The stadium hosts the Red River Rivalry, the annual college football game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns, and formerly, the First Responder Bowl.

[7] In their seventh season, the Cowboys hosted the Green Bay Packers for the NFL championship at the Cotton Bowl on January 1, 1967.

In 1950, as a way to break the Texas League record for opening-day attendance, Richard Burnett got permission to play in the Cotton Bowl, which at the time could hold as many as 75,000.

In order to draw a big crowd, he wanted a lineup of former stars to don Dallas Eagles uniforms and face one Tulsa hitter in the top of the first inning.

Defensively, the old-timer lineup of the Eagles were: Duffy Lewis in left field, Cobb in center field, Texas native Tris Speaker in right field, Frank "Home Run" Baker at third base, Travis Jackson at shortstop, Charlie Gehringer at second base, manager Grimm at first base, Mickey Cochrane at catcher, and former Houston Buffaloes star pitcher Dizzy Dean on the mound.

Dean walked the leadoff batter for Tulsa, Harry Donabedian, on a 3–2 count, and then the regular Dallas players took the field.

To meet FIFA requirements for these games the stadium field was widened, the press box was enlarged and natural grass was re-installed.

In the 2000s (decade), the renewed dominance of both the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns created a new interest in their rivalry, and the stadium.

[13] Thus, in April 2007, the schools signed a contract to play at the Cotton Bowl through 2015, coupled with a $57 million fund for upgrades and improvements to the aging stadium.

The 2008 renovations include the expansion of the seating capacity of the stadium from 68,252 to 92,100,[2] mostly through the complete encircling of the second deck, new media and VIP facilities, a new scoreboard and video screen, updated restrooms and concession areas, lighting, utility and sound upgrades and the replacement of all the stadium's seats.

Dallas' occasionally cold January weather had been a longstanding concern for the game, and was believed to have precluded any prospect of adding it to the BCS even after the expansion.

It was also announced with the single largest investment into the stadium from the city of Dallas with an estimated $140 million two-year renovation.

The Cotton Bowl has also hosted large music concerts, including the inaugural Texxas Jam and other similar events.

After playing their first two home games in 1971 at the Cotton Bowl, the Cowboys opened Texas Stadium in Irving on October 24.

Following the Texans' 1962 AFL Championship season, owner Lamar Hunt moved the franchise to Kansas City, Missouri and renamed it the Chiefs.

[18] The Cotton Bowl served as the home for the SMU Mustangs football team for two periods in the program's history.

The State Fair Classic is heavily marketed in the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex, with local hip hop stations encouraging a large turnout among the region's African-American community.

Early in their existence, the Dallas Tornado played two seasons of professional soccer in the Cotton Bowl.

[27] The Dallas Burn, a founding member of Major League Soccer (MLS), played at the Cotton Bowl for their first seven seasons between 1996 and 2002.

[29] The Burn paid $15,000 per match at the Cotton Bowl and lacked control over scheduling and concession sales;[28] the team drew an average attendance of roughly 12,000 to 15,000 until they moved in 2003 to Dragon Stadium in Southlake, Texas.

[30][31] The Burn (later renamed FC Dallas) returned to the Cotton Bowl for the 2004 and 2005 seasons while preparing to open their own stadium in Frisco.

[32] Their final regular season match at the Cotton Bowl was a 2–2 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes on July 3, 2005.

[35] FC Dallas would not return to the Cotton Bowl until 2024 when they played a preseason friendly against Inter Miami CF, whose popularity had surged following the signing of Lionel Messi.

Dallas Trinity FC, a women's professional soccer team and founding member of the USL Super League, currently plays at the Cotton Bowl.

Many consecutive summers of huge concerts, featuring several artists, began in July 1978, with the 1st annual Texxas Jam, which sold out with over 80,000 attendees.

Over the years, the Texxas Jam featured some of the top-billed headliner artists of the day, including Aerosmith, Heart, Deep Purple, Boston, Journey, Ted Nugent, Scorpions, Loverboy, Cheap Trick, Van Halen, Blue Öyster Cult, Sammy Hagar, Nazareth, Styx, Foghat, Santana, The Eagles & Triumph, among others.

U2 played here during the first leg of the Popmart Tour Since then, the stadium has continued to be used as a major concert venue; Eric Clapton held his first three-day Crossroads Guitar Festival there in 2004.

South Korean boy band BTS was set to perform at the stadium on May 9–10, 2020 as part of their Map of the Soul Tour; however, the shows were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.