The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo is legendary. It’s not just the people and events that have made up its 129-year history; it’s the places where those memories are made, like the Will Rogers Coliseum.
This year, the historic coliseum that was built in 1936 was renovated.
“Well, as you can imagine, in 1936, there were just a lot of things that we take for granted today,” FWSSR President and General Manager Matt Carter said.
Renovations include better lighting in the arena, more concessions, and bigger bathrooms.
“So we’re able to make it more like a Buc-ee’s restroom,” Carter said. “Plus, on top of that, you get hot water to wash your hands when it’s finished!”
The renovations are obvious when you walk in the door, with more natural light and higher ceilings on the concourse, which also has new areas to network while watching the action in the arena.
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Image of the Will Rogers Coliseum, which got a facelift just in time for the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.
“In so many of today’s arenas, you really can kinda sense and feel the energy that’s happening in the bowl and the event, even when you’re still on the concourse,” Carter said.
“The unique thing about it is they’ve kept the nostalgia, and the feel, and the history,” rodeo announcer Ben Clements said.
The renovations give a nod to the Coliseum’s past, keeping the art deco details and artwork in the old parts, while replicating them in new additions.
“It’s the Fenway Park of the Western sports industry. It really is,” Carter said. “I mean, this is where so many of the ‘firsts’ happened.”
The first televised rodeo broadcast was at the Will Rogers Coliseum in 1958 on Channel 5, then called WBAP. It’s also the first to have bucking side chutes, and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) got its start at Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo.
“Its predecessor association was called the Turtle Association,” Carter said. “They were called the Turtle Association because they were so slow in forming together, so they named themselves that!”
For 90 years, the Will Rogers Coliseum has been a part of Western culture. The renovations give a nod to the past and prepare the facility for the future.
“It just has a place in everybody’s heart and everybody’s memory,” Carter said. “Everybody can remember coming here to go to the rodeo as a kid, and so while you can’t see ’em, we know there’s plenty of memories dripping from the rafters all around us.”