Garrett Yerigan, a two-time PRCA Announcer of the Year, will return to West Texas to announce the West of the Texas Rodeo. He teamed with fellow emcee Anthony Lucia a year ago, but this year he takes the reins by himself.
(PHOTO BY ROBBY FREEMAN)

 

PECOS, Texas – Garrett Yerigan is a full-fledged Texan now. He’s lived in the Lone Star State for several years. It’s quaint. It’s home.

A two-time PRCA Announcer of the Year, Yerigan will return to Pecos to emcee the West of the Pecos Rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 24-Saturday, June 27, at Buck Jackson Arena. He arrived a year ago, loping into the arena horseback with a microphone in hand. It was a similar scene to dozens of rodeos he calls annually.

Pecos, however, offers Yerigan a glimpse of the sport’s history. It’s home to the World’s First Rodeo, a claim laid nearly a century and a half ago on these West Texas streets. That’s where he shines.

“I wholeheartedly believe this is what God put me on Earth to do,” said Yerigan, originally from Pryor, Oklahoma, but now living in Weatherford, Texas. “When He gives you opportunities … it removes any doubt in your mind.”

He announces some of the biggest rodeos in the country, from Cheyenne to Fort Worth to The American. He calls 40 rodeos a year, and 11 of them are in Texas.

“We brought Garrett in last year to co-announce our rodeo with Anthony (Lucia),” said Clay Ryon McKinney, chairman of the volunteer committee that produces the West of the Pecos Rodeo. “They worked well together, but circumstances changed, We’re very excited to see how Garrett stands by himself.”

He fits in just fine. After all, he was raised around rodeo. He’s tried his hand at competing, but his knack for announcing was developed early. His parents have been active in the game since before his birth: Dale Yerigan was a bulldogger, and Kathy Yerigan ran barrels. Their kid tagged along and found his own way.

He was around 6 or 7 years old when he first started announcing slack at rodeos, then just picked up more gigs along the way.

“I tried a little bit of everything,” he said. “I tried sliding the steer saver at home. I tried roping steers at home. I tried riding steers at home. Nothing grabbed me. In going to all these rodeos and playing around with announcing slack, it became more of the announcer’s stand as the cool place to be.”

While there are events he calls from the stand, his place in Pecos will be in the arena alongside the competitors. It’s true to his nature and a testament to how he was raised. He’s not afraid to put in the work necessary, whether it’s homework on the hundreds of contestants who will compete inside Buck Jackson Arena or helping with production at each stop he makes.

“When I was growing up, I was in a trailer full of steer wrestlers,” Yerigan said. “I didn’t grow up around kids my age. I went to public school for all 13 years, but as far as the summers, I was around adults. When you’re in a trailer with big, hairy-legged bulldoggers, you have to learn to hold your own.”