R od eo R ou nd up
Mr. NMSU Rodeo
by Callie Gnatkowski Gibson
F
rank DuBois has worn many hats throughout the years – husband, father, New Mexico Secretary of Agri-
culture, legislative assistant to U.S. Senator Pete Domenici, and staunch advocate for agriculture and the Western way of life - just to name a few. Since 2000, he has been raising funds to build and support the rodeo team at New Mexico State University, putting a lifetime of hard work and experience to work to build a championship rodeo program. DuBois, who grew up spending summers on the ranch homesteaded by his grandfather near Corona, became New Mexico’s Secretary of Agriculture in 1988 and was
diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1990, just a year after he started riding and roping again. “When I turned 40, I decided to go be a cowboy again, got out from behind my desk, joined a roping club,” DuBois said. “I knew things weren’t quite right health-wise, but I kept on roping, winning four trophy saddles and seven buckles.” “I always thought I would be smart enough to know when to stop, but I wasn’t,” he continued. “Eventually, I suffered an injury and realized that with my diagnosis I would not be able to rope any more. After I sulked for four or five months, I decided to try something new.” DuBois who rodeoed in college, earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from New Mexico State University (NMSU). “I had always been one who was critical of NMSU for its lack of support for rodeo athletes,” he noted. “If you looked around, you saw other colleges with coaches, scholarships, and practice stock for their rodeo teams. NMSU had none of that, and I just decided that I needed to do something about it.” “You don’t talk about NMSU rodeo without Frank’s name coming up,” said NMSU rodeo coach Brice Baggarley. “He has been a great ally to the program and does anything and everything he can to help. If you need something, or have a question, if he can’t do it or doesn’t know, he will find out or find someone to make it happen.” DuBois put his plan in motion, raising money through mailers, dinners, and word of mouth. In 2000, he was able to award two scholarships to rodeo athletes, and the next year he awarded four. At the same time, he went to the New Mexico State Legislature for funding for a coach, then practice stock,
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APRIL 2022
