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CASPER, Wyo. (June 25, 2026) --- Casper, Wyoming, in the heart of the “Cowboy State” has been home to the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s (NIRA) championship event, the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR), since 1999. 

Because of the dedication of the entire community, sponsors, athletes and schools, the organization and CNFR has seen steady growth. Ticket sales have increased with  sold out performances on championship Saturday the past three years. During the 2026 CNFR a contract extension was signed that will see the best collegiate rodeo athletes making their way to Casper through 2037. 

Jim Dewey Brown, NIRA Commissioner, serves on the CNFR Executive Committee. It also includes Kim Furnival, Angela Berry, Gena Jensen from the city of Casper and Jim Milne representing Natrona County. The contract extension was presented to the NIRA Board of Directors in Casper. The board, which includes faculty and student directors from each of the 12 regions of the NIRA voted for the extension. 

“I competed at the CNFR the first year it was in Casper,” Brown said. “I’ve watched this community embrace the event. We have volunteers that have been involved from the beginning. The support that we receive from Casper and Wyoming is unprecedented and it’s hard to think of one without the other.” 

There is a community steering committee that works on the event throughout the year and while the CNFR is the highlight, other local events, like the softball and golf tournaments, and the Special Olympics Rodeo give athletes plenty of options to stay busy.                            

“The athletes work hard throughout the school year to qualify for the CNFR,” Brown added. “But we couldn’t have this championship event without a great support system that includes the local community, our rodeo coaches and NIRA staff. For 10 days in June we all become part of the CNFR family. It’s very gratifying to have experienced the growth of college rodeo and its championships in Casper.” 

The agreement is between the City of Casper, Natrona County and the NIRA and represents a long-term commitment from all parties to continue building on the event’s success. The 2027 CNFR will run June 13-19 at the Ford Wyoming Center. 

Your guide for streaming the CNFR 2026 - CLICK HERE

All performances of the CNFR starting Tuesday through Saturday, June 16-20th, 2026, will air on ESPN+.
ESPN+ is available by using the ESPN app, and also available on your computer.
Download the ESPN App from the App Store or Google Play.
To view on your computer, go to ESPN.com, click on ‘WATCH’ scroll down to ‘CHANNELS’, Select College Rodeo.
You may need to register to watch, using your cable or satellite provider sign in. Many cable and satellite companies include it with your plan. Please click link for information and instructions.
These live broadcasts will also be available to watch for 30 days after the CNFR on the ESPN app.
Additionally, the CNFR telecast production team will be producing two – 1 hour programs to air on ESPNU, Wednesday, August 19th at 8pm and 9pm Eastern time. These shows will also re-air on Thursday, August 20th at 1pm and 2pm Eastern time. All on ESPNU.
The CNFR telecast team would like to thank our corporate partners: Cinch Jeans & Shirts, Wyoming Division of Tourism, VisitCasper, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Prescott Frontier Days, Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, Wyo Sports Ranch, Cactus Saddlery, & Resistol.

CNFR 2026 Position Draw is now live. Head on over to CNFR.com for information, schedule, and results.

CASPER, Wyo. (June 21, 2025) --- For the past four years, membership numbers in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) have seen steady growth.

The NIRA started as a non-profit organization in 1949 and defined three geographical regions to govern a student-led board. By 1972 the organization had grown to 10 regions. For over 30 years now, the members have competed in 11 regions.

In 2022, there were 3,493 members. That number has grown to 3,815 with over 800 of those members competing in the Southwest Region which has included schools in the western part of Texas and eastern New Mexico.

Coaches and representatives from the member schools in that region made a proposal that was approved by the NIRA Board of Directors during the CNFR to split into two regions. Starting with the fall rodeos, the Lone Star Region will consist of Texas schools, Angelo State University; Cisco College, Ranger College; Sul Ross State University (Alpine); Tarleton State University (Stephenville); Vernon College; and Weatherford College.

The newly formed Caprock Region will include Eastern New Mexico University (Portales); Clarendon (Texas) College; Frank Phillips College (Borger, Texas); Howard College (Big Spring, Texas); New Mexico Junior College (Hobbs); Odessa (Texas) College; South Plains College (Levelland, Texas); Texas Tech University (Lubbock); West Texas A&M University (Canyon); and Western Texas College (Snyder).
“The Southwest Region has long been one of the toughest regions in the NIRA,” said Jim Dewey Brown, the organization’s commissioner. “We’re excited to see the growth in college rodeo and give more student-athletes opportunities. As a board, we felt that this made sense and we will see continued growth.”

C.J. Aragon, coach at Sul Ross State University, is currently the Southwest Regional faculty director. He will be the director of the Lone Star Region. Howard College’s Justin Jenkins will be the new faculty director for the Caprock Region. Student directors will be elected at each region’s first college rodeo in the fall.

For the 2025-2026 season, each of the NIRA’s 12 regions will have 10 rodeos just as they have in the past. Qualifications for the College National Finals will also follow the same structure as they have in the past with the top three in each event at the end of the season as well as the two men’s and women’s teams with the most points. It is expected that the reorganization of the organization will add approximately 35 more athletes to CNFR to compete for national championships.
“This is exciting for the growth of college rodeo and rodeo across the board,” Aragon said. “It will especially help new recruits and encourage colleges and universities in these areas to think about having a rodeo team.”
The two new regions may accept new colleges and universities within their geographic region that don’t have a current rodeo team. The current schools designated for the two new regions will not change for five years.
“We worked really hard to make the best decisions for everyone involved,” said Jacob Walters, the current Southwest Region student director and the NIRA student president. “We did our best to consider every scenario when we were making plans. It’s an exciting time for college rodeo.”

Results will be updated as they are available. Follow this Link to the Standings Page.