Press Release via UT Athletics
Houston, Texas (August 22, 2024) – With the return of one of the oldest and most storied rivalries in collegiate athletics, Cotton Holdings, Inc., has officially signed on with Texas A&M Sports Properties and Longhorn Sports Properties to become the title sponsor of the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown rivalry series between the Texas A&M Aggies and Texas Longhorns.
As both institutions are reunited in the SEC beginning this fall, Cotton Holdings will title sponsor all contests between the two schools in every head-to-head sport in both Austin and College Station, as well as the year-long scoring system comprised of the results of up to 19 sports to determine which school wins the annual Lone Star Showdown rivalry series trophy and bragging rights for an entire year. In those sports in which there is no head-to-head competition, rivalry series points will be awarded based on which team finishes higher in the final standings of the respective conference championships. The first head-to-head match-up will be on the volleyball court on September 27 in College Station, while the 119th meeting on the gridiron—and first since 2011—will be hosted at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field on November 30.
“Growing up in Texas, the rivalry between The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University was legendary. Since founding Cotton, it has been a dream of mine to see our brand represent this series,” said Pete Bell, Founder & CEO of Cotton Holdings. “We are proud to support these two great universities, and are extremely honored to serve as the title sponsor for the Lone Star Showdown and the return of their historic rivalry.”
Headquartered in Houston and a respected member of the business community throughout Texas since 1996, Cotton Holdings is a global leader in infrastructure support services with subsidiaries that provide solutions in property restoration and recovery, construction, roofing, consulting, temporary housing and culinary services to public and private entities worldwide.
Cotton Holdings will receive rights to Lone Star Showdown, Texas A&M and University of Texas intellectual property, participate in season-long fan engagement opportunities, receive exposure through TV and radio broadcasts as well as in-venue signage and be featured in storytelling social media content, among other benefits. Both universities will also receive annual contributions to their respective NIL activation funds from Cotton Holdings.
“The 12th Man is ready for the return of the Lone Star Showdown, and Cotton Holdings is the ideal title sponsor of a rivalry series of this stature. Texas A&M Athletics has a long history with Cotton Holdings, and it is a home-grown, Texas-based company with a global impact. We are proud to partner with an organization that shares our values and commitment to excellence.” Trev Alberts, Texas A&M University Director of Athletics.
“There is nothing like the passion, pride and spirit in college sports. So much of that is built around the love of our university and the rivalries we have. Rekindling our historic rivalry with Texas A&M and bringing that back for not only our fans, but fans of college sports across our great state, the country and the world, it’s so special. And we’re so grateful our friends at Cotton Holdings are on board to help amplify that with the Lone Star Showdown rivalry series. I know our fans are going to follow the standings closely.” Chris Del Conte, UT Vice President and Lois and Richard Athletics Director.
Texas A&M Sports Properties and Longhorn Sports Properties are the locally based teams of Learfield—the media and technology company powering college sports—and the exclusive multimedia rights holders for Texas A&M University Athletics and University of Texas Athletics, respectively.
ABOUT COTTON HOLDINGS, INC.
Cotton is a leading infrastructure support services company in the $20 billion U.S. commercial restoration market with subsidiaries that conduct business under the Cotton Global Disaster Solutions, Cotton Roofing, Cotton Logistics, Cotton Culinary, Stellar Commercial Roofing, Full Circle Restoration and Construction Services, Advance Catastrophe Technologies, Target Solutions and 24 Restore brands. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, with an International Logistics Center and regional offices throughout North America, Cotton provides property restoration and recovery, construction, roofing, consulting, temporary workforce housing and culinary services to public and private entities worldwide. Learn more at CottonHoldings.com.
ABOUT LEARFIELD
Learfield is a diversified and influential media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.
