The 1954 Cotton Bowl Classic, part of the 1953 bowl game season, took place on January 1, 1954, at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference (SEC) as conference champions, and the Rice Owls, representing the Southwest Conference (SWC) as conference co-champions. Rice won the game 28–6, but its victory was overshadowed by Alabama's Tommy Lewis and his "12th man tackle" of Rice running back Dicky Moegle in the second quarter.