SAN ANGELO STOCK SHOW & RODEO ASSOCIATION

Rodeo Committee

Inducted 2026

The San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo traces its roots back to 1932, when J. Culberson “Cub” Deal, manager of the San Angelo Board of City Development, envisioned a spring stock show that would benefit the community more than a traditional fair. Deal gathered local leaders Claude A. Broome, John P. Lee, J. Willis Johnson, Jr., D.T. Jones, and County Agent W.I. Marschall to bring the idea to life. Together, they established an event centered around the involvement of local 4-H Club boys and vocational agriculture students. The first San Angelo Stock Show was held on the Polo Field from February 29 through March 2, 1932.

In 1934, the Stock Show moved from the Polo Fields to the fairgrounds, where improvements to the facilities allowed for an experimental rodeo to be added as entertainment. The rodeo quickly became a major attraction, and by 1955, it had grown into a sanctioned event with the Rodeo Cowboys Association, now known as the PRCA.

In 1956, legendary photographer DeVere Helfrich captured one of the most iconic moments in rodeo history inside the San Angelo arena — Bill Ward aboard Sea Lion. That image would later become the official logo of the PRCA, forever linking San Angelo to the very identity of professional rodeo.

Following the 1956 event, years of deterioration and tornado damage left the fairgrounds in desperate condition. The Stock Show and Rodeo Board informed the city that improvements were necessary for the event to continue. The completion of the San Angelo Coliseum in 1959 marked a turning point in the organization’s history and laid the foundation for decades of future growth.

Today, the San Angelo Rodeo stands as one of the premier rodeos in professional rodeo, recognized nationally as one of the PRCA’s top-paying and most respected events. The rodeo draws tens of thousands of fans annually and generates a major economic impact across West Texas.

Driven by more than 1,000 volunteers, the organization has awarded millions in scholarships while remaining committed to its mission to educate youth and preserve western heritage. From its beginnings during the Great Depression to its place today on one of rodeo’s biggest stages, the San Angelo Stock Show & Rodeo continues to represent the grit, resilience, and enduring spirit of the American West