1938 Cotton Bowl Classic

The 1938 Cotton Bowl Classic was the 2nd held, featuring the Colorado Buffaloes and the Rice Owls.

Background

Byron "Whizzer" White was the highlight on a Colorado team that had an unbeaten regular season. He was an All-American who could defend the ball, run the ball, punt the ball, and pass the ball while also being a Rhodes Scholar.

Rice were led by sophomores highlighted by Ernie Lain, dubbed by Grantland Rice as "football’s greatest sophomore back." This was Rice and Colorado's first bowl game.

Game summary

Colorado sprung up a 14-0 lead after the first quarter on a Joe Antonio touchdown catch and a Byron White interception return for a touchdown. But Ernie Lain was determined. He threw two touchdown passes to Jake Schuehle and Ollie Cordill, and Lain scored on a touchdown run. Frank Steen caught a touchdown pass from Lain in the third quarter to seal the game for the Owls, who dominated the Buffaloes on defense for most of the game, who had less first downs than punts. Colorado would not reach another Cotton Bowl until 1996 while Rice would go to three more in a span of 8 years (1950, 1954, 1958). ^[1]

Statistics

Outstanding Players

Colorado

• Byron White (future NFL player and future Supreme Court Justice of the United States)

• Leon Lavington, Jr. (future NFL player, Chicago Cardinals, son of Leon Lavington, Sr., Colorado State Treasurer)

Rice

• Ernie Lain

References