If I am wrong please correct. I know it was a record at the time. We played in six straight Cotton Bowl games on January 1 from 1969 to 1974. That was a record at the time being six straight bowl games in the same bowl. The Cotton Bowl had a contract with the Southwest Conference that it's winner would play in the game or if there was a tie it would be decided by a tie breaker usually head to head results. We were in the 1969 Cotton Bowl as Co Champions because even though we technically tied with Arkansas for the championship we got it by beating Arkansas that year. The rest of the years we were the SWC champion. It takes great playing and determination to get that result which I don't think no other team has done before or since. It also takes luck.
We were fortunate in 1971 though. We lost bad to Arkansas 31 to 7 on a cold rainy day in Arkansas and as it rained an Arkansas fan said he thought that the whole State of Texas was crying over him. We were to get the last laugh though.
Ironically it was the Aggies who helped us out by pulling an upset over Arkansas 17 to 9 at Little Rock. They still had the tie breaker though by their win over us. But the next Rice tied them 24 to 24 and put us ahead by 1/2 a game. Well it was really they tied Rice. In the last few seconds Rice was ahead 24 to 21 and Arkansas was had the ball at about the Rice 38. There was only a few seconds and Arkansas had a great field goal kicker but they were out of his range and on fourth down they threw an incomplete pass trying to get the ball closer. But an official called a roughing the passer penalty and Arkansas had a first down at the Rice 23. They tried one pass to the endzone which was incomplete and then there was only a few seconds left and they kicked a 40 yard field goal for the tie. It may have been good strategy because if we had lost another game they would have won the title. We didn't oblige them and got to the Cotton Bowl game. Arkansas probably as far as the SWC title goes should have tried a pass to the end zone on the final play.
A great record indeed having played in six straight bowl games in the same bowl.
We were fortunate in 1971 though. We lost bad to Arkansas 31 to 7 on a cold rainy day in Arkansas and as it rained an Arkansas fan said he thought that the whole State of Texas was crying over him. We were to get the last laugh though.
Ironically it was the Aggies who helped us out by pulling an upset over Arkansas 17 to 9 at Little Rock. They still had the tie breaker though by their win over us. But the next Rice tied them 24 to 24 and put us ahead by 1/2 a game. Well it was really they tied Rice. In the last few seconds Rice was ahead 24 to 21 and Arkansas was had the ball at about the Rice 38. There was only a few seconds and Arkansas had a great field goal kicker but they were out of his range and on fourth down they threw an incomplete pass trying to get the ball closer. But an official called a roughing the passer penalty and Arkansas had a first down at the Rice 23. They tried one pass to the endzone which was incomplete and then there was only a few seconds left and they kicked a 40 yard field goal for the tie. It may have been good strategy because if we had lost another game they would have won the title. We didn't oblige them and got to the Cotton Bowl game. Arkansas probably as far as the SWC title goes should have tried a pass to the end zone on the final play.
A great record indeed having played in six straight bowl games in the same bowl.
