Beau Clark is not the first Montana State University Alumni to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals in Las Vegas. His first qualification to the “Superbowl of Rodeo” in 2012 put him in the company of fellow MSU graduates and multiple-time world champions, such as saddle bronc rider, Dan Mortensen, and fellow steer wrestler, Rod Lyman. There is just one main difference between those rodeo greats and Beau Clark. Mortensen and Lyman worked their way through the ranks of high school and college rodeo, sharpening their skills for years before competing and winning at the professional level. Beau Clark threw his first steer at the age of twenty-five.

Beau Clark was no stranger to the world of rodeo, having grown up roping with his brother Josh in the Belgrade Roping Club. He even competed in one high school rodeo, but ultimately decided to direct his energy elsewhere. “My dad said, ‘You have the rest of your life to rodeo, but you only have the opportunity to play school sports for this short period of time,” Clark remembers. So, in high school, he traded in his cowboy boots for a pair of running shoes, playing football, basketball, and competing in track at Belgrade High School. He excelled in football. “I remember growing up thinking all I wanted was to play Bobcats Football,” Clark said, “I didn’t even know about the Grizzlies or think about playing pro ball.” With a little support from a favorite teacher, he lived out his dream from 2000 to 2004, playing starting Defensive Tackle for MSU and serving as the team captain in 2004. “The coaching staff wasn’t really recruiting much locally at the time. My 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Shane was always very supportive of football and sports. She wrote a letter addressing the coaching staff, and encouraging more local recruiting, which ultimately helped me and a few other local guys to get picked up.”

When Clark graduated and his football career ended, he dusted off his rope and climbed back in the saddle, returning to his rodeo roots. At the age of twenty-five, he decided to pick up steer wrestling in addition to team roping and went on to compete at Northern Rodeo Association (NRA) amateur rodeos as well as professional Montana Circuit rodeos around the state. Steer wrestlers are known as the “Linebackers of Rodeo,” for their size and strength, so it was a fitting event for a former MSU Bobcat football player. At the time, he was working a full-time job at First West Insurance in Bozeman, in addition to competing.

“My brother wanted to go after it, and try to make the NFR, so he moved to Texas [where there are more opportunities to practice and compete]. I was making good money at my job but wasn’t tied down and didn’t have anyone to share it with. In 2008, I decided if I was ever going to make a run at this, it was the time to do it.” Clark went to Texas to live with his brother, Josh, where he knew there were good horses he could borrow to compete on. After four years of just scraping by to make ends meet, a second dream was realized for Beau Clark, when he qualified for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2012, just this past December.

“My first year playing for the Bobcats, we were 0 and 11 with about 3500 fans in the stadium,” Clark said. “The year I graduated, we were 6 and 2. Football taught us how to work hard and believe in ourselves,” something he attributes to his success in the rodeo arena as well. Clark finished the 2012 season ranked 13th in the world standings with just shy of $100,000 in his pocket. A solid performance and a third place finish in the average at the WNFR attributed for half of those 2012 earnings in just ten short days. When asked about the most memorable part of his first NFR, however, Beau Clark doesn’t even mention the money or his impressive finish. Instead, he is humbled by the overwhelming support of the fans from his home state. “I couldn’t believe all the support I had. I was getting calls, texts and emails from all kinds of people congratulating me. People from other states don’t have that. The local support was just awesome. There is no better place to grow up than Montana.”   He said one particularly memorable moment in Las Vegas was gathering with family and friends for a picture to celebrate his huge accomplishment. The same sixth grade teacher who was instrumental in the birth of his college football career, Mrs. Shane, was among them.
Although, Beau Clark couldn’t really say where he hangs his hat these days, spending a majority of his time on the road or practicing in Texas and Oklahoma, he did say, “I get my mail in Bozeman, so I guess that’s technically home.”

It is also home to his girlfriend, Montana State University Women’s Rodeo Coach, Kate Sharon. With a busy rodeo schedule, spending months at a time on the road and travelling the entire country chasing after a steer wrestling world title, Beau Clark is uncertain of what his immediate future may hold. One thing he is sure of: “There is no other place like Montana, I would love to move back someday.”

Alyssa Barnes is a Montana native, cowgirl, aspiring mountain woman, corgi mom and blogger. Read about her adventures at www.bigskycowgirl.com  Photo Mike Copeman