![\"2024](\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2024\/08\/2024_BAR_JJ-Hampton_01-400x600.jpg\")
While it might be hard to believe after such a successful run in the sport, becoming a hall of fame rodeo star wasn\u2019t the initial plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After completing her bachelor\u2019s degree in criminal justice, Hampton, a 1993 graduate, held a career goal to become a lawyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRight after graduation I sold my horse because I was planning on going to law school,\u201d she said. \u201cThat didn\u2019t work out, so I went into pro rodeo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGod works in mysterious ways. If I\u2019d gone to law school, I\u2019d never have been an 18-time world champion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Already featured in the Tarleton State Rodeo Hall of Fame, the Texas Rodeo Cowboys Hall of Fame, the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Cowboy Capital Walk of Fame, Hampton sees her latest honor as a unique one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame,\u201d she said. There are people in there from all over the country. It\u2019s quite an honor. I don\u2019t really have the words to say how much this means to me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a legacy for my family, my kids and grandkids, something for all of us to cherish. It\u2019s pretty special to know that people are going to walk through the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame for years to come and I\u2019ll have my own little star there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Born and raised in Stephenville, Hampton competed in her first rodeo at 4 years old. A roper for Tarleton State\u2019s rodeo team, she was inducted to the university\u2019s Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2014. Her pro rodeo career includes 18 Women\u2019s Professional Rodeo Association world championships and 25 national titles.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hampton, still active in professional rodeo, owns JJ Hampton Realty in Stephenville and produces the annual Johnny Wayne Hampton Memorial Roping in honor of her late father, benefitting a scholarship fund for Tarleton State students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Set to be inducted with Hampton are Californian Beth Cross, Canadian Kaila Mussell and The Pack Horse Library Project, headquartered in Kentucky.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 Former Tarleton State University rodeo standout JJ Hampton has been selected for induction into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth. Induction ceremonies are scheduled …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":51438,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":382,"footnotes":""},"categories":[382,425,426],"tags":[432,455],"class_list":["post-51436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homepage","category-campus-community","category-honors-achievements","tag-alumni","tag-rodeo"],"acf":{"image":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"priddle","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/author\/priddle-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2024\/08\/Unknown-300x200.jpeg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["_Homepage<\/a>","Campus & Community<\/a>","Honors & Achievements<\/a>"],"unlinked":["_Homepage<\/span>","Campus & Community<\/span>","Honors & Achievements<\/span>"]},"tags":{"linked":["Alumni<\/a>","Rodeo<\/a>"],"unlinked":["Alumni<\/span>","Rodeo<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 2 years ago","modified":"Updated 6 months ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on August 2, 2024","modified":"Updated on October 20, 2025"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on August 2, 2024 9:12 am","modified":"Updated on October 20, 2025 8:56 am"},"featured_img_caption":"Person wearing a blue cowboy hat and glasses, with logos on their shirt.","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/54"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51436"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54525,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51436\/revisions\/54525"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}