Scott Grover grew up dreaming about being involved in rodeo. The dream hasn’t changed; he’s just living it now.
(PHOTO BY ROBBY FREEMAN)
Scott Grover is living his dream as an elite ProRodeo announcer
CAMDEN POINT, Mo. – Growing up in Morrowville, Kansas, Scott Grover had a young man’s dreams pouring through his adolescent mind.
His visions were shaped by rodeo, a sport built in the rugged West that continues to hold centuries-old traditions and the best mix of a working man and an athlete. He was captivated by it and even tried his hand at competition.
“I was probably influenced the most by growing up going to rodeos that Jimmy Crowther put on,” said Grover, one of ProRodeo’s featured announcers. “I didn’t know that you could have a rodeo in Kansas without Jimmy Crowther being the stock contractor and Rex Bugby picking up. Those were the greatest memories that I have.
“Max Stoll was a rodeo announcer, and he was the guy I grew up listening to. He had a tractor shop and also lived outside Manhattan (Kansas), and I would go up there and sit for hours in his office. We would just talk rodeo and other things. I had no Idea I was going to learn from that guy throughout my time, but he really gave me the kind of start where I was thinking that being an announcer was going to be cool.”
Many boys have envisioned being professional athletes like George Brett or Joe Montana, and some followed that passion through high school. Most never played beyond those Friday Night Lights, but those that did were living their dreams. Grover’s eyes were fixed on the broncs, fast horses and raging bulls, describing them while entertaining fans.
By the time he graduated college – first at Southeast Community College in Beatrice, Nebraska, then Kansas State University in Manhattan – he’d already been working on his craft. In 2005, he stepped onto the sport’s biggest stage as a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, and Grover has continued to climb in status year after year.
“The biggest thing that’s changed since I first started is how much I thought I loved rodeo compared to how much I truly love rodeo,” he said. “I love the lifestyle that I’m able to raise my family in it. I’m literally living my dream. How many people can say that in their lifetime that this is what they dreamed of and this is what they get to do?
“This is the culmination things where I took a risk, I tried it and it worked out. I’ve never looked back since.”
The windshield is bigger than the rear-view mirror for a reason. Over the last two decades, Grover has emceed some of the biggest events in the sport. He’s been one of the voices for the Professional Bull Riders World Finals, the PRCA’s National Circuit Finals, the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping and has been named the Announcer of the Year by the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association.
He also works annually at some of the most recognized events in ProRodeo, like the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Days of ’47 Rodeo in Salt Lake City, Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo in Abilene, Kansas, and the Will Rogers Stampede in Claremore, Oklahoma.
“The coolest thing is getting to share the stories of the cowboys and the horses and my love for the sport,” said Grover, who lives outside Weston with his wife, Becky, and their three children when the family isn’t on the rodeo trail. “I’ve always been a fan of guys like Joe Buck and those people that you can truly tell they love the sports they talk about.
“For me to be able to talk about all the things I grew up wanting to be is probably the main reason I love it.”
His family is along for the ride. Whether he’s announcing in South Dakota or his native Kansas, the rest of his clan is likely with him.
“That’s one of the things that makes it easier for me to do my job,” he said. “My biggest fans are my wife and those three kids. When I get done with the show or I ride out or walk out of the arena, it’s the hug that comes next. That’s the most important part of the night.
“Rodeos know when they hire me, they get the whole circus.”
That lifestyle doesn’t come without pitfalls. They pack themselves into a bus that pulls a horse trailer and head out on the road. Home may be in Oklahoma one week and 1,000 miles away the next. As the children grow older, they get involved in other activities.
“It’s becoming harder to stay together all the time with the kids being involved in gymnastics or starting to do rodeo or other things like that,” Grover said. “That’s something Becky and I made a pact on when we got married and started having kids: We were going to do this together as much as we could.
“I try to have them on the road as much as I can, and they’ve grown up at all these rodeos that I do. The committees know them, so that’s been a very special part of my journey.”
Another aspect of that venture is time and experience. Grover has developed his own style and voice, and it’s become prominent in the game. Much has changed since his first performance in Claremore in 2005, both within himself and within the sport.
“It’s crazy, because the guys that I looked up to when I was a kid or when I started announcing … I’m starting to announce their kids,” he said. “It makes you feel a little bit old, but it’s cool to watch that next group come along.
“The greatest part of my job is that sometimes I get to introduce my heroes.”