Calf Scramble Belt Buckle

Will Grote of Mason, Texas, participated in the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s Calf Scramble in 1988–1989. The annual calf scramble is one of the wildest and most spirited events at any rodeo/stock show.

At the Houston Calf Scramble, 30 Texas 4-H and FFA youth (ages 14 to 17) are let loose in the arena after each night’s rodeo to chase after and catch one of 15 calves darting in every direction. The 360 students who catch a calf are awarded a cash prize to apply toward the purchase of a registered beef heifer or market steer to exhibit at the livestock show the following year. The returning exhibitors then compete in a special competition and receive a bonus check if program requirements are fulfilled. In Houston, since 1942, more than 21,560 students have received approximately $15.9 million through the calf scramble program.

Will Grote caught a calf in the 1988 scramble and used his winnings to purchase a heifer which he then successfully showed at the 1989 Houston stock show.