California Rodeo Salinas Announces Hall of Fame Inductees
By: Mandy Linquist
Four Individuals to Be Honored July 20th
SALINAS, CA – The California Rodeo Salinas’ Hall of Fame was established in 2010 during the centennial celebration of the largest professional rodeo in the state. The hall honors performers, contestants, volunteers, livestock, and others who have had a profound impact on the California Rodeo Salinas. The 2023 inductees are:
“The Hall of Fame means a lot to the legacy of the California Rodeo Salinas, and we are proud to honor these inductees who have been a significant part of our history,” said Craig Andrus, Past President of the California Rodeo Salinas, and Chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee. The bi-annual induction luncheon will take place Thursday, July 20th from 11:30am to 1:30pm on the Mike Storm Director’s Patio at the Salinas Sports Complex at 1034 N. Main Street. Tickets are $30* per person and include lunch and beverages during the ceremony where inductees and/or their families or representatives receive their trophies, gives speeches and more. The luncheon is presented by the Jim and Sally Martins Family.
Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.carodeo.com/events/2023/hall-of-fame-induction-2023
Read about the inductees below:
Pat DuVal – Notable
Patrick DuVal has been a beloved fixture at the California Rodeo Salinas for over three decades, kicking off each rodeo performance singing ‘I Love You California’ as part of the grand entry festivities. Known as the Singing Sheriff, DuVal overcame limitations in the segregated South before moving to California in 1966 and having a successful thirty-year career as a Monterey County Sheriff Deputy. The first African American Sheriff in Monterey County is not only an accomplished singer but was also actively involved in his community with the Carmel Valley Rotary and Lions Club, Boys Scouts of America and the Boys and Girls Club of Seaside. DuVal was named an Honorary Director of the California Rodeo Salinas in 2018 and served as the Grand Marshal of the Kiddie Kapers Parade in 2022. He continues to the perform at the California Rodeo each year and values the tradition and the friendships he has made over the years.
Gary Gist – Supporter/Contributor
Gary Gist has spent nearly his whole life competing in or lending his innovative craftsmanship to the sport of rodeo. He first competed in the California Rodeo Salinas in the team roping event in 1958 at the age of 12 with his father Byron Gist; they went on to win the team roping championship together in 1965. Gist competed in the professional team roping event for over 25 years, only missing one year while he was stationed in Vietnam, and then competed in the Gold Card Team Roping for over 30 years, winning another buckle with his father who was 84 years old at the time. Gist treasures his Salinas buckles, but his legacy is crafting the coveted championship buckles for the past two decades that contestants across the world strive to win. Known as the ‘prettiest buckles in the rodeo world,’ the quality and craftsmanship of the Salinas buckles can be attributed to Gist Silversmiths and some of Gary Gist’s finest work.
Harden Foundation – Supporter/Contributor
Gene and Ercia Harden founded the Harden Foundation in 1963 to assist non-profit charitable organizations in the Salinas Valley. Over the past 60 years, the foundation has awarded more than $91 million in grants to community non-profit groups in Monterey County. Their hard work and good fortune in agriculture in the Salinas Valley produced the legacy that has, through their foresight and generosity, become today’s Harden Foundation. The Harden Foundation has made significant grants totaling over $3.2 million to help with the funding of a variety of structures and areas of the Salinas Sports Complex, home of the California Rodeo Salinas, such as the main grandstand, rooms underneath the main grandstand, the California Rodeo Heritage Museum, the multi-purpose football and soccer stadium, and improvements to the softball fields. In honor of Mr. & Mrs. Harden, the foundation has provided the Miss California Rodeo Salinas belt buckle and tiara for the past 38 years.
Jim Shoulders – Contestant
Born on May 13, 1928, in Tulsa, Okla., Jim Shoulders was a city boy with no livestock background. Shoulders was 14 years old when he saw and promptly entered his first rodeo. His astonishing natural talent was apparent even then – he won $18 in the bareback riding. Shoulders developed his skills by paying his entry fees and getting on bareback horses and bulls and occasionally on saddle broncs, too. Before he graduated from high school, he had joined the Cowboys’ Turtle Association. He won $7,000 his first full year as a pro. In 1949, at age 21, he won the first of his 16 world titles, and was almost unbeatable for the next 10 years. 1949 was also the year he won his first of four bull riding buckles in Salinas, followed by wins in 1951, 1952 and 1957. A major factor in amassing such a record of championships was his exceptional ability to withstand pain and compete when injured. Following retirement from competition, Shoulders became a ProRodeo stock contractor. He passed away in 2007.
Information courtesy of ProRodeo Hall of Fame.
About California Rodeo Salinas
The California Rodeo Salinas will take place July 20-23, 2023. The California Rodeo Association is a not-for-profit organization that strives to preserve and promote the traditions of the California Rodeo Salinas and the West. We support the community and other non-profit organizations through the staging of the annual California Rodeo Salinas and other year-round operations of the Salinas Sports Complex. Through donation of our facility, vending and fundraising opportunities during Rodeo and other events, the California Rodeo Association returns over $560,000 annually to local non-profits. For more information about the California Rodeo Salinas, log on to www.CARodeo.com or call the California Rodeo Office at 831-775.3100. ‘Like’ the California Rodeo on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CARodeoSalinas or follow us on twitter @CaliforniaRodeo for updates, photos and more.