Northwest Rodeo Alumnus Virgil Alsup Becomes a Northwest Hall of Famer
Senatobia, MS (11/13/2025) — Northwest Mississippi Community College's rodeo alumnus Virgil Alsup has earned his stripes in the arena as a bull rider for the Rangers back in the 1990s and now has earned his place in the Northwest Sports Hall of Fame during Northwest's Homecoming Week in October.
Originally from Byhalia, Alsup was coached under Northwest's iconic Rodeo coach Lawrence "Bud" Young starting in 1993.
"The first bull I ever got on was on the Northwest Farm," Alsup said recalling his first bull riding experience at Bull-O-Rama.
He said leading up to his first time riding, he'd come up to Northwest weekly to practice on a "bucking machine" to learn how to ride and techniques. During that time, Coach Young built Alsup's confidence in his abilities and worked on hard to help him develop the skills needed to a great bull rider.
"Northwest set the stage for my whole life," Alsup said. "Some of my fondest memories are from Northwest."
Later that academic year, he placed in the top of the rankings of the NIRA Ozark Region earning him a spot to compete at College National Finals Rodeo in Bozeman, Montana. He placed 10 nationally and rode again in his sophomore year where he rose the ranks even more landing first in the region, and third in national standings by the end of the season.
After his tenure at Northwest, he took to the professional state with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association where he finished in the top 50 in his first year alone. For 12 more years and various organizations, Alsup kept riding.
Now, Alsup is marked down in history as a 2025 Northwest Sports Hall of Fame recipient for his outstanding work as a bull rider.
To learn more about other Northwest Hall of Fame, please visit https://nwccrangers.com/honors/hall-of-fame
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Photo of Virgil Alsup, by Matthew Mixson
Northwest Mississippi Community College
Andrew Dale, Associate Vice President of Community Relations, adale@northwestms.eduShare this Story
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