Back in the 1990s, when country music ruled the radio, line dancing packed the dance floors, and boots were absolutely required, the Twin Cities had a dance team that showed up big: the Rodeo Renegades.

The group kicked off in 1994, founded by Jane and Larry Mattson right as the Rodeo Nightclub opened its doors in Cottage Grove, MN. The timing was perfect. Country dancing was booming, and K102 was the soundtrack of Minnesota weekends. From the start, the Renegades weren?t just another dance group - they were built alongside K102, with the station teaming up with the Mattsons to create a high-energy, crowd-ready line dance team.

If you were anywhere near a country event in the late 90s or early 2000s, chances are you saw them. The Rodeo Renegades showed up at festivals like Winstock, brought the heat at big community events, and became part of the fabric of Minnesota?s country scene. They weren?t about competitions and trophies. They were about performance, promotion, and getting people on their feet.

As their connection with the radio station grew, so did their name. Eventually, they were known everywhere as the K102 Rodeo Renegades. A title that said exactly what they were: the dance team tied to the biggest country station in the Twin Cities. By the mid-2000s, they were still going strong, popping up at major events like the University of St. Thomas?s all-night ?Up ?til Dawn? fundraiser, sharing the stage with mascots, comedians, and live entertainment. They also performed as the Minnesota Timberwolves half-time show at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

The Rodeo Nightclub was the heartbeat of it all. Weekly dance nights, free lessons, K102-branded events, and packed floors created the perfect training ground for dancers and a home base for the Renegades. The club wasn?t just a venue, it was a launchpad. Line dancing wasn?t just something you watched; it was something you learned, practiced, and lived.

What dances did they do? Which routines were crowd favorites? Who all danced on the team over the years? Those details mostly live in memory now; scrapbooks, old flyers, VHS tapes, and stories told by the dancers themselves. Like so many groups from that era, their history wasn?t built for the internet. It was built for the floor.

That?s why today, the real treasure lives with the people who were there. Former members still gather online in a dedicated group for K102 Rodeo Renegades dancers, sharing photos, remembering road trips, laughing about outfits, and keeping the spirit alive. It?s proof that this wasn?t just a dance team, it was a community and family.

The Rodeo Renegades didn?t just follow the country line dance wave. They helped create it in Minnesota. They brought radio to the dance floor, turned lessons into performances, and gave an entire generation a place to belong, one eight-count at a time.

As we step into this new era, we do so with deep respect for the foundation that was built before us. Reviving the Rodeo Renegades is not about re-writing history, it's about honoring it. The original team created something bigger than performances and events; they built community, energy, family, and a culture that helped shape Minnesota's country dance scene. We are proud to carry that legacy forward with the same heart, grit, and love for the floor that defined the early years. This revival is a tribute to the dancers who paved the way, the leaders who had the vision, and the era that made it all possible. We move ahead not as a replacement, but as an extension - committed to preserving the spirit, including the voices of those who came before us, and building the next chapter of the Renegades story together.