NEWS RELEASES

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company today announced a multiyear agreement renewing its title sponsorship of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic played annually at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

With the agreement, Goodyear extends its more than six-decade association with college football that started with the iconic Goodyear Blimp providing aerial coverage of the 1955 Rose Bowl. From the Rose Bowl to the Cotton Bowl, the blimp has covered more than 2,000 college football games.

Clemson went through its customary Working Man Wednesday practice with a lively, two-plus hour workout at AT&T Stadium.

The severe weather outside did not squelch the Tigers’ intensity inside on the turf as the team went through its most physical practice of the week.

“You can tell the guys are getting eager to play,” said head coach Dabo Swinney. “Today was our last day of good on good. We cranked the music up and created some noise. I thought the guys were very focused and into it.

Notre Dame turned up the intensity Wednesday as it continued to prepare for the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the 83rd Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

The Fighting Irish (12-0), who are third in the CFP rankings, worked hard in full pads for two hours in their third on-site practice at AT&T Stadium. Midway through practice and again near the end, they operated with crowd noise playing through the stadium sound system. The noise was louder than some concerts the stadium has hosted and, they hope, replicated the most intense moments of a live game.

Clemson enjoyed the holiday with a day mixed with Christmas cheer and spirited work on the practice field as the Tigers went through a second full day of preparation for the 83rd Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

The day began with a festive brunch at the team’s headquarters hotel complete with an appearance by Santa Claus, performances by the coaches and their families and the musical stylings of several student-athletes capped off by head coach Dabo Swinney singing a rousing rendition of Silent Night.

Notre Dame took care of business and made plenty of time to celebrate Christmas on Tuesday.

The Fighting Irish (12-0), No. 3 in the CFP rankings, practiced for two hours at AT&T Stadium in preparation for the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the 83rd Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

It was a festive start. Instead of the usual pre-practice music jam, the team warmed up to Mariah Carey’s All I want for Christmas is You and other energetic holiday tunes.

“Today was a good day,” Irish Head Coach Brian Kelly said.

Clemson got back to business Monday afternoon with its first Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic practice at AT&T Stadium.

Continuing the theme from the regular season, the Tigers (13-0, 8-0 ACC) conducted a regular Mental Monday workout in shorts and shells, focusing in on the mental aspects of preparation for their College Football Playoff Semifinal matchup with the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (12-0).

“It’s not a typical Mental Monday just because, obviously, we’ve had a lot more time to get ready,” said head coach Dabo Swinney.

Notre Dame worked nearly two hours Monday at AT&T Stadium in its first on-site practice for the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

The Fighting Irish (12-0), No. 3 in the CFP rankings, practiced in shorts, shoulder pads and helmets for the first time since Thursday before breaking for a few days off. They arrived in North Texas on Sunday. Now their focus is on their opponent, No. 2 Clemson (13-0, 9-0 ACC).

“We’re excited about getting into a routine now,” Irish Head Coach Brian Kelly said.

The No. 2 Clemson Tigers arrived Sunday evening in North Texas to great fanfare, settling in their home away from home for the week in anticipation of their College Football Playoff semifinal matchup with the No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Clemson’s official travel party rolled into their team hotel wearing cowboy hats and Christmas outfits to a classic Cotton Bowl welcome. The Townview Big “D” marching band greeted the Tigers before they quickly turned their focus back to the task at hand just six days away.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish arrived in waves and with little fanfare late Sunday to begin preparing for the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the 83rd Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

Most of the players traveled on their own individually and arrived at the team hotel throughout the day after having a few days off to go home. Coaches, staff and about a dozen players were among the school travel party that flew from South Bend, Ind., on a charter plane to DFW International Airport on Sunday night and then bussed to the team hotel.

The CFP Selection Committee has spoken.  The No. 2 Clemson Tigers and the No.3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish are coming to North Texas for the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. The game will kick off at AT&T Stadium at 3 p.m. CT.

Clemson and Notre Dame will match up in a bowl game for the first time in the storied history of both universities. The last meeting between the two occurred in Death Valley in 2015 when the Tigers narrowly took the Irish 24-22.

The Goodyear Cotton Bowl lost a legend on Thursday when Wallace Triplett passed away at the age of 92. Mr. Triplett was honored last May with his induction into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.

Triplett was a true trailblazer in American sports as a collegian at Penn State in the 1940s and later in the professional ranks with the Detroit Lions. He became the Nittany Lions’ first African-American football starter and varsity letter-winner.

At the end of his junior season in the 1948 Cotton Bowl Classic, Triplett and teammate Dennie Hoggard did more than play football.

The iconic Goodyear Blimp is coming to North Texas. The world-famous airship will be flying over AT&T Stadium and the Metroplex on Wednesday, Oct. 10th to promote the 83rd Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on December 29th.

In advance of the airship’s arrival, the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is giving one lucky fan and a guest an opportunity to ride on the blimp on Wednesday. Fans can enter for a chance to win at www.goodyearcottonbowl.com/GoodyearBlimpRide.

“The Goodyear Blimp is synonymous with covering the biggest matchups in sports,” Rick Baker, Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic President/CEO said.

CFP-RSVP.COM, powered by dibit, and the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic announced a new partnership today to provide college football fans the ability to reserve tickets to the upcoming College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and pay face value for tickets later.

This program will give fans access to tickets at an affordable price and potentially provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to those who may not have the ability to secure tickets through traditional outlets for the Classic on December 29th at AT&T Stadium.

The 22nd Annual Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Art Contest is now accepting entries from local young artists. All North Texas students in first through sixth grade are invited to participate. Art contest materials, including the illustration template, can be downloaded online at www.goodyearcottonbowl.com. The deadline to mail in the illustrations is Friday, November 2rd. The winners are determined by a select group of judges and notified by the end of November.

“For more than 20 years now, we have enjoyed engaging with the younger sports fans in the Metroplex through our art contest,” Goodyear Cotton Bowl President Rick Baker said, “We hope that art teachers from across the North Texas community will encourage their students to participate.

The College Football Playoff announced today they have exercised a six-year option to keep the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic as part of college football’s postseason playoff system through at least the 2025-26 season.

The Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic is entering its fifth year as a member of the New Year’s Six as part of the College Football Playoff. The Classic will continue to host one of the CFP Semifinals in rotation every three years along with the Orange, Sugar, Rose, Fiesta, and Peach Bowl.