GONZALES - Saturday night, Gonzales native Tyler Waguespack was inducted into East Ascension High School's Hall of Fame for his achievements in steer wrestling. 

Born and raised in Gonzales, Tyler followed in his father Mike Waguespack's footsteps. Mike has "bulldogged" since the 1990s and retired when he was 56. 

"You know, I kept telling him what to do, and then it turned. He started telling me what to do. It was time for me to quit," Mike said.

Tyler is a proud member of the Class of 2010 at East Ascension. He went on to compete professionally, winning five world champions in steer wrestling. He won his fifth PRCA Steer World Championship in 2023 and it was his third title in a row in the National Finals Rodeo. Through his career, Tyler has won more than $2 million.

Competing in more than 100 shows a year, Tyler says his favorite place is his home in Gonzales.

"I get a lot of interviews where they're always asking me where's my favorite place to be, the favorite spot to go on vacation and I say the same thing every time. I want to go home," explains Tyler. "This will always be home to me, it's where I want to live. It's where I want to be. It's a great place to grow up and I can't thank everyone around here enough for making it so great for me."

Due to the demands of the rodeo circuit, he was not able to attend the homecoming induction ceremony. Family, friends, and young rodeo fans were excited to honor the alumni at the High School Rodeo at Lamar Dixon on Saturday, March 2.