The 1944 Cotton Bowl Classic was a postseason

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

bowl game between the fourteenth ranked Texas Longhorns and the Randolph Field Ramblers, a military institution squad from San Antonio, TX.

Background

Randolph boasted many former college football stars, most notably Tulsa's Glenn Dobbs, who had 1,867 all purpose yards for the year with 1,431 passing and 421 yards rushing. He was also their punter, with a 40.2 average per kick.

Martin Ruby Martin Owen Ruby (June 9, 1922 – January 3, 2002) was an offensive tackle and defensive tackle for the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers in the All-America Football Conference, New York Yanks of the National Football League,''Will Coach ...

became the first and only player to play on two different Cotton Bowl teams, having played in the

1942 Cotton Bowl Classic The 1942 Cotton Bowl Classic, part of the 1941 bowl game season, took place on January 1, 1942, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and the Texas ...

. He was named outstanding player in both games.

Game summary

The game was played in a cold, steady rain described by Bible as the worst he had ever seen. Tex Aulds scored for Randolph on a touchdown catch from Glenn Dobbs. But Texas rallied back with a George McCall touchdown catch from

Ralph Ellsworth Ralph Irving Ellsworth Jr. (January 28, 1924 – January 18, 1998) was a college football player and track athlete. He was an All-Conference back for the Texas Longhorns in 1943 and helped Texas to their first repeat conference championship and its ...

to tie the game. The game stayed that way due to defense that allowed 260 yards combined from both teams.

Statistics

Attendance

32,000 tickets were sold for the game but only 15,000 spectators came to the game because of the weather.

References

{{World War II service football teams navbox Cotton Bowl Cotton Bowl Classic Randolph Field Ramblers football Texas Longhorns football bowl games Cotton Bowl January 1944 sports events