Stars of the Palace & Special Events

Cotton Rosser has come a long way since he was a young buck who grew up in Long Beach, California. Beginning with his young days of delivering newspaper from the back of his donkey named Jack, cleaning out stalls, and working cattle on Catalina Island, Cotton has made a name for himself in regards to his commitment to rodeo, ranching, and agriculture. His family lived on a city lot, but this did nothing to deter Cotton from keeping his motivation from pushing forward in hopes at making his childhood fantasy come true in terms of becoming a successful and respected rodeo cowboy.
Cotton Rosser is a name that has become synonymous with quality rodeo production. After a ranch accident in 1956 abruptly ended a promising career as a rodeo contestant, Cotton purchased the Flying U Rodeo Company. For the past several decades, Cotton and his family have worked to make the Flying U one of the most successful stock contracting firms in professional rodeo. Keeping his competition in mind is essentially what helps Cotton's creative juices flow. Cotton was inspired and recognized Gene Autry as the person who has most influenced the showman in him. With that said, Cotton always tries to bring some of that color and flare back to rodeo.
Rodeo is show business as far as he is concerned. Cotton remarks, "You have to run the show, you can't let the show run you. If you don't keep the audience entertained they will go somewhere else."

Help us in welcoming this incredibly hard working individual who shows us the importance of what it’s like to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps!”