ProRodeo Hall of Fame Announces 2023 Legend of ProRodeo
World-wide entertainer Red Steagall tabbed 2023 Legend of ProRodeo
By TRACY RENCK
Red Steagall, who has had a 45-plus year entertainment career that has spanned the globe from Cow Camps to the White House, will add another line to his resume in 2023.
Steagall has been named the 2023 Legend of ProRodeo.
Steagall will be honored at the 16th annual Wrangler Gold Buckle Gala on Dec. 4 at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Doors open at 6 p.m. (PT) with a reception and silent auction. The dinner begins at 7 p.m. with the live auction and program following dinner.
“This is a tremendous honor to be recognized as a member of that family that has meant so much to me and been such a major part of my life,” Steagall said. “I’m proud to know that they accept me, and the rest of that community accepts me and I’m a part of the rodeo family.”
Steagall’s career spanned the globe from Australia to the Middle East, to South America and to the Far East. He has performed for heads of state including a special party for President Ronald Reagan at the White House in l983, plus three overseas tours to the Middle East, the Far East, Europe, Australia, and South America.
As a native Texan, Red Steagall enjoyed a career in Agricultural Chemistry after graduating from West Texas A&M University with a degree in Animal Science and Agronomy. He then spent eight years as a music industry executive in Hollywood, Calif., and has spent the last 37 years as a recording artist, songwriter, and television and motion picture personality.
He currently ranches outside of Fort Worth, Texas where in addition to his entertainment activities, he is involved in numerous horse related activities.
“This (Legend of ProRodeo) is a real milestone,” Steagall said. “It is something I never dreamed would be possible because as far I’m concerned that title in rodeo belongs to the athletes and to the people who make the rodeo really work. To think they believe I have contributed that much in my life is overwhelming.”
Although Red Steagall is best known for his wonderful Texas Swing dance music and such songs as “Here We Go Again”, “Party Dolls and Wine”, “Freckles Brown”, and “Lone Star Beer and Bob Wills Music”, he also is beloved by Texas cowboys for the quiet times they have spent with him around chuck wagon campfires.
As a songwriter, Steagall has had over 200 of his compositions recorded both by him and other artists. He also has recorded 26 consecutive singles that tracked on the national charts and released a total of 22 albums.
Steagall was a regular on the NBC series, Music Country USA; host of two television pilots, (which he produced); numerous appearances on syndicated television shows such as Hee Haw and Nashville on the Road; and four years as host of the national televised National Finals Rodeo.
“I think probably the most important stage of my career was the years I spent working rodeos in the 1970s and 1980s,” Steagall said. “I worked nearly all the major rodeos in some capacity, and it was my family. Those cowboys would ride the bus with us, and we would party together, we laughed together, we cried together. I pulled a few ropes on the back of the chutes, and they were my family and still are.”
Steagall is the 18th man to be honored as a Legend of ProRodeo, following Jake Barnes, Jim Shoulders, Clem McSpadden, Harry Vold, Larry Mahan, Shawn Davis, Dean Oliver, Donnie Gay, Benny Binion, Mel Potter, Neal Gay, Michael Gaughan, Keith Martin, Cotton Rosser, Bob Tallman, Clint Johnson, and Mike Cervi.
