2023 Hall of Fame Inductee Photos & Bios

Pat DuVal by Mag One Media

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 by American Paint Horse Association

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.

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The 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 on Sitting Tall

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.

Purchase tickets for the 2023 Induction Luncheon

The luncheon will be held on Thursday, July 20th from 11:30am to 1:30pm on the Mike Storm Director's Patio at the Salinas Sports Complex. Tickets are $30 per person and include lunch, beverage and trophy presentations. The lunch is presented by the Jim & Sally Martins Family.

Click HERE to purchase your tickets or learn more.