Home » Sports » Rodeo Culture » ProRodeo Hall of Fame and the Museum of the American Cowboy

ProRodeo Hall of Fame and the Museum of the American Cowboy

© Diana Rowe Martinez

The only major competitive sport that began as a working lifestyle and evolved to the professional status of today is rodeo. To many, the rodeo is a way of life; to others, it's a business. However you look at the rodeo, its history and legends can be found in one convenient, twenty-acre location: the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy.

Tucked against the Rocky Mountain foothills in Colorado Springs, more than 40,000 visitors entered its Halls last year. Debuting in 1979, the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, adjacent to PRCA's National Headquarters, is one of its kind in the world and entirely devoted to the sport of professional rodeo. A $4.4 million, 30,000 square feet expansion was completed in mid-1996 in anticipation of the next fifteen years growth for the Hall of Fame and the growing popularity of the rodeo.

Just west of Interstate 25 at exit 147 (Rockrimmon Boulevard), the Hall's landmark bronze statue is easily visible. "The Champ"is a depiction of Casey Tibbs atop the famous saddle bronc Necktie. A nine-time world champ, Casey was one of the most celebrated rodeo cowboys, and his statute as well as his memory will remain larger than life.

Upon entering the building, guests begin their rodeo journey by watching two preparatory video presentations that illustrate the sport's evolution from rodeo's 19th-century beginnings to today's major spectator attraction. Between shows, rodeo fans browse Heritage Hall in amazement at the changes of historic to modern cowboy and rodeo gear depicted in displays of saddles, chaps, ropes, clothing, hats and other rodeo equipment over the decades.

The self-guided tour through the Hall of Champions features exhibits on each event's cowboys, current champions, famous stock contractors, rodeo clowns and other rodeo personnel. Each honoree is profiled in their own exhibit with photographs, gear, personal memorabilia and trophies. Throughout the museum, the visitor strolls through exhibits of western art. Oftentimes the artists themselves are present to answer questions or just chat about their work, the cowboy or the rodeos that inspire them. To enhance the cowboy feeling, live rodeo animals are penned in an outside courtyard, which contains a replica rodeo arena and a sculpture garden.

At the end of your tour, the Hall of Fame Rodeo Store enables visitors to take home a little bit of the cowboy magic.

Since its prestigious inception, over 150 individuals have been nominated to the ProRodeo Hall of Fame each year, but only a few obtain the ultimate honor. The year 2000 saw a total of 145 people and 22 animals inducted. The 2000 inductees included seven-time world all-around champion Ty Murray; all-around hand Chuck Sheppard; stock contractor Joe Kelsey; former NFR secretary and member of the PRCA board of directors Cecil Jones; bullfighters Junior Meek and George Doak; and Skoal's Sippin'; Velvet, a five-time PRCA bareback horse of the year.

The copyright of the article ProRodeo Hall of Fame and the Museum of the American Cowboy in Rodeo Culture is owned by . Permission to republish ProRodeo Hall of Fame and the Museum of the American Cowboy in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.