Calf Scramble
One of the wildest, most spirited and extremely heartwarming RodeoHouston® events is the Calf Scramble. With the drop of a cowboy hat, the calves are signaled to be released onto the dirt arena for 30 Texas 4-H and FFA members to chase and catch using only a rope halter. The number of students is always greater than the number of calves. With teenagers and calves darting in every direction across the NRG Stadium floor, the calf scramble is one of the most chaotic, unscripted and beloved events of the Rodeo.
Each student who catches a calf is awarded a $1,750 certificate to purchase a registered beef heifer or market steer to show at the Houston Livestock Show™ the following year. Returning as an exhibitor, the student shows in a special competition with other calf scramble winners. The student receives a $250 bonus if program requirements are fulfilled throughout the year.
A donation of a calf in the calf scramble is $2,000, individuals, companies, organizations can donate this much or less. The donations go towards the certificates for the calf scramble winners.
Calf Scramble Results
When reviewing the calf scramble results, the categories are Mystery Calf, Glazier (First) Catch and Hard Luck. The Mystery Calf is selected by the Calf Scramble Committee prior to the event and remains a secret from the participants. The student who catches the Mystery Calf receives an additional prize along with the calf scramble certificate. The person to catch the first calf receives a belt buckle and $150 in addition to the certificate. Hard Luck is an award given by the Calf Scramble Committee to a participant who did not catch a calf, but showed an exceptional effort. The Hard Luck winner also receives a certificate to purchase a heifer.
The following students were Calf Scramble winners. Please follow the link for results:
| Shirt Number | Show Date | Exhibitor First | Exhibitor Last | Club/Chapter Name | First Catch/Mystery Calf | Calf Letter | Comments |
| 1 | 12-Mar-17 | Layne | Bode | Dayton Ffa | First Catch | A | Cowboy Lodge |
| 23 | 12-Mar-17 | Jax | Kenney | Canyon FFA-Canyon | B | Cowboy Lodge | |
| 20 | 12-Mar-17 | Garrett | Soto | Deer Park FFA | C | Cowboy Lodge | |
| 5 | 12-Mar-17 | Hayden | Cognata | Dayton Ffa | F | Jeffery J Joyce | |
| 12 | 12-Mar-17 | Joshua | Schulze | Travis Ffa | G | Freda J. Guzman | |
| 7 | 12-Mar-17 | Garrett | Goodson | Livingston FFA | Mystery Calf | H | Jack, Linda and Lindsey Carter |
| 27 | 12-Mar-17 | Brian | Kaminksy | Lamar Consolidated FFA | J | Mike and Linda Amerson | |
| 24 | 12-Mar-17 | Rebecca | Brooks | Trinity County 4-H | K | D & L Electric Co., Ltd. | |
| 28 | 12-Mar-17 | Jose | Mendez | Lamar Consolidated FFA | L | Keith Evans | |
| 29 | 12-Mar-17 | Dylan | Peak | Morton Ranch Ffa | N | Gregory/ Henry Landscapes | |
| 26 | 12-Mar-17 | Landen | Mccary | West Sabine Ffa | R | R P M Equipment Company | |
| 3 | 12-Mar-17 | Brooklyn | Wagner | Dayton Ffa | S | Karen and Frank Steininger | |
| 30 | 12-Mar-17 | John | Burk | Liberty Hill Ffa | T | Voss Road Animal Clinic – Dr. Ben tharp | |
| 9 | 12-Mar-17 | Brittnee | Hamilton | Riesel FFA | V | Sharps Compliance | |
| 14 | 12-Mar-17 | Javonne | Pool | Texas City FFA | W | Lisa, Tuna and Abigail Nguyen | |
| 6 | 12-Mar-17 | Hannah | Dodson | Dayton Ffa | Hard Luck | X | Neil O. and Stephanie Yelderman |
| 22 | 12-Mar-17 | Ty | Mcclellen | Odem Ffa | Hard Luck | XX | Joe Ellis and Robin Young-Ellis |
Photos of participants who catch a calf, their family members, Ag teacher and their donor (provided all were present) may be found at the media center on RODEOHOUSTON.com. Please include the Media Code: “4media” in order to view and download photos.