Pam Minick Lifetime Achievement Award

2025 RECIPIENT

Billie bray

Billie Bray currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer of Equibrand, where her passion for rodeo and business has left an indelible mark on the industry. She has played a key role in the development and growth of iconic brands such as Classic Rope, Rattler Rope, Classic Equine, Martin Saddlery, and Cashel. As a competitor herself and a lifelong student of the sport, Bray brings an unmatched authenticity and depth to her work. She is also the dedicated wife of Ken Bray and a proud mother to Wyatt and Paden Bray.

Bray’s relationship with Pam has spanned years of shared experiences as both athletes and businesswomen. One of their most cherished memories was competing in team roping together and earning the title of Reserve Champions at the Windy Ryon in 2007. This personal bond makes the recognition even more meaningful.

“Billie’s impact on the Women’s Rodeo World Championship runs deep,” WRWC Commissioner, Linsay Rosser-Sumpter. “She was one of the original cowgirls whom PBR and WCRA approached with the concept of creating WRWC. From day one, she has championed the inclusion and growth of the Challenger classification, helping ensure that women of all levels have a platform to compete and succeed. Her tireless efforts continue to shape the championship’s evolution and expand its influence within western sports.”

Earning the Pam Minick Lifetime Achievement Award is a powerful symbol of cowgirls supporting cowgirls. It reflects the lifetime of dedication Bray has poured into the industry and her ongoing work to create equal opportunities for women in rodeo. It also represents the unique ability of women in this space to juggle family, careers, and competition, all while chasing their dreams and lifting others along the way.

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.