Announcer Anthony Lucia interacts with fans during the opening performance of the 2025 Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo.
(PHOTO BY ROBBY FREEMAN)

 

BIG SPRING, Texas – Anthony Lucia was born into rodeo, but he didn’t have to like it.

He loved it anyway.

Raised by legendary rodeo entertainer Tommy Lucia, Anthony was raised around the sport. He roped and trick roped, helped with specialty acts and was an entertainer himself before he found his way to a microphone and a knack for sharing his passions with hundreds of thousands of fans a year.

Lucia will return to Howard County as the voice of the Big Spring Cowboy Reunion and Rodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 4-Saturday, June 6, at the Surge Energy Rodeo Bowl. The new dates for the West Texas shindig will provide renewed energy while retaining its fabled tradition.

“It’s a great rodeo, and that, coupled with the history, just makes it all very, very special,” said Lucia, the reigning three-time PRCA Announcer of the Year from Weatherford, Texas. “It’s a very unique setting, and it’s just got that old-school, fun, summer-rodeo feel.”

The atmosphere comes in the way the Rodeo Bowl was built 76 years ago. Fans get a front-row seat to the action and the entertainment no matter where they sit. But there’s also the tradition that stands the test of time.

Lucia hopes to follow suit. He’s making a significant name for himself as one of rodeo’s elite announcers. Later this month, he will call the action at Reno (Nevada) Rodeo. His biggest flex, though, came in 2025, when he was selected to be one of three emcees at the National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s grand finale that takes place each December in Las Vegas.

“The fact that the National Finals Rodeo Committee thought enough of me to give me that opportunity is the coolest thing in the world that’s happened in my career,” Lucia said. “When I got the call, I cried, because I cry when things like that happen.

“It’s very seldom that I am at a loss for words, but I have been just because of the fact that I get the opportunity to be part of that team.”

He gathered his words quick enough, projecting his talents for about 17,000 fans every time he held a microphone inside the Thomas & Mack Center, the NFR’s home since 1985. Joined by veteran NFR announcers Wayne Brooks and Roger Mooney, Lucia found his place and his rhythm in the rotation. He shined when the world’s best cowboys and cowgirls were battling for gold buckles.

It’s nothing new to those who have seen him at work in Big Spring.

“Anthony has been a great partner for us,” said Cash Berry, chairman of the volunteer committee that produces the annual event. “He is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and go to work, which is something we appreciate.

Lucia has a lifetime of experience and an undying passion for rodeo, and it shows with every phrase he utters. It’s a nice match with rodeo fans in Big Spring