Cervi Championship Rodeo Company has been the official stock coordinator for RODEOHOUSTON for more than 50 years. Take a look back at how it all began with Mike Cervi and the long-standing relationship between the Cervi family and the Rodeo. Cervi was recently honored with the 2022 Legend of ProRodeo Award.
Mike Cervi
Born Sept. 9, 1936, in Denver, Colorado, he was quick to join the rodeo industry by becoming a rodeo clown at age 14. In 1958, the family ranch was acquired by the Cervi family, and by 1964 he was buying cattle and producing rodeos. Then, in 1967 Mike purchased what is currently known as the Cervi Championship Rodeo Company.
The Cervi Impact
Mike Cervi is no stranger to being acknowledged by the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, which he was inducted into in 2003 and is a two-time PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year (1983 and 2000). He also earned the Ben Johnson Memorial Award from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 2015, for the growth and betterment of the sport he has contributed to. The Cervi family has produced many of the top rodeos in the country, including RODEOHOUSTON®.
The Cervi Family
Mike Cervi’s two sons, Binion and Chase, have shared their fathers dream and are now actively running the family company. His third and eldest son, Mike Jr., passed away in a tragic plane crash in 2001 at the age of 30. He is survived by his wife, four-time World Champion barrel racer and four-time RODEOHOUSTON® Champion, Sherry Cervi, who he met at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Binion is known as the businessman of the Cervi Championship Rodeo Company, working closely with rodeos to put on the best show for fans. Chase is considered the true stockman of the duo, as he has been to the NFR as a pickup man eight times and voted Pickup Man of the Year twice.
The Cervi Stock
The Cervi stock has been superior since the beginning. In the late 1960s, Descent was one of Mike’s top horses and was a six-time bucking horse of the year. Each year, Cervi’s stock are chosen to buck at the National Finals Rodeo. In 1990, the Cervi family decided to focus more on the development of their breeding program rather than purchasing their stock. Currently, the Cervi program includes more than 800 horses and 150 bulls.
The 2022 Legend of ProRodeo
Since 2006, the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy has awarded The Legend of ProRodeo to deserving cowboys who continue to devote their time to the sport of rodeo. In 2022, Mike Cervi, who has trailblazed his way through the rodeo industry since 1950, was honored with the prestigious Legend of ProRodeo Award.
