A little known fact of Tech Rodeo history is that Texas Technological College was a charter member of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Between 1948 and 1949, several meetings were held to organize the NIRA. The first meeting was November 6, 1948 in Alpine, Texas during the Sul Ross rodeo. Twelve schools from Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and Oklahoma met to set a plan in motion to organize this new association. Of the eight colleges from Texas, one was Texas Tech university (as it is now known).

A second meeting, on January 28-30, 1949 in Dallas, Texas, was held to officially vote for organization of the NIRA. Thirteen official voters of 33 participants representing colleges from Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Wyoming officially voted the NIRA to existence. (Voting for Texas Tech was H.G. Bedford of the Block & Bridle Club, the club that officially had to represent Tech Rodeo at the time.)

Soon after, the NIRA had a national convention April 15-16, 1949 at the Shirley-Savoy Hotel in Denver, Colorado. Representing Texas Technological college were: Tommie Bell, Jim Easley, Bud Halsell, Bob Morris, John Wilson, Dale Winders, and faculty adviser, Fred B. Widmoyer.