WRITTEN BY KENDAL RAE JENSEN
Western Weber County was well represented and honored to have three of the five 2022 inductees into the Utah Cowboy Hall of Fame. The Utah Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, located in the Union Station in Ogden, Utah, is a state-recognized museum which collects and presents artifacts of the American frontier. Every year, they induct a handful of cowboys who have made a lasting impression on the western way of life in Utah.
PAUL H. (JAWS) KNIGHT
Paul H. (“Jaws”) Knight was a cattleman from his birth in 1919 until his death in 2009. He lived his entire 90 years in Plain City, Utah.
Paul married June Maw on June 26, 2010. Together, they raised three children: Curt Knight, Gwen Knight Moitzfield, and Russ Knight. They have four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
As a youth, Paul drove a team of horses to West Warren with his father to work in the fields on the family farm. He ran his own dairy herd from 1946 until 1976. Then, he owned and operated a beef cow/calf herd from 1976 until 2008.
Paul was very giving and enjoyed helping the youth. He provided the use of his calves to the students of Plain City Elementary to fit and show at the annual Plain City Dairy Days.
Paul was selected as the Grand Marshal of the Plain City 4th of July Parade in 2004 and was the first to be selected as Weber County Honoree at the Ogden Pioneer Days National Day of the American Cowboy – 2006.
DENNIS MONTGOMERY
Dennis graduated from Weber High School in 1971. He continued his education at Weber State College in the Paramedic Program, graduating in 1983. Dennis started his career in 1975 as a Police Chief of Huntsville, Utah, and continued in Public Safety for 40 years. He worked for Weber County Jail, Weber County and Ogden City fire districts, and Weber State University, with positions as a firefighter, EMT, SWAT member, and fire marshal.
He loved working with and mentoring the youth. For 10 years, he served as medical advisement and recruitment for Utah High School Rodeo, including local, state, and national levels. From 1996-2003, Dennis was the assistant rodeo coach for WSU women’s rodeo team and led them to a national championship in 1997. As the head rodeo coach from 2003-2015, he again lead the women’s team to a national championship in 2006. In 2008, Cody Wade competed at Nationals in Casper, Wyoming, winning the National Steer Wrestling Champion title under the guidance of the big guy, Dennis Montgomery.
BEN GERMAN
RODEO PRODUCER, STOCK CONTRACTOR
Ben was born February of 1969 on a military base in White Sands, New Mexico. His father was an army veteran who served in Vietnam, and his mother is a retired Ogden City dispatcher. Ben grew up in Roy, Utah, where he graduated from Roy High School in 1987. In 1989, he married his high school sweetheart, Jennifer, and together they have three children: Jordan, Ashton, and Wyatt. They have been married for 33 years and currently live in West Haven.
As owner of the Broken Heart Rodeo Company, Ben produces over 100 annual rodeo performances for RMPRA, UHSRA, NIRA, and numerous open rodeos. He has won countless awards for his outstanding bucking stock.