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.
2023 Honorary Celebrity Co-Chairs
Dallas Cowboy Chair
Bradie James
Bradie James earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology from LSU’s College of Arts & Sciences in 2003. He was a National Scholar athlete and All-American linebacker at LSU where he was the second player ever to register more than 400 career tackles. He was Defensive MVP of the 2000 Peach Bowl and was the first LSU linebacker since 1972 to achieve All-SEC honors two years in a row.
As team captain for the Dallas Cowboys, Bradie was the first player to lead the team in tackles for more than three straight seasons. He led in this area for six consecutive years, the longest streak in franchise history. Following a 10-year professional football career with the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, Bradie helped establish The Trust, an NFL Players Association program that assists former players with the transition out of professional football. He is the founder of Bradie James Foundation 56 (created in memory of his mother), which supports education, mammogram screenings, diagnostic testing and social therapy programs for breast cancer patients and survivors. Bradie was the 2010 Recipient of the POTUS National Service Award, was LSU Alumni Association’s 2012 Young Alumnus of the Year, is a member of LSU’s National Diversity Advisory Board and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and is a 2019 inductee of the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame. Bradie resides in Fairview, Texas with his wife and two children.
Rodeo Cowboy Chair
Justin McKee
Justin McKee is one of the most well-respected Western Sports television hosts in the world. His television career began in 2001, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) chose him to take the lead role for their broadcasts. For ten years, he was the “Voice of the PBR” and worked for several networks including Versus and NBC Sports.
His background for broadcasting was as smooth and balanced as his delivery. Justin literally grew up behind the microphone at his parents’ livestock auction in Oklahoma. He brings great insight to his commentary from being a competitor himself in the arena. Justin finished 18th in the world standings of Professional Rodeo Steer Roping in 2004 and holds the arena record in that event at the Cheyenne Frontier Days. Justin is currently a host for The Cowboy Channel, the official network of ProRodeo, the only 24-hour television network dedicated to western sports and western lifestyle. He is also host and co-producer of one of the network's top shows, Pro Rodeo Tonight.
Above all, Justin is most proud to be the husband to Jeannie and dad to daughter Kassidy. You don’t have to be around him long to know that he is very passionate about sharing the good news of the true gospel of God’s grace.
2023 Entertainment
Kick Up Your Boots And Dance!
We are thrilled to announce our entertainment for our 16th annual Cowboys & Cowboys Gala – Aaron Watson!
Aaron Watson's career is perhaps summed up best by Forbes, who says he's "one of country music's biggest DIY success stories." For the past 20 years, Aaron has achieved success on his own terms, hand-building a lauded career through songwriting, relentless touring and more than a dozen self-released albums. His independent Texas spirit and strong work ethic are emblematic of the western lifestyle; virtues which have taken him from humble honky-tonks of Texas to multiple sold-out tours around the world.
In 2019 he released Red Bandana, whose 20 songs were hailed by The Boot as "a pure expression of his traditional country ethos." This album follows Watson’s previous album, Vaquero, whose Top 10 hit "Outta Style" earned a BMI Millionaire award, and The Underdog, the first independent album in the history of country music to top the Billboard Country Albums chart.
With more than a dozen records under his belt, he is exceeding major-label-sized metrics while maintaining his independence, further galvanizing his "Texas country's reigning indie underdog" (Rolling Stone) brand. "There may be no more genuine singer-songwriter at the moment than Watson," says Texas Monthly, pointing to a self-made businessman, chart-topper, and road warrior whose authenticity has made him a country music staple.
