Dixie Classic (bowl game)

Not to be confused with the Dixie Bowl of the 1940s. For other uses, see Dixie Classic (disambiguation).

Dixie Classic (defunct)
Stadium	Fair Park Stadium (1934) [a]
Location	Dallas, Texas
Previous stadiums	Fair Park (1922, 1925) [b]
Operated	1922, 1925, 1934
Conference tie-ins	Southwest
Succeeded by	Cotton Bowl Classic

The Dixie Classic was a college football post-season bowl game played intermittently at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas. Team-competitive games were held three times, after the 1921, 1924, and 1933 regular seasons, on or about the ensuing New Year's Day. ^{[1] [2]} The January 1922 game is notably remembered as being the origin of the Texas A&M 12th man tradition. ^[3] The Dixie Classic was phased out in favor of the Cotton Bowl Classic.

Three all-star games, contested under the Dixie Classic name, were played at nearby Ownby Stadium in early January of 1929, 1930, and 1931. Joe Utay, who had played for Texas A&M and helped found the Southwest Conference in 1914, was the games' organizer. ^[4]

Game results

Action during the 1922 game

Bold denotes winning team; italics indicates a tie.

Date	SWC team		Opponent		Attendance	Notes	Ref.
January 2, 1922 [c]	Texas A&M	22	Centre	14	20,000	notes	[5]
January 1, 1925	Southern Methodist	7	West Virginia Wesleyan	9	7,000	notes	[6]
January 1, 1934	Arkansas	7	Centenary	7	12,000	notes	[7]

Three all-star games, referred to as the Dixie Classic in various newspaper articles, were played at Ownby Stadium in Dallas. ^[8] The first was on January 2, 1929, when a team of players from the Big Six Conference defeated a team of Southwest Conference (SWC) players, 14–6. ^[9] A similar game was played on January 1, 1930, with a team of midwest players defeating a team of southwest players, 25–12. ^[10] On January 1, 1931, a southwest team defeated a midwest team, 18–0. ^[11]

Appearances by conference

Conference	Record					Appearances by year
	Games	W	L	T	Win pct.	Won	Lost	Tied
SWC	3	1	1	1	.500	1922	1925	1934
SIAA	2	0	1	1	.250	—N/a	1922	1934
Independent	1	1	0	0	1.000	1925	—N/a	—N/a

See also

• List of college bowl games

Notes

1. The 1934 edition was held in the stadium that later became known as the Cotton Bowl, which had opened in 1930.
2. The 1922 and 1925 editions were held in a wooden stadium located at the Fair Park fairgrounds.
3. The "Dixie Classic" name was not used until the January 1925 edition of the game.

References

1. Bowl/All Star Game Records (PDF). NCAA. 2022. p. 18. Retrieved December 30, 2025– via ncaa.org.
2. Foldesy, Jody. "Bowls burgeon as big business", The Washington Times. December 21, 1997. Page A1.
3. "12th Man". tamu.edu. Texas A&M University. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
4. "Joe Utay (1974)". footballfoundation.org. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
5. "Texas Aggies Defeat Noted Centre Eleven". Houston Chronicle . January 3, 1922. p. 12. Retrieved December 30, 2025– via newspapers.com.
6. "Wesleyan Wins in Dixie Classic". Corpus Christi Times . UP. January 2, 1925. p. 1. Retrieved December 30, 2025– via newspapers.com.
7. "Centenary Satisfied With Tie Score For Annual Dixie Classic". Corsicana Daily Sun . AP. January 2, 1934. p. 8. Retrieved December 30, 2025– via newspapers.com.
8. "Both Teams Keyed Up for Benefit Game in Dallas on New Year's". The Marshall News Messenger . Marshall, Texas. UP. December 28, 1928. p. 5. Retrieved December 30, 2025– via newspapers.com.
9. "Big Six Leading When Game Stopped". The Marshall News Messenger . Marshall, Texas. UP. January 2, 1929. p. 1. Retrieved December 30, 2025– via newspapers.com.
10. Talbot Jr., Gayle (January 2, 1930). "Midwest Crushes All-Stars of S'West in Dixie Classic". Abilene Daily Reporter . AP. p. 7. Retrieved December 30, 2025– via newspapers.com.
11. "Southwest Stars Beat Mid-West Eleven 18-0 In Dixie Classic". Corpus Christi Times . AP. January 2, 1931. p. 5. Retrieved December 30, 2025– via newspapers.com.

External links

• Hog Database - 1934 Dixie Classic Summary Box score and recap from the final Dixie Classic