Mesquite Championship Rodeo
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The Mesquite Championship Rodeo is a rodeo located in Mesquite, Texas that operates during rodeo season (roughly April through September).
Founded in 1958 by Neal Gay as a permanent rodeo (as opposed to many other rodeos that would move from town to town), the rodeo struggled in the early years, but grew as the city of Mesquite grew. By 1970, Interstate 635 was constructed, allowing everybody in the Dallas area to be able to visit the rodeo easily.
By the mid 1980s, rodeo performances at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo began to be broadcast on ESPN and then later TNN and Fox Sports Net Southwest. On Fox Sports Net Southwest, the rodeo has reached over 8.3 million households, to date, the most televised rodeo in the world next to the NHSRA 20X Rodeo High telecast on RFD-TV.
In 1985, ground was broken for the Mesquite Arena (now Resistol Arena), a new facility for the Mesquite Rodeo, located near Interstate 635 and Scyene Road. By 1998, the facility was expanded to include a Convention Center, Exhibition Hall and a Hampton Inn & Suites.
In 1999, Tom Hicks, owner of the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Stars, purchased Mesquite Championship Rodeo. By 2001, attendance had grown to 200,000 during the season. The facility has hosted Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush and Prince Rainier III of Monaco.