COLLEGE FOOTBALL / THE BOWLS : COTTON USC vs. TEXAS TECH, Today : Cotton Bowl Stadium to Be Revitalized

Little-used Cotton Bowl Stadium, once the football showcase for the Southwest, will show signs of life again next year.

Southern Methodist will leave its 23,000-seat campus stadium and make the Cotton Bowl its home.

Once the home field of the Dallas Cowboys, the Cotton Bowl is near downtown Dallas, on the Texas State Fairgrounds. It was revitalized somewhat by soccer’s World Cup last summer, when theater-type seats were installed and the field widened, reducing capacity from 75,000 to 68,252.

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USC assistant coach Dennis Thurman, during a workout at Texas Stadium, was recalling some big games of his eight-year, 36-interception career (1978-85) as a defensive back with the Dallas Cowboys.

His biggest play of those eight seasons?

“In the 1982 playoff game here against Green Bay, I was right over there and ran an interception back 39 yards for a key touchdown,” he said.

Dallas won, 37-26.

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Texas Tech has five Southern Californians on its roster, but only two had significant roles this season. Lashon Earnest is a third-string fullback from Playa del Rey St. Bernard High who had 10 carries for 42 yards. Cornerback Tony Wilson of Eisenhower High and San Bernardino Junior College played in eight games and had seven tackles.

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USC All-American Tony Boselli, on Coach John Robinson saying he’s the best college offensive tackle he has coached: “Things like that will mean more to me 15 years from now,” he said. “If people 15 years from now regard me the way people now remember Anthony Munoz, I’ll be very happy.”