The Pam Minick Lifetime Achievement Award
The Pam Minick Lifetime Achievement Award was established in 2023 to recognize female leaders who, during their lifetimes, have made outstanding contributions to Western sports, supported and elevated cowgirls, and made a significant and lasting impact on the industry. The award was named after its namesake, Minick, in 2023.
2024 RECIPIENT
Reba McEntire
McEntire grew up immersed in the Western lifestyle, traveling alongside her father Clark McEntire, a three-time PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) world champion steer wrestler, who has since been inducted into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1988.
McEntire was a barrel racer during her youth, earning two buckles, rodeo helped launch her now legendary performing career. In 1974, McEntire was selected to sing the National Anthem during the National Finals Rodeo. During that performance she was discovered by recording artist Red Steagall who was so moved by her performance that he helped McEntire land her first recording contract. Five decades later, McEntire has now brought the Western lifestyle and country music to some of the world’s biggest stages, mounting a career that spans music, television, film, theater, retail and hospitality.
In January 2024, nearly 50 years after she was discovered, McEntire again performed the National Anthem, this time at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. McEntire prominently wore her father’s 1957 steer wrestling championship belt buckle, which helped spur renewed interest in the sport of rodeo.
2023 RECIPIENT
PAM MINICK
The award, named after its first recipient Minick in 2023, aims to honor female leaders who, like Pam, have made remarkable contributions to Western sports, supported and uplifted cowgirls, and left a significant and enduring mark on the industry.