The Red Steagall Scholarship Endowment was established in 2014 by the Texas Tech Alumni Association. Matching funds were made available by the J.T. and Margaret Talkington Foundation. Funds provide scholarships to undergraduate students who are majoring in the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources.

Russell "Red" Steagall is an American actor, musician, poet, and stage performer who focuses on American Western and country music genres. He has performed for heads of state, including a special party for President Reagan at the White House in 1983, and has completed three overseas tours for the United States Information Agency to the Middle East, the Far East, and South America.

He was born Russell Steagall in Gainesville, Texas on December 22, 1938. He became a bull rider at rodeos while he was still a teenager, but at the age of 15, he was stricken with polio. He took up the guitar and the mandolin as physical therapy to recover the strength and dexterity of his arms and hands. Red entered a career in agricultural chemistry after graduating from West Texas State University with a degree in animal science and agronomy. He then spent eight years as a music industry executive in Hollywood, and has spent the last 40 years as a recording artist, songwriter, and television and motion picture personality.

Red made numerous appearances on syndicated television shows such as Hee Haw and Nashville on the Road. He also spent four years as host of the nationally televised National Finals Rodeo, was host of the Winston Pro Tour on ESPN for the 1985 season, and co-hosted the College National Finals Rodeo for the Freedom Sports Network from 1988 through 1991. He was also the host of Western Theater on America One Television.

Red currently hosts a one-hour syndicated radio show, Cowboy Corner, on 170 stations in 43 states. Cowboy Corner celebrates the lifestyle of the American West through the poems, songs, and stories of the American cowboy. In 2010, In the Bunkhouse with Red Steagall began airing on the RFD-TV network; as of 2017, Red now hosts Red Steagall is Somewhere West of Wall Street for the same channel. His down-home, friendly manner and considerable musical talents make him a favorite of rural America.

Red had a major role in the motion picture Benji the Hunted, which was released in the summer of 1987. He also appeared in the motion pictures Dark Before Dawn and Abilene. He produced the motion picture Big Bad John, starring Jimmy Dean, Jack Elam, Ned Beatty, and Bo Hopkins, and directed by Burt Kennedy.

In September 2003, Texas Tech University Press published Born to This Land, a joint effort between Red Steagall and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Skeeter Hagler. The book contains Hagler's black-and-white studies of modern ranching, accompanied by Steagall's award-winning poetry. The Academy of Western Artists named Born to This Land as recipient of the Will Rogers Award for best book of 2003.

He is a trustee of the Pro Rodeo Hall of Champions, honorary member of the Cowboy Artists of America, and former board chairman of the Academy of Country Music. The Texas Legislature named Red Steagall the Official Cowboy Poet of Texas in April 1991. He was an early participant in the American Cowboy Culture Association, which holds the annual National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration each September in Lubbock.

He currently maintains offices outside of Fort Worth, where he is involved in the production of motion pictures and television shows.

To support this scholarship, please visit the Red Steagall Endowed Scholarship gift page.

Contact

Alex Yack
Alex.Yack@ttu.edu
Senior Director of Development
806.742.2802

Matt Williams
matt.williams@ttu.edu
Associate Director of Development
806.742.2802

Tanner Rex
tanner.rex@ttu.edu
Assistant Director of Development
806.742.2802