09/27/2026
The Montana Pro Rodeo Hall & Wall of Fame is proud to recognize the Jim Bode Scott Family as a 2026 Great Montana Rodeo Families honoree at our annual scholarship fundraiser and banquet this Saturday, September 26th, at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center.
The Scott family has been deeply involved in rodeo for more than 80 years, with roots tracing back to the Rodeo Cowboys Association, later the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association.
John R. Scott, a Texas transplant to Montana, was a talented steer roper, calf roper, and steer wrestler. He finished 4th in the RCA Steer Roping World Standings in 1949 and 3rd in 1950, establishing a strong rodeo tradition that would continue through future generations.
It was at Cheyenne Frontier Days that John heard about the Montana grass. After Cheyenne, he traveled to Montana to check it out. He, his father, and two brothers bought a ranch outside of Miles City on the Mizpah in 1947. They loaded 800 head of cattle and 25 horses onto 42 boxcars to Terry, Montana, and trailed them 60 miles to the ranch.
The winter of 1948 was the coldest winter in Montana, and with the Texas cattle calving year-round, they did not save a calf until mid-February.
In 1957, they bought a ranch outside of Pryor on the Crow Indian Reservation, where the family still lives today.
His son, Jim Bode Scott, competed in all levels of rodeo, beginning in high school. His primary events were ba****ck , saddle bronc riding, calf roping, and steer wrestling. He qualified multiple times for the National High School Finals Rodeo and was a member of Montana State University’s college rodeo team that earned national championships.
Jim qualified multiple times for the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR), where he won a round in steer wrestling and placed 4th in team roping. College rodeo has a special place in Jim’s heart because he met his wife, Marcie, when both were competing on MSU’s rodeo team, and he asked Marcie to marry him while competing at the CNFR.
Jim went on to rodeo professionally. In 1977, Jim was named PRCA Saddle Bronc Riding Rookie of the Year. He was a multiple-time qualifier for the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals in saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, and calf roping and earned the title of MPRCA All-Around Champion and MPRCA Calf Roping Champion.
Jim had a passion for training calf-roping horses, and his great mare, Sissy, was a two-time PRCA Calf Horse of the Year as well as a two-time NRA Calf Horse of the Year.
Jim’s oldest daughter, Sarah (Scott) Verhelst, was a two-time Montana High School Rodeo Association Breakaway Champion and a three-time National High School Rodeo Association Finals qualifier.
In college, Sarah competed in the Big Sky Region for two years and was the Big Sky Region Reserve All-Around Champion, in addition to qualifying for the CNFR in goat tying. Sarah finished her college career in Stephenville, Texas, where she qualified for the CNFR in breakaway roping and was a member of Tarleton’s 2005 CNFR Women’s National Championship Team.
She has been the women’s rodeo coach at both Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming, and Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas. Sarah is a four-time MPRCA Finals qualifier in breakaway roping, won the breakaway title at the World’s Richest Breakaway, and qualified for Rodeo Houston.
Sarah is passionate about training horses and has trained all the horses she competes on. Her husband, KC Verhelst, has served as a PRCA pickup man for 15 years and is a four-time MPRCA Pickup Man.
Jim’s middle child, Hannah (Scott) Knudsen, competed in all events in high school and was a Montana High School Rodeo Association Champion Goat Tyer and Reserve All-Around Cowgirl. Hannah also made the short-go round in goat tying at the National High School Finals Rodeo.
Hannah college rodeoed for Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, where she tied goats, barrel raced, and breakaway roped, qualifying for the CNFR in goat tying. Hannah is also a WPRA breakaway roper.
Jim’s son, Bode (Caleb) Scott, is a long-time multi-event cowboy who was a Montana High School Rodeo Association All-Around Champion and four-time NHSRA Finals qualifier, qualifying in four different events: team roping, cutting, calf roping, and steer wrestling.
Caleb competed for Tarleton State University in college and went on to compete professionally. He has multiple pro rodeo wins in his career, in addition to more than 14 qualifications to the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals Rodeo in two events, calf roping and steer wrestling.
Caleb is an MPRCA Finals All-Around Champion and was also a Dodge Circuit Finals qualifier. Like Jim, Caleb has had some great calf horses and was awarded MPRCA Calf Horse of the Year on his gelding, Herb, and his mare, Lamesa.
Today, the Scott family’s rodeo tradition continues through the next generation.
Paisley Verhelst finished 2nd in the year-end MHSRA Breakaway Standings in 2025 and placed 3rd in a round at the NHSRA Finals. In 2026, she placed 4th in the year-end standings and will represent Montana at the High School Finals. She currently competes in both breakaway roping and team roping in the MHSRA.
Quill Verhelst won the 2025 Montana Junior High Rodeo Association (MJHRA) Breakaway Championship and qualified for the NHSRA Finals in 2025. She competes in team roping, goat tying, breakaway roping, and barrel racing.
Hawkins Verhelst was the 2025 Kimes 10-and-Under Breakaway Roping Champion. He competes in the MJHRA in team roping, breakaway roping, and goat tying and is a 2026 National Junior High Rodeo Association (NJHRA) qualifier in team roping.
Other Scott family children actively involved in rodeo include Sloan Knudsen, Wailes Knudsen, Kit Knudsen, Sage Scott, Piper Scott, Blakely Scott, and the youngest family member, Bode Scott, who is not walking yet but is already part of the family’s rodeo future.
Along with producing rodeo competitors, the Scott family has also produced many performance horses. In the early years of the Scott breeding program, they sent horses to the NFR in saddle bronc riding and, in later years, in the timed events.
Some of the outstanding sires in the Scott breeding program include Doc O Dynamite and Paddy’s Irish Wh***ey.
Rodeo has richly blessed the Scott family with unforgettable memories, lifelong friendships, and a way of life that has helped form who they are. They are grateful for the opportunities, values, and traditions it has provided, and they look forward to seeing the next generation continue the Scott family rodeo legacy.
🌟 Help us invest in the next generation of Montana rodeo by supporting the Montana Pro Rodeo Hall & Wall of Fame Scholarship Fund. Visit montanaprorodeo.org or contact us to be a part of that legacy.
