CASPER, Wyo. - Brad Johnson figured his college rodeo career was finished.

He had a year of eligibility remaining, to be sure, but he'd just about completed his studies at Eastern Wyoming College and he'd just been to the College National Finals Rodeo in team roping. He started to think about moving on.

A year later, the Reva cowboy is back at the CNFR, and he's competing in the steer wrestling this time. But the bigger difference for Johnson is the color of the vest he's wearing: It features the black and turquoise of the fledgling Gillette College rodeo program.

Johnson was set to go pro after last year's CNFR, but a call from Gillette coach Will LaDuke prompted him to change his mind. Johnson knew LaDuke because he'd attended a number of his calf-roping clinics. When LaDuke asked him to be the first to join his new rodeo program, Johnson didn't hesitate.

"I definitely was intrigued by the chance to be part of something new," said Johnson, who completed his general studies degree this spring. "It's been fun, because there's a lot of support from the school and from the community. We have great facilities and a real good foundation. It's easy to get excited about the program because everyone is."

When Gillette College decided in 2006 to start an athletic program, it turned first to rodeo. The school will add cross country this fall and basketball the following school year.

In its first season in the Central Rocky Mountain Region, the Gillette program held its own. The women's team finished third, and the men's team placed seventh. The program also sent three competitors to this week's CNFR: Chason Floyd, a freshman from Ludlow, also is in the bulldogging; Jessica Cates is competing in the barrel racing.

All three were in the hunt for spots in Saturday's championship round. At the conclusion of the second go-round on Tuesday, Johnson was tied for fourth and Floyd was tied for seventh in the steer wrestling aggregate. Cates was 16th in the barrel racing, but less than a 10th of a second behind the leader.

As Johnson did a year ago, Floyd was wrestling with a decision about his athletic future. A talented football player, he was weighing offers to play that sport at Black Hills State, Chadron State and Dickinson State. By the time he decided college football wasn't for him, most established rodeo programs had expended their scholarships.

That's just about the time LaDuke called. Again like Johnson, Floyd knew LaDuke because he attended some of his calf-roping clinics. When the coach offered him a scholarship, Floyd didn't hesitate to accept it.

"I didn't see myself going on with (football) after college," he said. "I loved it as much as rodeo, but I figured I'd give pro rodeo a shot some day. I decided to give football up for good. It was a hard decision, but I can't complain. The rodeo is working out good."

Floyd said he, too, is excited about the prospect of something new.

"Will has put a heck of a foundation together, and I think it's going to keep getting better," Floyd said. "We have really good practice facilities, and the school really supports you. You're recognized when you get back every weekend. It is cool."

Imagine how cool it would be if any of the three Gillette competitors could bring home a national title their first times out?

"Winning a national championship would be great for the school, for my family and for me," Johnson said. "I want to get to the next level. That would be a great stepping stone."