Cowboy Capital
No State is More Associated with Rodeo than Texas
True, there’s always been a great debate as to where the first rodeo took place. Cities like Prescott, Ariz., Deer Trail, Colo., Santa Fe, N.M., and our own Pecos, Texas, all lay claim to having the first, oldest or longest-running rodeo. But no state is more synonymous with the sport than Texas.
What started out as cowboys matching skills against each other to see who the best bronc rider was or who could rope a steer the fastest has become a multi-million-dollar sporting event. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, the primary governing body for the sport, pays out more than $46 million in prize money annually, and Texas hosts almost twice as many PRCA rodeos as any other state, with 83. The next closest state is Colorado, with 46 PRCA-sanctioned events.
But rodeo in Texas is much bigger than just the sanctioned events. There are several regional sanctioning associations, as well as open or non-sanctioned events across the state. Add in the junior and high school rode-os, and it’s a pretty safe bet that on any given weekend and in any given location in Texas, you’re within 100 miles of a rodeo.
When you start discussing individual rodeos in Texas, you’re sure to start an argument as to which one is the biggest or best. Do you measure by the number of ticket-buying rodeo fans, the most contestants or the most prize money paid out?
THE EVENTS
Fort Worth has the most rodeo events with the weekly Stockyards Championship Rodeo in the historic Cowtown Coliseum and the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo that takes place in late January and early February. Between those two venues alone, Fort Worth hosts more than 140 rodeo performances a year, and that’s not even counting the high school and open events in the city.
Cowtown Coliseum, originally called Northside Coliseum, is located in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District and has seen as much rodeo history as any other rodeo venue in the country. In addition to hosting the world’s first indoor rodeo in 1918, Cowtown Coliseum also lays claim to several firsts in the sport of rodeo: the first live radio broadcast (1922); the first televised rodeo (1932); and the first bull riding competitive contest (1934).
Today Cowtown Coliseum is home to the Stockyards Championship Rodeo every Friday and Saturday night at 8 p.m. and the Pawnee Bill Wild West Show every Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Additional events during the year include the Red Steagall Ranch Rodeo and the American Semi-Finals.
The Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo moved from Cowtown Coliseum and the Fort Worth Stockyards to its current home in the Will Rogers Memorial Center in 1944. The Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo is one of the major events in the country, paying out more than $650,000 annually in prize money. It attracts the biggest names in the sport and is ranked as the 12th-richest event in the PRCA.
AT&T Stadium in Arlington may be the home of the Dallas Cowboy, but rodeo cowboys and cowgirls take center stage every year at what is billed as the “World’s Richest One-Day Rodeo,” the American.
The American kicks off with a semi-final event in Cowtown Coliseum that features $1 million in prize money. The top contestants then advance to the finals which features $2 million in prize money and an additional $1 million paid out in bonuses.
The San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo is the sec-ond-richest event sanctioned by the PRCA, with $1.57 million in prize money. Held annually in February, San Antonio features a different format from most rodeos in that it is a tournament-style rodeo. Contestants compete in brackets, and the winners advance to the semi-finals and from there the finals. Money is paid out in each round, and the top winners earn more than $20,000 in each event.
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo broke ranks several years ago and is no longer sanctioned by the PRCA. However, that has not stopped Houston from being one of the biggest and richest rodeos in the world, featuring a total prize money of $2.72 million. Held each year in March, the Houston rodeo features a $50,000 payout to the winners of each event, plus the money winners claim during the preliminary rounds.
Several other Texas cities host major PRCA sanctioned events, including Waco, Austin, San Angelo, Corpus Christi, Pecos, and Pasadena, all of which are ranked among the 50 richest rodeos in the PRCA.
COWTOWN LANDMARK Cowtown Coliseum was called Northside Coliseum when it was built.
THE COWBOYS
In addition to having more rodeos than any other state, Texas also boasts more world champions. Over the years more than 200 world championships have been won by Texans, and they’ve been won in every event and every era in the sport.
Two of the most dominating all-around cowboys have been Trevor Brazile and Ty Murray. Brazile hails from Decatur, and Murray makes his home in Stephenville. While both cowboys are legends in the world of rodeo, they earned their fame working in different ends of the arena.
Murray competed in bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding, earning seven world all-around championships and two world bull riding titles. Murray won almost $2 million during his rodeo career and an additional $800,000 competing in Professional Bull Riders. He was also a founding member of the PBR.
Brazile rewrote the record books competing in tie-down roping, team roping and steer roping. During his career, he’s won more than $6 million, almost twice as much as any other cowboy; and claimed 23 world championships. His world titles include thirteen all-around, six steer roping, three tie-down and one team roping (heading) title.
A number of world champion bull riders have called Texas home, but Mesquite’s Don Gay may be the best known. Gay grew up in a rodeo family, and his dad, Neal, produced the famous Mesquite Rodeo. Gay holds the record for the most world bull riding titles with eight, and he dominated the sport throughout the mid to late ’70s and the early’80s.
Tie-down roping is another event in which Texans have made their mark. Texans have been so dominant theyve won 28 of the last 32 world titles in the event. World championships during that period have come in bunches for such legendary cowboys as Huntsville’s Joe Beaver (five world titles), Cody Ohl, from Hico (five world titles) and Fred Whitfield, from Hockley (seven world titles).
THE WOMEN
During the early years of rodeo women’s bronc riding was a mainstay event, but after several tragic injuries and even deaths, the event was dropped. In 1948, 23 women met in San Angelo and formed the Girls Rodeo Association, now the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. Their goal was for women to be able to compete in rodeo and in all of the events men competed in.
Wanda Harper Bush from Mason won 32 world titles during her career, including nine all-around titles. Her other world championships came in barrel racing, cutting, calf roping, flag race and ribbon roping.
J.J. Hampton from Stephenville has been the most recent Texan to dominate women’s rodeo, earning 17 world titles. Her titles came in the all-around, team roping and tie-down rop-ing. Along the way, she has also been inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame and Stephenville’s Cowboy Walk of Fame.
Tad Lucas was one of the most renowned cowgirls in early rodeo. The youngest of 24 chil-dren, she was one of the top trick riders and lady bronc riders of her day. She started out in 1922 and rode her last bronc at age 62. She was born in Cody, Neb., but made her home in Fort Worth. Pelican Publishing will soon release a new children’s book about Lucas, titled Tad Lucas: Trick-Riding Rodeo Cowgirl, by Laura B. Edge.
BRONCO BUSTING During the early days of rodeo, women’s bronc riding was a mainstay event, though injuries and even death forced the event to be dropped. Wanda Harper Bush from Mason and J.J. Hampton from Stephenville were the sport’s biggest female winners.
THE HERITAGE
Texas is rich in rodeo history, and there’s no shortage of museums preserving and celebrating that history. In Fort Worth alone there are three museums, including the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame and the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.
The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame is located in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District and also features the Sterquell Wagon Collection. In addition to recognizing successful cowboys and cowgirls, the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame also recognizes distinguished individuals in Western lifestyle and entertainment.
The Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame is housed in Historic Cowtown Coliseum, also located in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District, along with the Bul Riding Hall of Fame. The Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame was originally established in Belton in 1975 and now includes biographies and photographs of more than 300 inductees.
The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame started out in the basement of the Deaf Smith County Library, before moving to Fort Worth in 1994. Today the museum is housed in a state-of-the-art 33,000 square foot complex adjacent to the Will Rogers Memorial Complex.
Like the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame pays tribute to more than just women in rodeo.
Honorees also include pioneers, artists, writ-ers, entertainers, humanitarians, businesswomen, educators and ranchers.
Dublin was once home base of Everett Colburn and his World’s Championship Rodeo Company that provided livestock for many of the major rodeos, including Madison Square Garden in New York City and the Boston Garden. In
1942 Gene Autry merged his Flying A Ranch Rodeo Company with Colburn’s rodeo company to form Gene Autry’s World Championship Rodeo.
Dublin Rodeo Heritage Museum opened in 2004 and preserves the rich rodeo heritage of the area that was also home to the Colburn Bowl, once the largest rodeo arena in the Southwest. The Colburn Bowl was also the site of the first cutting horse event sanctioned by the National Cutting Horse Association. Cutting horse competitions have also grown into a multi-million-dollar equine sporting event, primarily based in Texas.
The Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame is located in Pecos and recognizes rodeo contestants who’ve competed in their famed West of the Pecos Rodeo. The museum currently shares space with the Pecos Chamber of Commerce and honors 40 inductees.
So, no matter what your location, there’s no excuse not to enjoy the action-packed entertainment offered by the sport of rodeo. It’s always rodeo season in Texas.
