Cotton Bowl fans expect to travel well with teams to Dallas

DALLAS, TX (WSFA) - Les Yates is a University of Alabama grad and head of the Tide in Texas Alumni group for Dallas-Fort Worth. Yates knows from experience this will be a great week for the Dallas economy as it normally is during Cotton Bowl week at the massive AT&T Stadium in nearby Arlington, Texas.

"The travel is easy to come here. We've got great venues and great restaurants, and the stadium is set up for 80,000,' Yates said.

In fact, the Dallas-Fort Worth area has already won. Hotels are putting heads in beds for the next few days.

What helps is the fact Michigan State fans want to get out of the cold and some place warm. Dallas it is for now even though it's nasty, rainy and cold on Sunday night.

Yates expects around 40,000 Alabama fans to be in the stadium New Year's Eve.

"I was very fortunate in college during the Bear Bryant years to win two national championships. You get into the mode we're gonna win. We're good, and we like to follow the team," said Yates.

One report suggests local businesses in the area could take in as much as $30 million for the entire week.

Michigan State has already sold its allotted 13,000 tickets to the game against Alabama. Those who didn't get tickets are looking at other online sources.

It's not clear whether the Cotton Bowl New Year's Eve is sold out.

Les Yates graduated from Alabama in 1980 with a degree in Civil Engineering. He later became a fighter pilot, flying F-16s in the Air Force for 9 years. Yates now flies for Delta Airlines.

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