Save the Date!
Saturday, February 24, 2024
6:30pm-10:00pm
Gilley's Dallas
1135 Botham Jean Boulevard
Dallas, TX 75215
For more information, contact Cowboys@SkyRanch.org.
Cowboys & Cowboys
Join Dallas Cowboys, rodeo cowboys and Friends of Sky Ranch for an unforgettable evening impacting the lives of youth and families through the ministry of Sky Ranch!
MAKE A COMMITMENT & IMPACT A LIFE!
The Sky Ranch Cowboys & Cowboys Gala changes lives! Funds raised that evening support the ministry and Scholarship Gift Program, which provides opportunities for youth and families facing circumstances beyond their control to attend a life-changing week of camp. We also partner with local, North Texas organizations to scholarship children who are at-risk, underserved, or have an incarcerated parent.
2024 Honorary Celebrity Co-Chairs
Dallas Cowboy Chair
Darren Woodson
A three-time Super Bowl champion and five-time Pro Bowl selection, Darren Woodson is often recognized as one of the greatest players to wear a Dallas Cowboys uniform.
A native of Phoenix, Woodson attended Arizona State University, where he was a converted linebacker for the Sun Devils and earned his Bachelor of Science in Justice Studies.
In the 1992 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected Woodson in the second-round. Throughout his 12 seasons (1992-2004) with the Cowboys, he earned a reputation as one of the hardest hitters and most ferocious safeties in the NFL. Woodson retired in 2004 as the Cowboys’ All-Time Leading Tackler with 1,350 career stops and registering career totals of 11 sacks and 23 interceptions. Throughout his NFL career, his dependability, athleticism and aggressiveness helped lead the Cowboys to three Super Bowl Championships (Super Bowl XXVII, XXVIII and XXX) - securing him an elite position in the club’s history. In 2015, Woodson was inducted into the prestigious Cowboys “Ring of Honor.” He was also named to the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame (2009) and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame (2017).
Upon retiring from the NFL, Woodson joined ESPN as an NFL analyst in 2005. After 14 years with the network, Woodson announced his retirement in 2019. Woodson joined ESRP Advisory Dallas, LLC, "esrp", in 2017 and bridged his storied football career and entrepreneurial spirit with commercial real estate. In May of 2022, esrp merged with Cresa. Woodson offices at the Dallas Cowboy World Headquarters - The Star as a Managing Principal.
Darren is married to Tiffany and has four beautiful children.
Rodeo Cowboy Chair
Stran Smith
In a career spanning 15 years in Pro Rodeo, 2008 World Champion Tie-Down roper, Stran Smith qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo 10 times. The fans loved Stran, voting him twice as the Coors Fans’ Favorite at the WNFR. Sponsors recognized this and Smith quickly became a national pitchman for Wrangler, Ariat Boots, and many other western brands. Stran and his wife Jennifer, former Miss Rodeo America, were honored to be inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2021.
As Stran’s career has blossomed and evolved, so did his opportunity to be light to many. Stran was instrumental in hosting Elevation Sunday, an inspirational service during the WNFR, for fifteen years. Today, Stran is an inspirational speaker nationwide. Due to the response to his monthly article, Down the Line with Stran Smith, Stran has begun recording weekly “Tack Room Talks” where his goal is to use his experience, in and out of the arena, to encourage others.“I’ve never wanted my ability to take me somewhere that my character couldn’t keep me.”
Stran and his wife, Jennifer, now raise Black Angus cattle on STS Ranch with their 3 children, Stone, Scout, and Selah. The Smith’s partner with Carroll Leather in the ranchwear and handbag company, STS Ranchwear. The Smith’s are excited to launch their new brand 1930 Remnant, through the very first STS Ranchwear Concept Store in Childress, Texas. You can follow their journey at 1930Remnant and STSRanch on all social media platforms.
2024 Entertainment
Mark Wills
It was “19(90) Somethin’” when Grand Ole Opry member Mark Wills went from singing at Atlanta’s infamous Buckboard to releasing his first of 19 Billboard-charting singles across seven albums. While climbing his musical ‘ladder,’ he has recorded Gold and Platinum albums and released some of the most enduring and recognizable Country Music hits of the last 25 Years.
“Wish You Were Here,” “Jacob’s Ladder” and “I Do (Cherish You)” cemented his country status in the late ’90s and at the ‘dawning of a new decade’ in the early ’00s. “Jacob’s Ladder” was released via Mercury Nashville in May 1996 as Wills’ debut single, and it became the singer’s first of eight Top 10 hits. His debut self-titled album followed “full of rambunctious good-time songs teeming with sly wit and bittersweet ballads — all in a baritone that throbs with emotion” per Entertainment Weekly. Released 20 years ago as part of Wills’ Greatest Hits collection, the feel-good track stretched the singer both musically and vocally. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart Top 5 hits “Places I’ve Never Been,” “I Do (Cherish You),” “Don’t Laugh at Me,” and No. 1 single “Wish You Were Here” hit the airwaves between 1997-1999. Fittingly, Wills’ early chart success earned him an Academy of Country Music Award for Top New Male Vocalist in 1998. One of his biggest hits to date is the RIAA Gold-certified “19 Somethin’” – a six-week No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
In 2022, Mark re-recorded and released his hit “Don’t Laugh at Me” with the acapella recording group, Home Free, featuring Mark’s daughter, Macey. In conjunction with this release, a new music video was filmed staring 21 Pineapples’ Nate Smith and JennaLee Wasserman earning the collaborators 3 Gold Telly Awards.
