By Brett Hoffman

For high school, college and professional rodeo, 2008 will go down as a big year for some impressive anniversaries.

Both the National High School Rodeo Association and the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association are celebrating 60 years of conducting rodeos. At the pro level, both the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and the National Finals Steer Roping will conduct their 50th editions, and the Professional Bull Riders will hold its 15th World Finals.

And the fun all starts this month with the College National Finals on June 15-21 in Casper, Wyo.

The NIRA championships feature the top two teams and the top three competitors in each event from 11 regions, including the Southern Region. The SamHouston State and Texas A&M women's teams advanced to the Casper championshipsafter finishing 1-2 in the Southern Region 2007-2008 standings.

The college association held its first College National Finals Rodeo at San Francisco in 1949. Over the years, host cities have included Fort Worth, Abilene, Bozeman, Mont., and Lake Charles, La.

The National High School Finals is scheduled for July 20-26 in Farmington, N.M., and features the top four competitors in each event from each state. In Texas, the top four will be decided at the conclusion of the Texas High School Rodeo Finals in Abilene on June 15-21.

The first National High School Finals Rodeo was in the South Texas townof Hallettsville in 1949. Some other host cities include Fargo, N.D., San Antonio,

Pueblo, Colo., and Shawnee, Okla. This year’s event is expected to attract more than 1,500 contestants from 47 states, four Canadian provinces and Australia.

The National Finals Rodeo, which is scheduled for Dec. 4-13 in Las Vegas, features the top 15 in each event from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s regular-season standings.

The National Finals has been conducted in Las Vegas since 1985.

The championships began in Dallas in 1959 and has had runs in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City in the earlier years.

The National Finals Steer Roping also is sanctioned by the PRCA and features the top 15 competitors in the event. But it has traditionally been held separate from the National Finals Rodeo. The first National Finals Steer Roping was in 1959 at Clayton, N.M. Over the years, the championships have been held at Pecos, Amarillo and Guthrie, Okla. The 2008 edition is scheduled for Nov. 14-15 in Hobbs, N.M.

The youngest, but the most lucrative of the circuits, is the Professional Bull Riders, which conducted its first World Finals in Las Vegas in 1994. The first five finals were held in the entertainment arena at the MGM Grand Hotel. Performances have since moved to Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center. The 2008 edition is scheduled forOct. 31-Nov. 2 and Nov. 6-9, and the world champion will receive a $1 million bonus.

PBR update

Comedian Larry the Cable Guy and 2000 PBR World Finals average winner Tater Porter are teaming up to help produce this weekend's Built Ford Tough Series tour stop in Orlando, Fla. Larry the Cable Guy also is the co-owner of the world champion bull Chicken on a Chain. In the world title race, Brazilian Guilherme Marchi has a commanding lead over Valdiron de Oliveira 9,203.75 to 5963.75.

The tour stops at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on June 21-22. For more information, visit www.pbrnow.com.

Myers riding tough

Former National Finals Rodeo qualifier Cash Myers of Athens earned $2,218 after winning the steer wrestling title at the Old Fort Days Rodeo in Fort Smith, Ark., on May 31. Myers is ranked 12th in the PRCA world steer wrestling standings with $22,350.

Brett Hoffman is a 20-year rodeo columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and a member of the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. He can be reached at brett@myrodeoinsider.com.