Big Tex
by AutumnSpectacle.com staff

The annual Oklahoma-Texas game includes many familiar sights.  Perched high above the crowd at Dallas' Fair Park is an icon known as Big Tex.

Big Tex was originally erected in 1949 as a giant Santa Claus by the people of Kerens, Texas, to promote local commerce. The Texas State Fair purchased him for $750 in 1951, changed his wardrobe, gave him a booming voice, and he made his first appearance at the fairgrounds in 1952.

He’s 52 feet tall, wears size 70 boots and a 75 gallon hat.

Big Tex serves as the principal identifying symbol, signature landmark and meeting place for patrons at the Fair, and is an indispensable part of the festival surroundings at the annual Red River Rivalry in Fair Park – Texas vs. Oklahoma.

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