Opened: Oct. 7, 1930

Cost: $328,000

History: For decades, the Cotton Bowl was the crown jewel of sports facilities in North Texas. Two high school football teams played the first game at the place known as Fair Park Bowl. But it ultimately became known as "The House That Doak Built" in honor of SMU's Doak Walker, who starred in the 1940s. The stadium was renamed the Cotton Bowl just before TCU and Marquette met in the first Cotton Bowl Classic on Jan. 1, 1937. Since then, the game has been played in Fair Park annually but will move to Cowboys Stadium this season. The Cotton Bowl was the original home of the Cowboys when the team was established in 1960.

Opened: April 23, 1965

Cost: $1.5 million

History: The Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs began building a 10,000-seat baseball stadium in Arlington in September 1964. In 1971, the Washington Senators moved to the area and were renamed the Texas Rangers. The Rangers' debut in Arlington was to be April 6, 1972, but was postponed by a players' strike. The delayed debut came April 21, 1972, a 7-6 win over the Angels in front of 20,105. In 1991, Nolan Ryan threw his seventh career no-hitter in Arlington. By that time, voters had already approved a half-cent sales tax to finance a new stadium.

Opened: Sept. 17, 1971

DMN FILE 2004 / Getty Images

Texas Stadium

Cost: $25 million

History: After struggling to strike a deal with the city of Dallas, Clint Murchison bought land in Irving. In 1967, the Cowboys owner announced the team was leaving Dallas. Murchison required that season-ticket holders buy bonds to help fund construction of a stadium, and four years later, a state-of-the- art facility was completed. Texas Stadium was known for its signature feature – the hole in the roof. The Cowboys played their first game in Irving on Oct. 24, 1971. Over the years, Texas Stadium hosted events ranging from NFC Championship games to major concerts to dirt bike races, and it was a high school football mecca.

Opened: April 28, 1980

Cost: $25 million

History: It was thought Reunion Arena would help Dallas leap into the big leagues. With 17,000 seats and a $1.2 million scoreboard, the facility adjacent to Reunion Tower certainly had a big-time feel. The first event, the World Championship Tennis Finals, quickly faded into obscurity. But the Mavericks joined the NBA for the 1980-81 season, and the NHL's Minnesota North Stars moved to North Texas for the 1993-94 season. Reunion Arena was rocking in 1999 as the Stars won the Stanley Cup. Along the way, the facility hosted events such as the 1984 Republican National Convention and the 1986 NBA All-Star Game and NCAA Final Four.

(Rangers Ballpark in Arlington)

Opened: April 1, 1994

Cost: $190 million

History: The Rangers broke ground on their new ballpark Oct. 30, 1991, and the stadium opened in time for the 1994 season. At the time, the stadium was hailed as being state of the art yet having a decidedly old-school feel with brick construction. The new stadium gave the sagging franchise a lift as hitters eyed the short right-field porch. The Rangers won the AL West title in 1996. The Yankees scored two runs in the ninth for a 3-2 win in the first playoff game in Arlington. The Rangers would win two more division titles by the end of the decade.

Opened: May 3, 1996

Cost: $96 million

History: Thoroughbred horse racing was off and running in Grand Prairie in 1996, when Lone Star Park opened for live simulcast racing. Outside, construction crews were busy building grandstands and a paddock area so live racing could begin the following spring. On April 17, 1997, thousands flocked to see Class 1 racing, and the track posted a $510,000 wagering total on its first day. The track took center stage in October 2004, when it hosted the $14 million Breeders Cup. More than 53,000 fans saw Ghostzapper win the $4 million main event.

Opened: April 3, 1997

Cost: $110 million

History: Bruton Smith helped introduce the Dallas-Fort Worth area to NASCAR racing by opening a 1.5-mile quad-oval in Denton County. The facility could hold more than 140,000 people but only 30,000 showed up to see qualifying events in 1997 because of rain. Still, Smith called the opening of his new facility his "greatest achievement in racing." Smith opened the door, but it was general manager Eddie Gossage who helped draw fans with innovative promotions. TMS became known as one of the fastest nonrestrictor-plate tracks. TMS hosts two NASCAR races a year in addition to Nationwide Series and IndyCar racing.

Opened: July 28, 2001

DMN FILE 2006

American Airlines Center will see its run as the area's newest sports facility end after eight years, but the arena continues to elevate Dallas' status nationally.

Cost: $420 million

History: Reunion Arena elevated Dallas' sports profile in the 1980s, and American Airlines Center did it again in the 21st century. The Mavericks and Stars moved into a facility with 142 luxury suites and 2,082 Platinum level seats. Those patrons had access to private gourmet meals, lounges and bars. With all those private suites, fans had a comfortable view of the first event – a concert by the Eagles. AAC was considered among the best NBA facilities, but hockey players have long thought it has one of the worst ice surfaces in the NHL. AAC will host some of the NBA All-Star events leading up to the 2010 game in Arlington.