Cowboys Supporting Cowboys: Sponsorship Deal Lands PRCA Logo on Wyoming Football Field

The moment Bodie Mattson heard the news, it seemed like a natural fit. As word got out that the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association had reached an agreement to have its logo on the field at the University of Wyoming’s War Memorial Stadium, Mattson, a UW alum, ran into his former college coach and now retired PRCA bull rider Seth Glause at a rodeo over the weekend.

They chatted about the newly forged deal and came to a quick conclusion – if any school was going to get support from the PRCA, this one certainly made the most sense.

“Honestly, I wasn’t too surprised. I went to school there and that university is not like a lot of universities. They really back the rodeo program,” Mattson, now a PRCA tie-down roper, said. “There’s a lot of ranching backgrounds and a ton of rodeo people around there. And obviously with their mascot being the Cowboys, it didn’t surprise me too much. But it’s just a super cool thing to hear about.”

Details of the deal

Wyoming announced the partnership in a press release on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The ProRodeo logos, which sit just beyond the back in-line of each endzone, made their on-field debut during the school’s home opening win against Northern Colorado last weekend. In that release, Director of Athletics Tom Burman called the deal “another groundbreaking moment for our athletic programs.”

Rob DeSoto, General Manager of Wyoming Sports Properties, confirmed to Rodeo On SI that it is a four-year advertising agreement but did not disclose the deal's financial details.

It’s the second significant sponsorship surrounding Wyoming’s football facility, but the first in more than a decade. Back in 2005, the university accepted a $5 million donation from the Martin and McMurry families, which was matched by the State of Wyoming, to name the playing surface in the stadium Jonah Field in recognition of the massive natural gas field in Sublette County.

In addition to advertising on the turf, DeSoto confirmed that the PRCA will support the schools’ annual “Rodeo Day” themed game each year. The PRCA will also have its interactive experience trailer at one game for members of the Wyoming Athletic Kids Club to engage with. Additionally, a youth reading program in partnership with the PRCA is in the works.

A Sign of Things to Come

The announcement comes less than five months after the PRCA Board of Directors and ProRodeo Hall of Fame Trustees voted to move forward with plans to relocate the PRCA headquarters and ProRodeo Hall of Fame from Colorado Springs to Cheyenne by 2029. The University of Wyoming is located about 50 miles to the west off Interstate 80 in Laramie.

While the PRCA isn’t an official neighbor yet, the decision to be active in the Cowboy State did not go unnoticed. Wyoming’s rodeo team has a proud history of success at the collegiate level, with numerous competitors going on to PRCA or Women’s Professional Rodeo Association careers. Additionally, the university is a regular supporter of other rodeos in the region, like Cheyenne Frontier Days and Laramie Jubilee Days.

To see the organizing body of rodeo give back before relocation plans are finalized is something everyone with UW ties was excited about.

“For a university that’s really supported rodeo and gone out of its way to help with the rodeo team, I think it’s really cool now that pro rodeo is willing to give back,” said steer wrestler and Wyoming alum Seth Peterson. “It’s just a good collaboration. It’s the perfect state for that partnership.”

Add us as a preferred source on Google