yourself!
i know im going to get roasted for this but here goes, why on earth would they want to play there, they cant even sell all the seats in stillwater, and yall say OU has fair weather fans
itmustsucktobeosu, ardmore - Mar 11, 2008 at 12:59 am
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Sounds like a good reason for OSU to play there too. Not to mention the extra money and additional non-con home game that they would secure in years that Tech would have been a home game. Plus, never having to go all the way to Lubbock for a game.
Let's make this happen OSU!