Smith’s professional rodeo career spanned more than 20 years, and earned him 11 trips to the National Finals Rodeo, an NFR Average title, and a world championship in 2008. Always a fan favorite, Smith was a spokesmodel for many national campaigns in the western industry, most notably for the Wrangler 20X brand, and was named one of People Magazine’s “Most Eligible Bachelors” in 1999. Throughout his career, he was known for his unwavering faith, and was one of the founders of the longtime NFR church service, Elevation Sunday.
Smith’s journey through his successful career was marked with tragic setbacks, including a head-on collision with a drunk driver in 1996 that claimed the life of his best friend and traveling partner, Shawn McMullen, and in 2003, suffering a stroke at the age of 32, which was caused by a tiny hole in his heart that he’d had since birth. After being told he’d never rodeo or ride a horse again, Stran underwent an experimental procedure to receive an Abbott Amplatzer, which not only repaired the hole, but gave him back the ability to compete again. Just as Smith regained some momentum, he again faced a career-ending injury in 2006, followed by the tragic loss of his best horse, Topper, in 2007. All of the setbacks made his 2008 World Championship even sweeter, as millions watched his wife and longtime NFR sideline reporter, Jennifer Smith jump into his arms as she told him the world championship was officially his.
Smith officially retired from rodeo competition in 2016 to turn his attention to the couple’s business entities, as well as their three children, Stone, Scout, and Selah. In 2011, Stran and Jennifer partnered with Carroll Originalwear to create STS Ranchwear, which is now a household name in the western industry, featuring outerwear and lifestyle clothing, as well as handbags designed exclusively by Jennifer. The Smith family recently opened a concept store in their hometown of Childress, Texas, called 1930 Remnant, and launched two colognes, 1930 Black & 1930 Crimson. Stran raises Angus cattle on the family’s third-generation ranch in Tell, Texas. Stran, most recently co-authored the bestselling book, A Colonel & A Cowboy: Strategies of the Elite. He continues to teach and speak for various camps and events, and is planning to launch a leadership podcast with his co-author, J. Craig Flowers, US Army Colonel (retired), in 2025. Stran and Jennifer’s family remains their priority, and they are excited to become grandparents this fall when son Stone and his wife, Kaitlyn, welcome their first baby.
“Being counted among some of my heroes and the most elite ropers in the history of rodeo in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame is an immense privilege," Smith said. “It’s not something earned or expected, but I am profoundly grateful and deeply humbled by this honor. To me, this is more a credit to the people I’ve been so blessed to be surrounded by than anything I’ve ever accomplished on my own.”
The ProRodeo Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on July 12, 2025, at the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, CO.
Kellie Carr Augustyn
A Colonel & A Cowboy LLC
+1 308-214-1720
kellie@stsranch.com
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