Colorado Springs, CO - The ProRodeo Hall of Fame has recently announced its 2023 inductees. The list includes top-notch rodeo athletes, a pickup man, rodeo committees, notable figures, and a legendary bareback horse. The 2023 Ken Stemler Pioneer Award will also be presented to former bull rider and National Finals Rodeo judge Bryan McDonald. These outstanding individuals will be enshrined on July 15, 2023, at the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, CO.
Among the 2023 inductees are steer wrestler Luke Branquinho, a five-time PRCA World Champion; two-time PRCA World Champion Saddle Bronc rider Cody Wright; World Champion Team Roper Doyle Gellerman; rodeo notables Butch Knowles and Tom Feller; standout bareback horse Night Jacket; rodeo committees from the St. Paul (Ore.) Rodeo and Cowtown Rodeo in Pilesgrove, N.J.; and barrel racer Sherry (Combs) Johnson, the 1962 WPRA World Champion and WPRA notable Fay Ann Horton Leach.
Branquinho, who won world championships in 2004, 2008, 2011-12, and 2014, is second all-time in ProRodeo steer wrestling world championships behind only Homer Pettigrew, who had six. Cody Wright, a member of the Wright family of saddle bronc riders, won two PRCA World Championships in 2008 and 2010. Doyle Gellerman won the team roping world championship in 1981.
The 2023 Ken Stemler Pioneer Award will be awarded to Bryan McDonald, former bull rider and National Finals Rodeo judge, for his foresight on day money and work with PROCOM, which has set the industry apart.
The ProRodeo Hall of Fame recognizes those who have provided groundbreaking, innovative ideas and forward thinking that help the development, advancement, and success of the PRCA and/or the Hall of Fame and their missions.
The ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, CO, celebrates the sport's legends and history, preserving rodeo's heritage for generations to come.