The 1938 Cotton Bowl Classic was the second edition of the

Cotton Bowl Classic The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...

, featuring the

Colorado Buffaloes The Colorado Buffaloes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado. The university sponsors 17 varsity sports teams. Both the men's and women's teams are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short) or, rarely, the Golden Buffalo ...

and the

Rice Owls Rice University athletic teams are known as the Rice Owls. The name comes from the owls in Rice's crest. Rice participates in NCAA Division I athletics. A member of Conference USA, Rice sponsors teams in seven men's and seven women's NCAA sanct ...

Background

Senior halfback Byron "Whizzer" White was the highlight on a Colorado team that had an unbeaten regular season. A Rhodes Scholar and Heisman Trophy runner-up, the future Supreme Court

justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

was a consensus All-American who could defend, run, punt, and pass the ball. Rice were led by sophomores, highlighted by Ernie Lain, dubbed by sportswriter

Grantland Rice Henry Grantland "Granny" Rice (November 1, 1880July 13, 1954) was an early 20th-century American sportswriter known for his elegant prose. His writing was published in newspapers around the country and broadcast on the radio. Early years Rice wa ...

as "football’s greatest sophomore back." This was the first bowl game for both programs.

Game summary

Colorado sprung up a 14–0 lead after the first quarter on a Joe Antonio touchdown catch and a White interception return for a touchdown. But Lain was determined; he threw two touchdown passes to

Jake Schuehle Charles John "Jake" Schuehle, Jr. (September 28, 1917 – January 8, 2001) was an American football halfback who played for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) for one season in 1939. He played college football for Ri ...

and Ollie Cordill, and then ran for a touchdown to take a 21–14 lead into halftime. Frank Steen caught a touchdown pass from Lain in the third quarter to seal the game for the Owls, who dominated the Buffaloes on defense for most of the game, who had less first downs than punts. Colorado's next appearance in the Cotton Bowl was in January 1996, while Rice returned in

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 ...

, and went to two more in a span of eight years ( 1954,

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

Statistics

Outstanding Players

Colorado *

Byron White Byron "Whizzer" Raymond White (June 8, 1917 April 15, 2002) was an American professional football player and jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1962 until his retirement in 1993. Born and raised in Colo ...

(future NFL player and future Supreme Court Justice of the United States) *Leon Lavington Jr. (future NFL player, Chicago Cardinals, son of Leon Lavington Sr., Colorado State Treasurer) Rice *Ernie Lain

References

Cotton Bowl Classic Colorado Buffaloes football bowl games Rice Owls football bowl games Cotton Bowl

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