The call itself didn't surprise Tom Glause. After all, he's talked to University of Wyoming Director of Athletics, Tom Burman, plenty of times over the years.
This discussion, however, was slightly different from some of the others.
Late in the summer, Burman reached out to Glause, CEO of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association , to talk about a potential sponsorship between the organization and the university. The school's mascot (Cowboys) and state's moniker (Cowboy State), as well as the PRCA's pending relocation from Colorado Springs to Cheyenne, Wyo., just 45 minutes away, felt like a natural fit.
The question - what would that partnership look like?
"I was trying to come up with something to thank the people of Wyoming for opening their doors for us to move to Wyoming," Glause said in a call with Rodeo On SI . "As we got to talking, I couldn't think of a better way to touch more people in the state and be able to say thank you to more people for having us move to their state than support Wyoming athletics, especially our football team."
Since the home opener on September 12 against Northern Colorado, the PRCA's logo and ProRodeo branding have been prominently featured just beyond the backline of each endzone on Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium . It's the latest in a series of sponsorships that have bolstered Wyoming's athletic department.
In January 2025, the University announced a campaign to find a corporate sponsor for the complex, along with other school teams and facilities.
Ramos Law was the first business to step forward, serving as an on-field sponsor for one game in 2025 - the November 22 battle with Nevada when the school retired Josh Allen's number. It was the first time in 75 years of Wyoming football that a corporate logo had been placed on the field.
PRCA's contract is much more permanent, as the two entities finalized a four-year agreement just before the start of the 2026 season. While financials haven't been disclosed by either party, the deal includes the on-field advertisement at Jonah Field, the creation of a youth reading program that will feature student-athletes from football, volleyball, and both basketball teams, as well as sponsorship of the school's annual rodeo day, which was held last weekend.
Bareback rider Cooper Filipek, who continues to recover from back surgery, made a guest appearance at the event as the school held a tailgate and other events with rodeo connections.
In addition to the athletic department support, the PRCA is working with the University's academic staff on the creation and continued support of classes that relate to careers in the rodeo world, including rodeo management, equine law, and more.
Glause has been a regular guest lecturer at the university, discussing equine law for several years. He got his undergrad from UW in 1984 and finished law school in Laramie in 1987. Glause also competed for the Cowboys as a saddle bronc rider. His son, Seth, is the coach of the school's rodeo team, although the PRCA's sponsorship does not provide direct support to the program, but to the department in general.
A former PRCA contestant and member of the Cheyenne Frontier Days board of directors, Glause believes the organization's pledge to support the only four-year Division 1 institution in the state is a gesture of the PRCA's commitment to calling Wyoming home .
Concept plans for the PRCA headquarters and ProRodeo Hall of Fame are in the final stages of development, and a general contractor, SCI Construction, has been hired for the project, which is set to be completed by September 2028.
"People have heard about it, but now it makes it real. People know we're coming here when they start moving dirt; that'll be another exciting milestone that people will see, and it's getting closer," Glause said. "We need to be a presence in the state. We need to be a presence in the community. And we want to be good community partners."
While there are still two years before the project is scheduled to be complete, Glause noted that things are "moving quickly." This makes the logo on Jonah Field an important reminder of what's to come.
Behind the scenes, Cheyenne LEADS, the economic development nonprofit for the city of Cheyenne and Laramie County, has been helping the PRCA with the project, making sure they have what they need to make the move possible.
Now, every time Wyoming football finds itself on television, the PRCA is in the spotlight as well, bringing awareness of the sport - and the pending relocation - to a broader audience.
"It's a thank you for the people of Wyoming, but it's also some TV exposure for our brand," Glause said. "For us, we understand that not everybody is going to grow up and be a competitor. But we want them exposed to this way of life. We love it when we gain competitors, but we love it when we create new fans. This is part of our larger goal to create more exposure to an audience outside of our core base."
This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/rodeo as Rodeo on SI Exclusive: PRCA CEO Tom Glause Talks Partnership With Wyoming Athletics .
