The 1971 Cotton Bowl Classic was held at Cotton Bowl stadium

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,...

, 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...

 on 1 January 1971. It featured the Texas Longhorns

Texas Longhorns football

The Texas Longhorns football program is the intercollegiate football team representing The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. The team currently competes in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big 12 Conference which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National...

 (Season record: 10-0) versus the University of Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...

 Fighting Irish

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...

 (9-0). Notre Dame won the contest 24 to 11. This win ended the Longhorns 30 game winning streak, which is currently (as of October 2011) the 12th longest winning streak in NCAA Division I records. Ironically, it was also Notre Dame that defeated Oklahoma

Oklahoma Sooners football

The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...

 in 1957 to end their 47 game win streak.

Notre Dame was coached by Ara Parseghian

Ara Parseghian

Ara Raoul Parseghian is a former American football player and coach of Armenian descent. He served as the head football coach at Miami University , Northwestern University , and the University of Notre Dame , compiling a career college football record of 170–58–6...

. The captains for the Irish were Larry DiNardo and Tim Kelly

Tim Kelly

Timothy "Tim" Patrick Kelly was an American guitarist for the band Slaughter. After his death in 1998, Jeff Blando replaced Kelly in Slaughter.-Career:...

. The team also featured Joe Theismann

Joe Theismann

Joseph Robert "Joe" Theismann is a former quarterback in the National Football League and Canadian Football League . He achieved his most enduring fame in his 12 seasons playing for the Washington Redskins, where he was a two-time Pro Bowler and quarterback of the winning team in Super Bowl XVII...

 at quarterback

Quarterback

Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

 and Tom Gatewood

Tom Gatewood

Thomas Gatewood Jr. Thomas Gatewood Jr. Thomas Gatewood Jr. (born March 7, 1950 in Baltimore, Maryland is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 1972 NFL Draft...

 as a wide receiver

Wide receiver

A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...

.

Texas was coached by Darrell Royal

Darrell Royal

Darrell K Royal is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Mississippi State University , the University of Washington , and the University of Texas at Austin , compiling a career college football record of 184–60–5...

. The captains for the Longhorns were Scott Henderson

Scott Henderson

Scott Henderson is a fusion and blues guitarist best known for his work with the band Tribal Tech.-Early days:Born in West Palm Beach, Florida, Henderson began playing guitar at an early age...

, Steve Worster

Steve Worster

Steve Worster is a former American football player. Following an outstanding prep career, he played fullback at the University of Texas under legendary coach Darrell Royal...

, Bobby Wuensch and Bill Zapalac

Bill Zapalac

Willie Frank Zapalac, Jr. is a former American football linebacker/defensive end in the National Football League.-College career:...

. The team also featured Jerry Sisemore

Jerry Sisemore

Jerald Grant "Jerry" Sisemore is a former American football offensive lineman who played for 12 seasons in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1973–1984...

 at tackle

Tackle (American football)

Tackle is a playing position in American and Canadian football. Historically, in the one-platoon system a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions....

 and Jim Bertelsen

Jim Bertelsen

Jim Bertelsen played halfback for the University of Texas at Austin from 1969–1971. He was a highly regarded Wisconsin high school football player, playing for the Hudson High School Raiders. He helped lead the Texas Longhorns to a National Championship in 1969, playing halfback in the famed...

 at running back

Running back

A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...

.