Chase Dougherty is one of the rising young stars in the PBR. Dougherty finished fourth at the PBR’s Unleash the Beast stop in Billings in May and is currently 16th in the world standings. But just how is the 23-year-old from Stephenville, Texas tied to the Treasure State?
“My mom grew up in Billings her whole life, so I’ve always had a tie to Montana and always come up and visited," Dougherty said. "(Montana State rodeo coach) Andy Bolich offered me a scholarship to rodeo in Bozeman, so I went to school for about a year and a half, lived there for almost two years.”
Dougherty’s time at Montana State was short-lived, as a career in the professional ranks awaited. Though he wasn’t in Bozeman long, he took advantage of all it had to offer, though there was one big adjustment he had to make.
“I made a bunch of friends in Bozeman. I had a great time," Dougherty said. "Where I lived it was perfect. I was 10 minutes from campus. I could go to Bridger in 15 minutes, could go hunting in 15 minutes. I loved it, I had so much fun. It did take me a minute to learn how to drive. I come from Oregon, we have some bad weather but nothing like here.”
Dougherty relishes the opportunity to come back to Montana and compete. Not only does he get to perform in front of his family and friends, he gets time he otherwise wouldn’t have on the road.
“When I come here I get to spend some time with my family," said Dougherty. "My uncle Walt, aunt Ann. I’ve still got a bunch of family here, so I always stay with them instead of getting a hotel and just kind of get to catch up.”
With Cowboy Christmas on the horizon, keep an eye out for the former Bobcat.
