For the first time in history, PRCA and WPRA World Champions were recognized at the White House, placing professional rodeo alongside the nation’s biggest championship sports traditions.
Just a few months ago, they walked out of the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas as World Champions.
On the afternoon of March 13th, they walked into the Oval Office as representatives of something even bigger, the very best of rodeo.
For the first time in history, the 2025 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) World Champions were welcomed to the White House and recognized by President Donald Trump. This is a milestone moment not only for the athletes themselves but for the sport of rodeo.
For decades, championship teams from the NFL, MLB, NBA and NCAA have made the same journey to Washington following title winning seasons. The Super Bowl champions, the World Series winners, the college football champions, each have stood in the halls of the White House as symbols of excellence in American sport.
Until now, rodeo World Champions had never been part of that tradition.
That changed in 2026, when the best cowboys and cowgirls from the 2025 season gathered in Washington D.C. to be honored for their achievements at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the ten-round championship that determines the sport’s World Champions each December in Las Vegas.
Dressed in their best — cowboy hats, pressed blazers, polished boots and gleaming gold belt buckles, the champions brought the spirit of the sport into one of the most recognizable buildings in the world.
Among those recognized were the 2025 World Champions from every event in professional rodeo.
- All-Around Cowboy: Stetson Wright
- Bareback Riding: Rocker Steiner
- Steer Wrestling: Tucker Allen
- Team Roping Header: Andrew Ward
- Team Roping Heeler: Jake Long
- Steer Roping: Cole Patterson
- Saddle Bronc Riding: Statler Wright
- Tie-Down Roping: Riley Webb
- Barrel Racing: Kassie Mowry
- Breakaway Roping: Taylor Munsell
- Bull Riding: Stetson Wright
For the athletes who spend much of the year traveling thousands of miles between rodeos, the visit marked a rare moment away from the road, and an opportunity to represent a sport deeply tied to American agriculture, western heritage, and rural communities.
Before the champions met the president, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins spoke outside the White House, emphasizing the significance of the moment.
“They represent the best of America, the best of American sports,” Rollins said of the rodeo champions. “We have had the incredible blessing of having the College World Series baseball team, NFL teams, MLB teams, and most recently the USA Mens Hockey team. But for me, as the Secretary of Agriculture, this is my Super Bowl.”
Inside the Oval Office, the champions presented President Trump with a custom Resistol cowboy hat, specially designed with the U.S. Constitution and the president’s name inscribed inside the crown.
Mr President joked with the athletes about the intensity of their sport.
“You guys are crazy,” Trump said with a smile, referencing the physical demands and that come with the sport.
The room filled with laughter as the champions shook hands with the president and shared a moment that most in the rodeo industry once thought unlikely. The visit carried deeper symbolism for the sport itself.
Professional rodeo has long been rooted in the traditions of ranch life and western culture. For generations, cowboys and cowgirls built the sport through small town rodeos. But in recent years, rodeo has evolved into a major professional sport. Events like the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, RODEOHOUSTON, and other major rodeos now draw massive crowds, multimillion-dollar purses, and national television audiences.
The invitation to the White House represents another step in a big direction.
From the sold out crowd inside the Thomas & Mack Center to the historic halls of the White House, the journey of the 2025 world champions reflects the continued rise of professional rodeo on the national stage.
For one afternoon in Washington, D.C., the champions who had conquered the rodeo arena stood in a different kind of arena, one that has long recognized the greatest accomplishments in American sports.
This time, rodeo was part of the tradition.
Thank you to President Trump, Secretary Rollins, and everyone who continues to champion the sport of rodeo, helping bring its athletes to the biggest national stages and recognizing them for the champions they are.
