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Cotton Bowl 'changed my life,' Jerry Jones says at game's hall of fame induction

The game moved from the Cotton Bowl stadium in Dallas to the Cowboys' stadium in 2010.

DALLAS — A former University of Arkansas offensive lineman was inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame on Tuesday. 

He also happens to own the stadium where the Cotton Bowl is played.

Jerry Jones, now the owner of the Cowboys, was the co-captain of Arkansas' 1964 national championship team, which beat Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl that season. Jones played right guard for the Razorbacks.

Jones' relationship with the Cotton Bowl obviously didn't end there. When the Cowboys built their new stadium in Arlington, Jones offered to host the Cotton Bowl. 

The game moved from the Cotton Bowl stadium in Dallas to the Cowboys' stadium in 2010.

Jones at Tuesday's induction ceremony talked about how the Cotton Bowl "changed my life," including how it factored into him building AT&T Stadium in 2009.

Watch his full speech from the ceremony:

The change in venue, led by Jones, "helped the Classic take an important step toward restoring its position among the elite of postseason college football," Cotton Bowl officials said.

Jones is part of the Cotton Bowl's 2020 Hall of Fame class. Their induction was delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jones joins six others in the class: Kansas State quarterback Jonathan Beasley, Notre Dame split end Tom Gatewood, Ole Miss running back/wide receiver Dexter McCluster, Texas defensive end Cory Redding, Boston College linebacker Bill Romanowski, and Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder.

The 2020 class is the 12th to be inducted by the hall of fame. Jones' coach at Arkansas, Frank Broyles, was inducted in 1999. 

Former Cowboys quarterbacks Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman are also members of the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame. Both competed in the Cotton Bowl as players, Staubach with Navy and Aikman with UCLA.

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