The 1937 Cotton Bowl Classic, part of the 1936–37 bowl game

1936–37 NCAA football bowl games

The 1936-37 NCAA College Football Bowl Games were the first to feature the Cotton Bowl Classic and Bacardi Bowl, which would complement the Orange, Rose, Sugar Bowl and Sun Bowl as the fifth and sixth post-season games...

 season, took place on January 1, 1937, at the Cotton Bowl

Cotton Bowl (stadium)

The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1929 and became known as "The House That Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. Originally known as Fair Park Stadium, it is located in Fair Park,...

 in Dallas, Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

. The competing teams were the Marquette Golden Avalanche

1936 Marquette Golden Avalanche football team

The 1936 Marquette Golden Avalanche football team represented Marquette University in the 1936 college football season. Marquette was led by long-time head coach Frank Murray. The team competed as a football independent and played their home games at Marquette Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...

, competing as a football independent, and the TCU Horned Frogs

1936 TCU Horned Frogs football team

The 1936 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 1936 college football season. The team compiled nine wins. The offense scored 160 points while the defense allowed 58 points...

, representing the Southwest Conference (SWC) as conference champions. TCU won the inaugural contest 16–6.

Marquette

The 1936 Marquette squad finished the regular season with a 7–1 record after losing to in their regular season finale. On December 9, Marquette accepted an invitation to play in the inaugural Cotton Bowl Classic on New Years Day. The appearance marked the first all-time bowl appearance for the Golden Avalanche. Marquette accepted the bid also in part to expand their brand into the Southern United States

Southern United States

The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...

 and make contacts with other southern football teams to schedule future contests.

TCU

TCU finished the regular season with a 8–2–2 record with ties against and and losses against Texas Tech and Texas A&M. After they defeated in their regular season finale, the Cotton Bowl extended TCU an invitation to the game over Arkansas. On December 16, the Horned Frogs were granted permission from the Southwest Conference to compete against the Golden Avalanche in the Cotton Bowl Classic. The appearance marked the third all-time bowl appearance for TCU.

Game summary

L. D. Meyer

L. D. Meyer

Lambert Dalton "Little Dutch" Meyer was college football player and baseball manager, as well as the nephew of the famous and similarly named Texas Christian University football coach Leo "Dutch" Meyer....

 scored the first points of the game when he successfully connected on a 33-yard field goal to give the Horned Frogs an early 3–0 lead. Marquette responded with their only points of the game later in the quarter when Arthur Guepe

Arthur Guepe

Arthur L. "Art" Guepe was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Virginia from 1946 to 1952 and Vanderbilt University from 1953 to 1962, compiling a career college football record of 86–71–9.-Playing and assistant coaching career:Guepe...

 had a punt

Punt (football)

In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....

 return of 60 yards for a touchdown. After a failed extra point

Convert

The convert or try, in American football known as "point after", and Canadian football "Point after touchdown", is a one-scrimmage down played immediately after a touchdown during which the scoring team is allowed to attempt to score an extra one point by kicking the ball through the uprights , or...

 attempt by Ward Cuff

Ward Cuff

Ward Lloyd Cuff was an American football running back and place kicker in the National Football League for the New York Giants, Chicago Cardinals, and Green Bay Packers...

, the Golden Avalanche led 6–3. The Horned Frogs retook the lead for good at the end of the first quarter when Meyer caught a 55-yard Sammy Baugh

Sammy Baugh

Samuel Adrian "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh was an American football player and coach. He played college football for the Horned Frogs at Texas Christian University, where he was a two-time All-American. He then played in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 1952...

 touchdown pass, and with the extra point led 10–6. Meyer then scored his second touchdown of the game when the second quarter when Vic Montgomery threw him an 18-yard touchdown strike. Leading 16–6 entering the second half, neither team would score again giving TCU the victory. For their performances, Ki Aldrich

Ki Aldrich

Charles Collins "Ki" Aldrich was an American football player. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1960.-Early life:...

, Baugh and Meyer were named the Most Valuable Players of the game.