the cotton bowl has been the home of the first responder bowl, a college football bowl game played on or near new year's day, since 2011; to accommodate the winter classic, the december 30, 2019 edition of the first responder bowl was moved to gerald j. ford stadium in university park, texas. the cotton bowl previously hosted the cotton bowl classic, another new year's bowl game, from 1937 to 2009. the stadium has been used for other college football special events such as the state fair classic and the red river showdown.