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HOUSTON, Texas (August 22, 2024) – With the return of one of the oldest and most storied rivalries in college sports, Cotton Holdings Inc. has officially signed 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.
With the schools reuniting in the SEC this fall, Cotton Holdings will be the title sponsor of all head-to-head games between the two schools in both Austin and College Station, as well as the title sponsor of a scoring system comprised of results from up to 19 sports throughout the year to determine which school wins the annual Lone Star Showdown Rivalry Series trophy and bragging rights for a year. In sports without a head-to-head match, Rivalry Series points will be awarded based on which team finishes higher in the final standings of their respective conference championships. The first head-to-head match will take place on the volleyball courts in College Station on September 27, and the 119th meeting on the gridiron (first since 2011) will be held 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, and since founding Cotton, it has been my dream to see our brand represent this series,” said Pete Bell, founder and CEO of Cotton Holdings. “We are proud to support these two great universities and are incredibly honored to serve as the title sponsor of the Lone Star Showdown and bring back this historic rivalry.”
Headquartered in Houston and respected in business communities throughout Texas since 1996, Cotton Holdings is a global leader in infrastructure support services with subsidiaries providing asset repair and restoration, construction, roofing, consulting, temporary housing, culinary services and other solutions to public and private entities around the world.
Cotton Holdings will acquire the intellectual property rights of the Lone Star Showdown, Texas A&M and the University of Texas, which will receive a variety of benefits including participation in fan interaction opportunities throughout the season, exposure through television and radio broadcasts and in-venue signage and feature in storytelling social media content. Both universities will also receive an annual contribution from Cotton Holdings to their respective NIL Activation Funds.
“As The 12th Man prepares for the return of the Lone Star Showdown, Cotton Holdings is the ideal title sponsor for a rivalry series of this magnitude. Texas A&M University Athletics has a long history with Cotton Holdings, a local company based in Texas with a global impact. We are proud to partner with an organization that shares our values and commitment to excellence,” said Texas A&M University Athletic Director Trev Alberts.
“Nothing beats the passion, pride and spirit of college sports, and so much of it comes from the love of the university and the rivalries. Rekindling our historic rivalry with Texas A&M University and bringing it to not only our fans, but college sports fans across this great state, country and the world is very special. And we’re so grateful that our friends at Cotton Holdings are helping us ignite that relationship with the Lone Star Showdown Rivalry Series. We have no doubt our fans will be following the standings avidly,” said Chris Del Conte, University of Texas Executive Vice President and Lois and Richard Athletic Director.
Texas A&M Sports Properties and Longhorn Sports Properties, Learfield’s hometown team, the media and technology company behind college sports, are the exclusive multimedia rights holders for Texas A&M University Athletics and University of Texas Athletics, respectively.
About Cotton Holdings Co., Ltd.
Cotton Holdings is a leading infrastructure support services company in the $20 billion U.S. commercial restoration market with subsidiaries operating under the brands Cotton Global Disaster Solutions, Cotton Roofing, Cotton Logistics, Cotton Culinary, Stella Commercial Roofing, Full Circle Restoration and Construction Services, Advanced Catastrophe Technologies, Target Solutions and 24 Restore. Headquartered in Houston, Texas with an international distribution center and regional offices across North America, Cotton provides property restoration and repair, construction, roofing, consulting, temporary workforce housing and culinary services to public and private entities worldwide. For more information, visit CottonHoldings.com.
About Learfield
Learfield is a diversified, influential media and technology company serving the world of collegiate sports. Learfield owns and leverages extensive industry data sets and relationships through digital and physical platforms to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness and fan engagement for brands, sports and entertainment properties. With connections to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield has a presence in collegiate sports and live events to maximize impact and reach to targeted audiences. With solutions that enable a 24/7, 365-day fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game tickets, athletic program donor identification, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, the company has been the title sponsor of the highly regarded Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.
