Cotton Rosser
(Animal Husbandry, H.C. ScD, 1952)
Cotton Rosser is a 1952 graduate in animal husbandry. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Cal Poly in 2013. At Cal Poly, Rosser was the captain of the Rodeo Team and won the All-Around and National Saddle Bronc Championship. He was responsible for establishing the traditional Poly Royal Rodeo event in 1951. In 1956 he purchased the Flying U Rodeo Company and since then his name has become synonymous with rodeo. Rosser is known for his innovations, introducing crowd-friendly components that are now standard in the sport. In total, he has produced more than 3,000 rodeos. Rosser has been inducted into the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Hall of Fame. In 2015 he was elected into the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. He is a consistent and enthusiastic supporter of the Cal Poly Rodeo Team and a key reason that the team enjoys such a prestigious reputation today.