The “Greatest Show on Dirt” is returning to Hattiesburg Feb. 14-15, 2020, for the 35th annual Southern Miss Coca-Cola Classic Rodeo.
The Department of Campus Recreation at The University of Southern Mississippi will host the event at the Forrest County Multi-Purpose Center.
The rodeo will start at 7:30 p.m. with doors opening at 6 p.m.
Lecile Harris, four-time Pro Rodeo Clown of the Year, will once again be making an appearance at the rodeo this year.
Lecile, a fifty-year rodeo veteran, works nearly 125 performances a year at the world’s biggest rodeos.
Lecile entered the rodeo scene as a bullfighter in the 1950s and ‘60s and helped transform the sport from thrill show to the skillful art it is today. He has also worked on various TV shows, including a regular role on “HEE HAW” and movies like “The Last Days of Frank and Jesse James” and “W.W. and the Dixie Dance Kings” with Burt Reynolds.
Lifelong Hattiesburg resident Mike Essary, vice president and Pine Belt operations manager for Neel-Schaffer, will serve as the rodeo grand marshal.
The rodeo, which began in 1986, serves as a fundraiser for student scholarships and professional development.
The rodeo has been held at the Forrest County Multi-Purpose Center since its opening in 1999.
Each year at the rodeo, cowboys and cowgirls show off their elite skills in barrel racing, calf roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, team roping and bull riding.
The top riders are eligible to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, which is held in Las Vegas.
