RED LODGE — With his voice resonating through the heart of Montana's rodeo scene, Doug Mathis marked a 20-year milestone of unforgettable calls at the Home of Champions over Fourth of July weekend.
“And it’s another 82-point ride,” Mathis exclaimed following a bareback performance, showcasing his trademark enthusiasm.
Mathis recalled his first rookie call at the venue in 2005: “I do, I do … I was a nervous cat, but now it’s home,” he said, reminiscing.
Hear Mathis and the wedding couple on their unique venture:
During an interview with MTN Sports, Mathis was surprised by the Red Lodge rodeo committee, who presented him with a custom rodeo version of a Super Bowl ring as a token of appreciation for his two decades of warmth and knowledge.
“What is that?” he questioned with a nervous laugh, visibly moved by the gesture.
Tearing up, Mathis expressed gratitude, saying, “Thanks, guys. Thanks y’all.” He proudly wore the ring throughout the rodeo’s final two performances.
But announcing isn’t Mathis’s only talent. He has taken on the role of ordained minister, originally to officiate his daughter’s wedding. “And it’s kind of grown into a thing over the years. I’ve done three already this summer,” he said with a smile.
One of those weddings was for Danni Lynn and Gunnar Nelson, who were married near Roberts, not far from the Red Lodge fairgrounds.
Asked if the couple adjusted their wedding plans to accommodate Mathis’ schedule, Danni Lynn said, “Yes. He’s like, ‘I’ll be up a week early for Red Lodge' and said, 'Can you do it that weekend?’ And we said, yes we can. Once you hear his voice, you just know you’ve got a friend in him. It’s pretty great.”
Gunnar Nelson, who has known Mathis for 20 years, added, “(It would) be kind of cool if we got a rodeo announcer to do it. We’ve both known him for 20 years … I was eight when I met him.”
“It’s kind of a cool deal, you know, to be involved in somebody’s special day like that,” Mathis said.
During the ceremony, Mathis infused some rodeo spirit into the vows.
“I was kind of juggling in my head before I did it how I was going to say it. But it came out as, ‘Now by the power vested in me by the great state of Montana’ … it was either that or it was going to be, ‘By the power vested in me by the great state of M-O-N-T-A-N-A.’”
Any way you spell it, Mathis' contributions to rodeo and the lives he touches continue to forge memories.