Artist's conception

The Cotton Bowl game is moving to the Cowboys' new stadium.

DALLAS — It's official. The AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic will move to the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington.

At what was described as a "very emotional" meeting at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association voted unanimously Tuesday morning to shift the annual college football matchup away from its namesake Cotton Bowl stadium at Dallas Fair Park.

"This is a historic day for our organization," said Bruce Gadd, managing director of the association. "It represents a rebirth of sorts."

Gadd said the move positions the Cotton Bowl to be "the best bowl in the country" in what he called "the greatest football stadium in the world."

"We feel that this is a defining, once-in-a-generation decision that preserves the Classic's legacy and secures our position as one of the premier post-season bowl games," Gadd said.

The Cotton Bowl has been played at Dallas Fair Park for more than seven decades.

Gadd noted that the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl are other games that are no longer played in their namesake stadiums.

The game will continue at Cotton Bowl stadium for two more years. The first game in Arlington will be January 2, 2010, during the Cowboys' inaugural season in their new stadium, which features a dome, more seating and additional amenities.

"We intend on taking our history with us to this new stadium," Gadd said. "We feel better about our future than we've felt in a long, long time."

"We understand it's difficult for the Cotton Bowl to exist in January. We know we've got a great stadium and a great product there and it will be even better when we finish the renovation," said Paul Dyer from the Dallas Park Department.

E-mail cheinbaugh@wfaa.com