SAN ANTONIO
__________________ rodeo history

The first annual San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo was held in 1950 in the confines of Joe and Harry Freeman Coliseum. During the first rodeo over a quarter of a million people were entertained by all of the events, which is unprecedented for an opening event like that. For 52 years, Freeman Coliseum was the home base of the rodeo, but in 2003 everything was moved into the AT&T Center, formerly the SBC Center, which is just a stone’s throw away from the Freeman. The move gave each show 6,000 more seats to work with and an incredible upgrade in all the amenities that the new facility featured. The Freeman didn’t become just another part of the scenery at the rodeo; rather, it became the home of all the commercial vendors and provided a much needed marketplace that was also protected from the elements.

For a number of years now, the rodeo has had over a million visitors during each season. Last year the final tally was 1,313,785. One of the main reasons people show up to the rodeos is the quality of it and the other is the top notch entertainment. The San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo has been consistently been voted the PCRA Large Indoor Rodeo of the Year (2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009) and was voted to the PRCA Pro Rodeo Hall Of Fame.

The 2009 San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo was a massive success setting or breaking a number of records:

• Had a 1% increase in attendance over 2008.
• Had 7 Record Breaking days.
• Over $1,744,000 were committed to Livestock and Horse Show Exhibitors.
• The Carnival had a year very close to their record breaking 2008 year including 4 record breaking days.
• Had 14 sellout performances.
• The total purse totaled $1-million, launching the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo into the top 3 richest rodeos in the nation.