Dream Bowl Brings Memories of Texas Stadium Games for Arkansas Pine-Bluff and New Mexico State

The Dream Bowl will bring many schools to the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium for the first time when it moves to the famed stadium for the first time on Sunday. However, two players will reignite distant memories of old Texas Stadium for their schools when they play in Sunday’s game.Arkansas-Pine Bluff guard Jeremiah Rodgers earned a nod to the Dream Bowl after helping the Golden Lions lead the SWAC in rushing.

Rodgers adjusted well to the jump in competition after transferring from Division II UNC-Pembroke. Rodgers’ appearance is sure to refresh longtime Golden Lions fans of their program’s win over Texas Southern in 1996 at Texas Stadium, the former home of the Cowboys.In the short-lived Mobil Gridiron Classic, 25,386 fans saw the Golden Lions put on a defensive masterclass in a 21-10 win over Texas Southern at Texas Stadium.

Despite the Tigers outgaining Arkansas Pine-Bluff 340 to 171 and holding them to 35 passing yards on eight completions in 18 attempts, the Golden Lions used two fumble return touchdowns to pull away. The last return came when Andre Tolefree returned a fumbled punt 30 yards for the game-clinching score with 1:29 left. Arkansas-PIne Bluff never returned to Texas Stadium or AT&T Stadium after that game.

New Mexico State’s representative ends an even longer Cowboys’ stadium appearance drought than Arkansas-Pine Bluff. New Mexico State was one of the first schools that SMU hosted at Texas Stadium back in 1972. After the upstart Aggies hung around with SMU and began the second half down just 7-6, SMU used a 34-point third quarter to pull away. The Mustangs added two fourth quarter touchdowns to win a 55-6 rout.

This was far from SMU’s pre-Death Penalty heyday. Only 27,221 fans came to see a Mustang program that went 4-7 the previous year and had not made a bowl in four years.The Aggies hope center Santos Valdez can represent the program at the home of the Cowboys better than that 1972 New Mexico State team.

Valdez hopes to continue his strong finish to the season in the Dream Bowl, after starting the Aggies’ last four games at center.Rodgers and Valdez’s appearances in the Dream Bowl show the funny ways that history can come to life at all-star games.

Special thanks to Mark Pollak’s book The Playing Grounds of College Football: A Comprehensive Directory 1869 to Today, for being instrumental in my research.