ProRodeo Sports News - June 23, 2023

NOTABLE

Butch Knowles Long-time NFR

announcer honored

BY TANNER BARTH T he voice of Butch Knowles is one of the most recognizable in the sport of rodeo. Knowles has been in the broadcast booth for every National Finals Rodeo dating back to 1988. His dedication to the sport is one of a kind. His longevity and love for rodeo was recognized by the ProRodeo Hall of Fame selection committee. On March 27, Knowles learned that he would be honored as an inductee into the 2023 Class of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. It’s an honor that left a man that’s never short on words rather speechless. “Oh my gosh, are you serious,” said Knowles upon hearing of his induction. “That’s pretty humbling. For a guy that does a lot of talking for a living, I don’t have many words to say right now.” Knowles may be going into the Hall as a rodeo notable, but he’s known for his work inside the arena as well. He qualified for the NFR in saddle bronc riding in 1981, 1983, and 1986-87. He also won the NFR average in 1987. He said being a Hall of Famer is something that never crossed his mind while riding or announcing. “This is the last thing that I ever thought would happen. It is quite an honor, it’s probably not the place that I feel like I should be,” he said. “But it’s an honor to be thought of that way, it really is.” Tom Glause, the CEO of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, said Knowles’ impact on the sport can’t be understated. “He was one of the people that I looked up to growing up trying to ride broncs,” Glause said. “Inside the arena Butch was a great representative of our sport. Outside the arena as a sportscaster, he has really left a mark. We couldn’t be prouder to have him be inducted.” For as much as Knowles has meant to the sport of rodeo, he said the impact it’s had on him equally shaped his life and his ProRodeo career. “The sport of rodeo has impacted my life in every corner,” Knowles said. “Everything that I’ve done can really be traced back to the sport of rodeo. I mean from when I rode to being an analyst and being on TV to the people I meet ranching and the doors that opened from that. Everything I attribute to the sport of rodeo. It’s been a wonderful ride, it really has.”

Peggy Gander photo

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