1961 Cotton Bowl Program Duke vs Arkansas Silver Anniversary Football Ephemera

Description: Document collegiate gridiron history with this genuine January 2, 1961 official souvenir game program celebrating the Silver Anniversary Cotton Bowl Classic. This historic matchup at the Cotton Bowl stadium in Dallas, Texas, pitted coach Frank Broyles" Arkansas Razorbacks against coach Bill Murray's Duke Blue Devils, resulting in a competitive 7-6 victory for Duke. The front cover features multi-panel historic comic illustrations by noted sports cartoonist Bill McClanahan, commemorating legendary Cotton Bowl milestones such as L.D. Meyer's 1937 TCU performance, Bobby Layne's 1946 Texas passing records, the infamous 1954 Dick Moegle sideline tackle incident, and Kyle Rote's 1949 SMU punt. The reverse layout displays a vibrant full-page mid-century color advertisement for Pepsi-Cola under the historic campaign slogan "The Sociables Prefer Pepsi," showcasing formal costumed figures, retro typography, and an illustrated six-bottle carton of Pepsi-Cola. This vintage publication serves as an objective, text-dense time capsule of early 1960s postseason football culture, featuring complete team roster lineups, vintage local corporate advertising, and foundational athletic player profiles.

Product Specifications

• Publication: Cotton Bowl Classic Official Souvenir Program

• Issue Date: January 2, 1961

• Event Edition: 25th Annual Silver Anniversary Cotton Bowl

• Matchup: Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Duke Blue Devils

• Cover Illustrator: Bill McClanahan (Sports Cartoonist)

• Original Cover Price: 50¢

• Item Type: Genuine Official Postseason Game Program

Detailed Condition & Flaw Report

This vintage periodical is sold strictly as-is based on a direct physical review of the front and back cover layout scans.

• Overall Condition: Used condition with mild handling marks and spine stress consistent with vintage archival age.

• Spine & Binding: Secure softcover binding with faint vertical stress lines, light corner rubbing, and minor color breaking at the binding staples.

• Cover Wear: Front cover shows uniform off-white paper toning, tiny perimeter handling smudges, and minor edge wear. The back Pepsi advertisement displays light handling dings and small edge spots along the left white border margin.

• Interior Pages & Cleanliness: Complete interior pages are not fully exposed in these cover layout scans, but the visible outer margins show expected uniform vintage age-toning and light yellowing. The visible paper structure appears flat, clean, and free of any prominent modern ink markings, heavy stains, or significant tears.

Photo Reminder: before placing your order, Please examine all high-resolution listing photos closely to verify the exact condition of the item. Because Pictures are part of the description too.

Shipping & Store Logistics

• Archival-Safe Protection: Vintage paper programs are highly prone to edge nicks, rolling, or folding if improperly packaged. To protect your investment, this 1961 Cotton Bowl Program will be safely enclosed in a protective sleeve, placed between heavy cardboard reinforcement panels, and shipped inside a clean, rigid, crush-resistant box to ensure it arrives flat.

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• Tracked Delivery: All orders are packed securely and shipped quickly with tracking numbers sent directly to you via email.