Ben Johnson Award Ballot

The Rodeo Historical Society presented its first Ben Johnson Award at its annual banquet in October 1998 during the unveiling of a bronze sculpture of Ben Johnson Jr. (1918-1996) mounted on his favorite horse, created by Mehl Lawson. The bronze is permanently located in the Museum’s American Rodeo Gallery. The annual award is presented to a living person who has been involved in the rodeo industry for a number of years and has contributed to the growth and betterment of pro-rodeo. Involvement with youth and/or community activities also is a pre-requisite for the honor. And the recipient must be someone who, like Ben Johnson Jr., creates a positive image for rodeo and the Western lifestyle.

Michael Gaughan

Born March 24, 1943, in Omaha, Nebraska, Michael Gaughan has been a resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, since 1952. With nearly 60 years in the Las Vegas casino and gaming industry, he began his career in 1965 along with his father, Jackie Gaughan, as owner and casino manager of the El Cortez Hotel in downtown Las Vegas. Today, Gaughan owns the South Point Hotel, Casino, Spa and Equestrian Center, which includes one of the finest horse facilities in the country. Instrumental in bringing many major sporting events to Las Vegas, including the National Finals Rodeo, Gaughan is a Board member at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, is a longtime sponsor of the NFR and PRCA, and was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2007, named the Resistol “Man of the Year” in 2014 and received the PBR’s Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.

Mike Hudson

Born December 13, 1946, in Houston, Texas, Mike “Hud” Hudson began entering youth rodeos while in the 7th grade. After participating in college rodeo at Sam Houston State University, he began working in animal health, an occupation he still pursues today more than 40 years later. From 1970 to 1976, he served in the Texas Army National Guard, and in 1979 he filled his PRCA card. From the late 1970s to early 1980s, Hudson was secretary-treasurer for the Lone Star Circuit. Following induction into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2011, Hudson spent six years as a committee member of the organization and two years as its president. Today, he sits on the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame Executive Board. Currently serving his 27th year as a Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo committee member, Hudson was a six-term Board member of the Rodeo Historical Society at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.