Pam Minick, whose career has run from rodeo announcer to team roper to marketing director for “the world’s largest honky-tonk,” is receiving the 2016 Western Horseman Award.
Minick, who retired in 2013 after 25 years as marketing director for the iconic Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth, was selected for the award for her contributions to the Western and stock horse industries. She received the award on Jan. 16 during Ranching Heritage Weekend at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.
Minick is a familiar face in Fort Worth and beyond. Her stint as Miss Rodeo America 1973 propelled her into a career in the rodeo and television industries. She was the first woman to announce a professional rodeo (RodeoHouston) and to be part of a rodeo broadcast team on a national network (CBS in 1977).
Minick was vice president of the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association from 1978 to 1992, helping promote equal purse money for barrel racers at professional rodeos. She won the WPRA breakaway roping world championship in 1982. An accomplished team roper, Minick ropes at home with her husband, Billy, and in competition. She hosts two RFD-TV programs, The American Rancher, which profiles successful cattle ranchers, and Gentle Giants, which spotlights draft horses and has become the network’s top-rated program.
She is a longtime proponent of preservation and development in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District and is president of Friends of the Fort Worth Herd, which sponsors daily cattle drives through the Stockyards. She also works with several local charitable organizations.
Fort Worth-based Western Horseman, established in 1936, is a publication for stock horse enthusiasts. The Western Horseman Award was initiated in 2005 to recognize outstanding individuals who exemplify impeccable Western horsemanship; a commitment to education, authenticity and ethics; and a passion for the Western way of life. – Staff reports