| Game Name: | Cotton Bowl Classic |
| Subheader: | 6th Cotton Bowl Classic |
| Date Game Played: | January 1 |
| Year Game Played: | 1942 |
| Football Season: | 1941 |
| Stadium: | Cotton Bowl |
| City: | Dallas, Texas |
| Visitor School: | University of Alabama |
| Visitor Name Short: | Alabama |
| Visitor Nickname: | Crimson Tide |
| Visitor Record: | 8–2 |
| Visitor Rank Ap: | 20 |
| Visitor Coach: | Frank Thomas |
| Visitor Conference: | SEC |
| Visitor 1Q: | 0 |
| Visitor 2Q: | 7 |
| Visitor 3Q: | 13 |
| Visitor 4Q: | 9 |
| Home School: | Texas A&M University |
| Home Name Short: | Texas A&M |
| Home Nickname: | Aggies |
| Home Record: | 9–1 |
| Home Rank Ap: | 9 |
| Home Coach: | Homer H. Norton |
| Home Conference: | SWC |
| Home 1Q: | 0 |
| Home 2Q: | 7 |
| Home 3Q: | 0 |
| Home 4Q: | 14 |
| Mvp: | T Martin Ruby (Texas A&M)<ref name="MVP">Web site: Bowl/All-Star Game Records: Most Valuable Players in Former Major Bowls . National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) . 2011 NCAA Division I Football Records . 95 . NCAA.org . November 19, 2011 . HB Jimmy Nelson (Alabama) E Holt Rast (Alabama) T Don Whitmire (Alabama) |
| Attendance: | 38,000[1] |
The 1942 Cotton Bowl Classic, part of the 1941 bowl game season, took place on January 1, 1942, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and the Texas A&M Aggies, representing the Southwest Conference (SWC) as conference champions. Alabama won the game 29–21.
See also: 1941 Alabama Crimson Tide football team. The 1941 Alabama squad finished the regular season with an 8–2 record. The Crimson Tide also finished third in SEC play with losses to Vanderbilt and conference champion Mississippi State. Following their victory over Miami, Alabama accepted an invitation to play in the Cotton Bowl on New Years Day on December 1.[2] The appearance marked the first for Alabama in the Cotton Bowl, and the first bowl game played outside the Rose Bowl Game.[2]
Texas A&M finished the regular season with a 9–1 with its lone defeat coming against Texas.[3] The appearance marked the second for the Aggies in the Cotton Bowl, as they defeated Fordham 13–12 in the 1941 game.
In a game statistically tilted toward the Aggies, Alabama won 29–21, after racing to a 29–7 lead. Alabama then inserted its third-string, allowing for Texas A&M's late scoring.[4] [5] [6] Alabama had only one first down to A&M's 13; however, under the Southwest Conference rules in 1942, touchdown runs and pass plays were not counted as first downs; Alabama also had 59 rushing yards to A&M's 115; and 16 yards receiving to 194.[4] The Crimson Tide prevailed through special teams play and intercepting seven Aggie passes in their victory.[4] [6]