COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A trio of PRCA World Champions – tie-down roper Stran Smith, team roping header Steve Purcella (1996) and bareback rider Jeff Collins (2000) – headline a star-studded 2025 PRORODEO Hall of Fame class announced on Tuesday.

The three are joined but multiple NFR qualifiers and fellow contestants, including notable saddle bronc rider Tom Miller, who is a three-time NFR average champion (1975, 1979, 1981) and six-time qualifier for the NFR (1975-77, and 1979-81) and took a unique approach to success in PRORODEO.

“I think this whole rodeo deal is a mental game,” Miller said. “I had (someone) tell me this one time, ‘You ride every horse for what he is. Don’t under ride him and don’t over ride him, and everything will come out OK.’ It was good advice. Just go have fun.”

Miller was a constant championship contender in the arena and in 1979 he lost a world championship by a mere $5.28 to Bobby Berger. That was the second closest world championship race in PRCA history behind only Scott Snedecor’s 2005 Steer Roping World Championship by $1.67 over Rock Patterson.

Miller came into the 1979 NFR trailing season leader Monte Henson and second place Berger by $13,000 and $12,000, respectively.

Miller clicked at the NFR, placing in seven of the 10 rounds and won the average by 19 points to claim $15,000 to make the world championship race a heartstopper.

Miller, who also finished second in the 1975 world standings, was a PRCA judge for more than 20 years. Miller served on the PRCA Rules Committee four years and the PRCA Humane Committee for two years. He was an NFR judge five years, being selected by saddle bronc contestants three times.

For more than 30 years, Miller instructed at saddle bronc schools and continues to mentor young bronc riders.

Smith is a 10-time NFR qualifier (1995, 1997-2001, 2004-2005, 2007-2008, and 2010) and 2008 NFR average winner.

“I was just trying to win enough to keep justifying going to rodeos,” Smith said. “Then you’re fortunate enough to make the Finals and eventually win a world championship. This is something that probably means more than anything because it really didn’t have a whole lot to do with me. This is something that people on the outside and inside selected.”

Smith’s road to the PRORODEO Hall of Fame has had many obstacles. He made a comeback from a stroke in 2003, missed the gold buckle by $1,778 in 2004 to Monty Lewis and his prized horse Topper was killed by a hit-and-run driver in 2007.

Smith seized the moment in Round 10 in 2008. He finished second in the round with a 7.2-second run on his aptly named mare, Destiny – his best run of the rodeo by six tenths of a second. That run allowed him to clinch the average and the coveted world championship.

Purcella qualified for the National Finals Rodeo 12 times – 1995-2005, and 2009 – and was invited twice in 1992 and 1994 – and he also won the NFR average in 1996.

“It’s quite a surprise. I heard a couple of years ago that somebody had nominated me,” Purcella said. “But I didn’t ever think it would happen. I don’t know what to think about it yet. It’s pretty cool.”

Purcella partnered with Steve Northcott in 1996 and Northcott won the PRCA Team Roping Heeler World Championship that year. Purcella and Northcutt also teamed up in 1998 to capture the title at the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo.

Purcella had signature rodeo wins in Denver, Reno (Nev.) and Puyallup, Wash.

Collins is a six-time NFR qualifier (1994-95, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2002), and he won the 2000 NFR average title with a then-record of 816 points on 10 head.

“There are so many guys who are so deserving, who are amazing athletes and cowboys who have done so much for the sport that it’s just so humbling,” Collins said. “I’ve seen so many greats go in there and just to be mentioned with those people is amazing.”

Collins accomplishments also include winning the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo (1993), Reno (Nev.) Rodeo (1999, 2000) and California Rodeo Salinas (1998, 2000).

Purcella and Collins are joined in the class by innovative rodeo producer Mack Altizer, who was the owner of Bad Company Rodeo stock contracting firm.

“From the very start, we saw that was a hit and it always pushed us to get bigger and better,” Altizer said. “Then when the rodeo was over, we were always looking at the following year … It’s a formula that works and keeps your career interesting and exciting. The music was always an asset.”

Altizer was a pioneer in the rodeo world who revitalized bull riding almost singlehandedly. He introduced high-energy and modern marketing techniques into rodeo events beginning in the early 1980s.

Today, no rodeo is without rock-and-roll music excitement, lighting, and announcing during the bull riding go-rounds.

To Altizer, rodeo was all about the fan experience, and he saw traditional rodeos back then as in need of more “show business.” Altizer was known for pushing for higher payouts for performing cowboy contestants.

Altizer joins his father, the late Jim Bob Altizer in the PRORODEO Hall of Fame. Jim Bob, a PRCA Tie-Down Roping (1959) and Steer Roping World Champion (1967), was inducted in the inaugural PRORODEO Hall of Fame class in 1979.

The 2025 class also includes the late Harley Tucker, a past northwest rodeo producer and stock contractor from Joseph, Ore., who helped found Chief Joseph Days in 1946.

At the time of his death in 1960 at the age of 52 of a heart attack, he was one of the nation’s largest stock contractors, providing stock and producing over 25 rodeos in the Northwest each year.

The Chief Joseph Days Rodeo takes place in Harley Tucker Memorial Arena.

Tucker also was posthumously inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City in 1997, the St. Paul (Ore.) Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Pendleton Round-Up Hall of Fame in 1980.

Other inductees include Skipper Voss, the 1982 Wrangler World Champion Bullfighter who also worked the NFR in 1974 and 1978.

Voss’ techniques and style in the arena have carried over into the bullfighters of today.

Standout steer wrestling horse Willy, ridden by Curtis Cassidy, guided Rope Myers (2001), Lee Graves (2005), Jason Miller (2007) and Luke Branquinho (2008) to world championships and was the 2008 PRCA | AQHA Horse of the Year.

“He had the quick speed to move left or right in an instant, but he could still ride like the wind too,” Cassidy said. “He had a cool demeanor in the box and was all business.”

Rounding out the inductees are the rodeo committee from Livermore, Calif., barrel racer Joyce (Burk) Loomis Kernek (1970 WPRA World Champion) and WPRA notable Pam Minick, the 1982 WPRA Breakaway Roping World Champion and rodeo and Western-lifestyle television personality.

Colby Staysa, the secretary of Livermore Rodeo, was thrilled to receive the Hall of Fame call.

“Over 100 years is pretty impressive,” said Colby Staysa, the secretary of Livermore Rodeo. “We’re excited to share this with our local government and with our parks district and to celebrate with them as well.”

Kernek made headlines throughout the 1970 season, beginning the season ranked No. 1 and 12 months and countless miles and runs later, ending in that same spot. She did so aboard a horse named War Leo Dude.

“I am just thrilled and never expected this,” Kernek said. “Rodeo has offered me every opportunity that I have had in life. It was my great love. I loved the competition, the people, the whole thing. When I was a little girl growing up, in the mountains of New Mexico, I used to dream of going to rodeos especially after seeing the Price sisters (Florence and Sherry – previous inductees) in the Western Horseman that was a dream I had. This is truly an amazing honor.”

Prior to 1970, Kernek had already made a name for herself, winning GRA/WPRA world titles in 1968 and 1969 in the flag race and ribbon roping. Dude showed his versatility as well, serving as her then husband Barry’s (Burk) steer wrestling horse. Dude helped Kernek claim the All-Around champion title at the Duncan Girls Rodeo. She served on the WPRA Board of Directors from 1969-1972.

Minick echoed Kernek.

“I am just speechless, which doesn’t happen very often,” Minick said upon learning of her induction. “I always think of myself as a as the person that cheers on the people that go into the Hall of Fame, not a Hall of Famer myself.

“For me doing what I do and being recognized like this is the icing on the cake, because everything I do is because I love it.”

Minick was a 16-time qualifier for the WPRA World Finals where she also competed in team roping. She was also the first woman to be granted a PRCA Announcer card.

She is a natural with a microphone and has hosted more than 1,000 television shows on ESPN, TNN, NBC, CBS, The Outdoor Network, RFD-TV and The Cowboy Channel.

WPRA members were first inducted into the PRORODEO Hall of Fame in 2017.

The 2025 Ken Stemler Pioneer Award, which 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 is being awarded to Red Steagall, who has had a 45-plus year entertainment career that has spanned the globe from Cow Camps to the White House. He was also the 2023 Legend of PRORODEO.

“Rodeo was such an important part of my life for so many years,” Steagall said. “It was our whole world. We were part of the family. And that was my that was my goal. I wanted to be a part of rodeo.”

The 2025 PRORODEO Hall of Fame class will be enshrined at 10 a.m. (MT) July 12 during ceremonies at the PRORODEO Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colo.

MONOPOLY: COLORADO SPRINGS EDITION UNVEILED TODAY

The World’s Most Popular Family Board Game MONOPOLY Adds a Colorado Springs-Inspired Edition, Featuring Beloved Local Companies and Historic Landmarks
Colorado Springs, CO (March 31, 2025) – Today, Top Trumps USA, released the official MONOPOLY: Colorado Springs Edition, under license from Hasbro, a leading toy and game company.
MONOPOLY: Colorado Springs Edition replaces the perennial board game’s iconic Atlantic City squares (from ‘Boardwalk’ to ‘Park Place’) with representations of Colorado Springs’s outdoor adventures, scenic views, all-season favorites, and long-standing businesses nominated by community members and fans. This special edition MONOPOLY board also comes with customized Community Chest and Chance playing cards to ensure every detail of the game pays homage to the city and its spirit.

“We’re beyond excited to launch MONOPOLY: Colorado Springs Edition and celebrate everything this adventurous town has to offer, from its world-renowned recreational and natural peaks and valleys to its artistic community and evolving downtown food and beverage scene,” said Aaron Green, a representative at Top Trumps USA. “We’ve spent months curating an accurate portrayal of the area and incorporated important feedback from locals to truly make this a fun and engaging game for Colorado Springs residents and visitors alike.”

MONOPOLY: Colorado Springs Edition is available for $44.99 at the ProRodeo Hall of Fame Gift Shop and website.
For media inquiries, please contact K. Sutherland PR at kerry@ksutherlandpr.com or (775) 360-6101.

About MONOPOLY
MONOPOLY first hit shelves in 1935 with the Racecar, Thimble, Boot, Top Hat, and Battleship among the original set of MONOPOLY tokens while the Scottie Dog and Wheelbarrow were added in the early 1950s. Although the brand has evolved over the past 90 years, the gameplay and iconography of the classic MONOPOLY game has remained unchanged, making it a timeless classic sure to be enjoyed by future generations. Today, MONOPOLY is the world’s favorite family game brand and is enjoyed by more than one billion players in 114 countries across the globe.