🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 74: Jo Decker and the Importance of Rodeo Secretaries 📢 Episode Summary: Jo Ramsey Decker stood at the center of rodeo’s evolution, bridging the gap between competitor and organizer at a time when the sport was still finding its footing. From her early days growing up on a Texas ranch to competing in rodeos as a child, Decker developed a deep connection to Western life. By the 1940s, she had earned national visibility as a “Ranch Sponsor Girl” at Madison Square Garden and built a successful competitive career, winning multiple world championships. Her marriage to rodeo cowboy Tater Decker marked the beginning of a lifelong partnership rooted in the rodeo world. While her accomplishments in the arena were significant, Decker’s lasting legacy came from her work behind the scenes. At a time when women’s rodeo lacked structure and consistency, she played a key role in supporting and promoting what would become the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association. As a rodeo secretary for 25 years, she became one of the most respected administrators in the sport, managing entries, payouts and logistics for major events. Her work with leading stock contractors and even entertainer Gene Autry demonstrated her wide influence, while her role in organizing the first National Finals Rodeo in 1959 helped shape rodeo’s premier championship event. Decker’s impact extended beyond rodeo operations into Western culture itself. In the 1950s, she launched a successful Western fashion line worn by celebrities like Rex Allen and even Princess Grace of Monaco, helping bring Western style to a broader audience. She later settled in Oklahoma, where she remained connected to the rodeo community until her death in 2010. Remembered as both a champion competitor and a pioneering organizer, Jo Decker’s career reflects the vital, often unseen work that helped professionalize rodeo and elevate its national profile. 🔍 What You’ll Learn: How Jo Decker helped organize the first National Finals Rodeo and shape it into a lasting championship event The critical role of a rodeo secretary and why it is essential to the success of rodeo competitions How Decker advanced women’s rodeo and expanded Western culture through both sport and fashion 👥 Behind the Scenes Host: Seth Spillman Producer: Chase Spivey Writer: Mike Koehler 🔗 Further research: Video of Jo Decker entering the arena at the 1959 NFR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvWETf4kQcc Jo Decker, Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame: https://texasrodeocowboy.com/inductees/jo-decker/ MVP of Rodeo: The Secretary - https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/1992/08/16/mvp-of-rodeo-the-secretary/62485000007/ 📬 Connect With Us: 🌐 Website: www.thecowboy.org 📖 Read Our Blog: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/blog/ 📩 Email: [email protected] 📲Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ncwhm/ 📷Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nationalcowboymuseum ❎X/Twitter: https://x.com/ncwhm 💼LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-cowboy-&-western-heritage-museum 🗺️ Visit Us: The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK, 73111. See us on the map 🎟️: You can now buy tickets to The Cowboy online, go to https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/tickets/ 💡 Support Us:🏅Become A Member of the Museum: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/support/memberships/ 🛒Shop at Persimmon Hill, our Museum store: https://persimmonhillstore.com/ 🎧 Listen & Subscribe: 🔹 Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-the-west/id1776228708 🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2KYmd2BumVtQVH1ez1Cr2U 🔹YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFoE2kU21JpX9T6W9NonXuD9UapS1TsmN 🔹Podbean: https://thisweekinthewest.podbean.com/  ⭐ If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to rate & review!