Boys this was back when they bucked

Before there were 13 PBRs a week with football sports casters there was Bull Riders Only where the best riders in the country got on the worst bulls. This was before helmets, vests, and hick hop and any of this politically correct BS.
This was back when they bucked!

Men were men back then too! If Lloyd Ketchum broke a finger off he would duct tape it back on and go slap braimers so everyone could get off of them safely. Lots of super tough super talented athletes in this old video.

Awesome video. Remember watching lots of those guys backing the day. Rode a few bareback and saddle broncs in my younger days but never had the guts to get on bull.

"He pulled everything but a knife on ya!" Lol

Bob Tallman has a way with words. I heard him say (on a PA) "That bull had more moves than a chicken full of ex- lax!"

Yukon- riding bulls never hurt a man. Getting off bulls can get a little western tho.


Edit: I went back and listened- that was Gary Lefew the undisputed guru of bull riding past, present, or future.

The BRO's always had the best announcers. Tallmen, Lefew, Dove, and Gay's voice always comforted me and every other hand. If they were announcing you knew dam good and well it was a big money event and if you stuck it on a bad one there would be a big check and a dozen girls to help you spent it that night .

That right there is the real deal, no cheating allowed. Great post ,thanks for sharing

I don't mind the mouth guards or vests....but the helmets No

I liked that 4th ride

I miss the days of Donny Gay pointing out how a fella got thrown off like a yard dart. TY Murray making a mid nineties ride, simply gathering up his hat, and calmly walking out of the arena. Clint Branger riding with just a handful, of teeth. The talent, toughness, and CLASS the men had back then were something that was a dying art. Some of the greatest ever were also the most modest. That goes for all the events. You always knew Billy Etbauers time to hang it up was coming, but yet you never wanted him to stop. I’m having a hard time getting behind this years abbreviated season, it’s going to make for an odd finals.

Thanks LL. Great seeing Ty, Tuff, Terry don, etc... again. Good stuff

That was great to watch. I remember some of these guys riding.

Back in the late 70s and 80s an old time outfitter out of Ft st John BC, named Don Peck had a rodeo string. His bulls were all yaks. Big long horned, long haired black bulls and man could they get with it. One of them they called Misangelo went unridden as long as he bucked. Donny Gay got on him one time in Calgary and said he was the rankest bull he'd ever been on. Tough men those old timers.

This guy rode em, back when they bucked.

https://www.prorodeohalloffame.com/inductees/by-category/bull-riding/warren-g-freckles-brown/



https://lanefrost.com/pages/about-freckles-brown

... I see that video has tuff covering bodacious... I cringed when I saw that match up ...thinking it may have been the ride when he got his face rearranged

I loved watching red Wolf buck

Good ole entertainment. I bet they don’t kneel for the National anthem

A spectator kneeling would likely get tossed off the back side of the top of the bleachers. Down in the chutes a cowboy would likely get castrated and branded.

330 & OL99- Mark Caine and Troy Dunn were bascially dragon slayers back in that era. They rode the stuff that never got rode. Tuff & TDW too. Nobody was putting their chaps on when guys like that climbed into the chute.

Guys like Jim Sharp and Michael Gaffney had a little disadvantage I always thought. They rode bulls so correctly and looked so good doing it that they made some of the rank ones looks ridiculously easy. I always assumed it cost them a point from each judge- maybe 2 b/c the bull didn't look like he was having his usually trip.

Fast forward a few years- Matt Austin and Kody Lostro bascially looked like they were riding a horse at a lope b/c they made it look so easy.

Here is another one yall need to watch for- he is my buddy Todd's boy and he will be putting Ft Scott back on the map just like Jeffrey Collins did in the last few years of the 90's.

Presenting Mr. Trey Holston

Thanks for posting. Sure is different today.

Thanks for posting. Sure is different today.

Don't forget guy's like Ronnie Rossen , Larry Mahan , Jerome Davis, Dave Wagner , Scott Breeding, Clint Branger and Deb Greenough and even Dan Mortinsen were top shelf bull riders back in the day .

Brian Claypool was a good friend and great all around cowboy that left us to soon also .
Allan

That brings back memories LL. Thanks for the post.

You bet- its a trip down memory lane I like to take every once in a while.

Allan, Ty Murry said he always thought Dan Mortenson made a better bull rider than bronc rider and when Billy Etbaur retired he predicted no one would be able to get ahead of Dan in the bronc riding for a few years and they didn't. He was purdy special. I saw Ryder Wright spur a charlois lookin' whale of a bull away from his hand in Jr. High- I think a lot of bull riders in the middle of the country were glad to see him take up the family business of broncs only.

As far as friends that everyone loved- Dusty Labeth was a big part of our plot to start building bullriders a full decade b4 they were old enough to get on one. He has the gift of a teacher just like his dad, he lives clean, and he gives back every chance he gets. He single handedly changed they way my son and the Pope brothers (top of the standings anywhere they go) rode bulls with his coaching style

There's been so many good bull riders well rodeo contestants over the year's it's not been funny Jim Shoulders , Gary Lefew and many more that I've forgotten about or never met and with that said there were a bunch of great stock contractors too Marvin Brookman, Harry Vold and Ed Greebe who stayed in Montana with his bucking stock.

I've often wondered how many animal athletes that still are bucking at the NFR were first part of the Brookman bucking string and were sold to a larger stock contractor because Marvin didn't have enough of the big rodeos to showcase their abilities as bucking stock and he had some great horses and pretty fair bucking bulls .

Wade Sankey has taken over from Ike and Roberta and C5 has some great stock also it's exciting to see how thing's are progressing in and around the original extreme sport we all know and the smart one's love called Rodeo ha ha
Allan

I got to meet Jim Shoulders when he was inducted into the (BRO) hall of fame and even as an old guy when you shook his hand you knew he was the man. He left no doubt.

As far as stock contractors they are great but the breeders are a different lot entirely most of the time. When the Herringtons, Tom Teague, or Jerry Nelson started out about half of their bulls had Jimmy Crowther's brand on their hip. David Bailey always hauled RC branded bulls (Roy Carter) and Phil Sumner raised or found the biggest share of Sammy Andrews short go bulls.

JMO but out in Cali it was even worse. Anything Big Dan Russel had worth bucking had an A for Alex Nocorato, was Growney Bros breeding, or had been raised by Freddy Cordel in OK.

Call me a chicken -jbut I never did back Dan Russel in a corner and pick a fight with him about it LOL. For those who never heard of him he was about 7 ft tall

I almost forgot about Owen Washburn. He always rode with style and control. Kind of like LL was saying earlier, his size was almost to his disadvantage at times. He was one of the few taller bull riders. I always felt like when he stuck one good, he was almost in too much control and his longer legs made him look like he was in too much control. Either way, he was a classy rider I always enjoyed watch ride.

Big rider^ Bigger bull

great video! thanks for posting my cousin was one out of the 20 people who founded the BRO (bull riders only) now known as the PBR. it was great seeing him riding in that video. amazing story how they got it started and what it has became today!

Small world- I am guessing if I dont actually know your cousin he and I bumped into one another a few times. The BROs were a big deal back then and anyone who was anyone was there.

Outlaw99 you are right. Washburn and guys like Donald Owen had to ride way better than a Carrillo Twin or a Dave Samsel who were way closer to 5 ft than 6

...yes sure was....I will pm you

Yup. Im not saying Chris Shivers, Cody Hart, or Gilbert Carrillo couldnt ride a big bull but Owen, Troy, Donald Owen always looked better on the big strong ones.

Watched every video, thanks for posting.

Adriano Morales was a fun guy to visit with too Michael Gaffney , Ted Nice , Lane Frost , Tuff Hedemen, Mike Lee and Chase Outlaw for some other very good rider's then there's the Cody's too .

would be a few more old bull riders if they had had them

My cousin was a pretty decent bronc rider back in the 80s. He won his share of buckles including Cloverdale. He's worked as a judge on the pro rodeo circuit for years now. Terry Carlon is his name, maybe you've bumped into him somewhere? I havent seen him since my grandfathers funeral 30 years ago.

Sounds like he was a good hand and a man everyone trusts or he wouldn't get too many judging gigs. I've been retired for many years but I know a lot of the top young young guys. My son won a crap load of state and interstate titles in youth rodeo and made it to national competition 10 dif times b4 he was 18.

Allan- Adriano Morales was the total package- he looked like a man model riding bulls and they had to do something special to throw him off. Everyone who met him just loved that guy and it started while he still spoke Portuguese only. He is a super classy guy in or out of the arena.

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Adriano, is his arms. His forearms and biceps were huge. He was indeed a picture of the perfect package. He had the balance, brains, and Braun. On top of all that, he was a real like able guy, even if u didn’t want too.

What about all the great bull fighters over those years? Jimmy Anderson, Leon Coffee, Rob Smetts, Frank Newsome. I was fortunate to run into Rob Smetts one year at the finals; he was one of the nicest fellas I’ve ever met. He saved a ton of lives over the years.
I remember when Frank Newsome first showed up way back when and being completely blown away by how good he was. He’s still at it today and my favorite of all time to watch.
Man, this thread brings back a lot of memories. I can’t wait till we move on to saddle bronc lol.

Fabiano Vieira in many ways reminds me of Adriano Morales but more so in his ability to use balance and hustle to ride bulls and not braun and talk about soft spoken it's tough to hear what he's saying .

The bull rider's involved with the PBR are all pretty good people to deal with in and out of the arena.
Jerome Davis is a class act too even if he's stuck in a wheelchair .

One of my favorite lines ever was about Adriano Morales. Once when Ty Murray was injured and a commentator for the PBR, Adriano was getting ready to ride. Ty said that James Harper had told him that he would rather see one of his bulls run thru a cattle guard than draw Adriano at a bull riding.

LL, your this post got me to looking for other old bull riding clips. While I was looking around I saw that Lecile Harris passed back in February. Back in the 70's and 80's it was comforting to look out over the chutes to see that big old white frown and red nose in the arena. He ended every performance "Dancing" with a bull to Jeramiah was a Bullfrog and it was a great show. Besides being a great bull fighter and clown, he was a great man. He died in his sleep after working a rodeo, at 83 years old.

LMBO @ even if you didn't want to! He really was that great of a guy and still is.

As far as great guys- Harris and Coffee were in a league of their own no doubt. Harris played a woman in a skit at Abilene one year and rode a clydesdale. That in itself was funny but I still never figured out how he rigged his 'breasts'. The were obviously water balloons but when the big horse would trot those things would slap the saddle and then the top of his head. He got it up to a lope and they got out of sinc so one was smashing his hat while the other smacked the saddle. We couldn't quit laughing and of course his mission was accomplished. That was back when Vold had that rodeo and Andrews got it the next yr.

Newsom, Smets, and a huge list of guys that have manage to fly below the radar. Jerry Norton, Ronny and Donny Sparks, Brian White, and a bunch of other saved my personal bacon more than once. Don Yates too but there was nothing 'under the radar' about that cat and never will be. He posted a video on FB jumping a fighting bull at 50. The man still looks like he could compete in a triathlon.

boy that does take ya back, thanks for posting that leftlane. And I agree, that was when they bucked and the best guys riding them. I dont care at all for the PBR.

I hadnt seen anything outta Dusty LaBeth in years, rode in the same youth rodeo association as him

Remember Brent Thurman too, I was watchin the 10th round of the NFR on tv when the bull stepped on his head and killed him.

I always thought Terry Don West was one of the most underated bullriders

Here's a story for ya, reminded me when I saw the "G" man MIchael Gaffeny. when I was 15 years old I entered my first rodeo, drew a bull that had a real reputation for being a buckin son of a gun, he was owned by a stock contractor out of Kansas City.Mo. called Blue River Rodeo Co. Cant remember if the bulls brand was -26 or-29 but they called him Bar Fly. And he was a rank dude! Any how i got on him and nodded my head and went about 3 jumps and got ejected, lol... So fast forward a year or so and the first year the PBR came to Kansas City, I believe Michael Gaffeny was the PRCA world champ at the time and low and behold guess what bull he drew... 'ol Bar Fly, well Gaffeny got on him and lasted about 3 jumps too! Always liked tellin the story of how I took him as far as the world champ! Lol....

That is a good story and if Gaffney couldn't ride him, then I guess that bull just wasn't the ridin' kind! I know after being the undisputed BBOY x3 Lil Yellow Jacket needed to draw around G Man or he was gonna get rode like a stick horse to water.

West was every bit as good as any of them- heck he was an old man before he ever went to the big events.

LL,
You been sipping pain medication again?

You're getting all sappy on us brother, and I don't mean maple tree syrup.

Naw working odd and long hours and blowing off steam. Maybe a tad- I noticed J Stanton posted about how classy football players used to be and I think we all miss that.

If rodeo athletes take to kneeling I suspect they will get so many whippins they will have a cast on their leg and never want to kneel again

I remember 30 or so years ago;

I was a rabid Detroit Lions fan, and I asked a buddy if he wanted to go to the stadium with me because I had an extra ticket.
He began to harbor on an on about how the Romans had silenced (for 100+ years with success) the masses, who themselves were growing more and more disgruntled with the Emperor and all the mayhem in Rome. In response, Rome commissioned more great games and spectacles in great stadiums the Romans built called Colosseums.

The masses loved these great games, where they could scream, party, and let off stream - as they watched great athletes literally tear at each other. Rome loved these spectacles because it kept the masses minds focused on the upcoming games (and not on Rome). A win for the political and a win for the masses, who were themselves taxed to high heaven under Rome's rule.

We now know history. It wasn't really a win, win for Rome and for the masses. We now know, Rome was in great decay and would be ransacked by a variety of other peoples in a few years, as the people cheered and the political dove deeper into corrupt ways. The masses would be slaughtered or enslaved by various other peoples.

I still remember my buddy telling me, the thing he always remembered about those gladiator games, was that before each match, where athletes had a great chance of killing or being killed - they knelt. To the Emperor, or the grand official of the game who officiated. The kneeling was mandatory and served as a symbol of allegiance, and was the focus more than the games where you may die.

History. Seems like it just keeps repeating.
It all depends on who you knee to LL.
That's always been the case since the garden.

I'm not a Lions fan anymore, but the Mrs. and I really enjoy a good rodeo!!
They knee to the wrong king at all these pro games anymore as we see, but the cowboys still seem to love God and country in that order.

I pray we don't go the way of that pagan nation.

Blessings!
Mark

I hope you're right and we don't either but yeah the great games appear to work wonders to coddle the masses.

I never became much of a sports fan just because I always had things I wanted to do besides sit on a couch and stare at a screen for hours and hours.

Nice video.Thanks for sharing.

Looks like the NFR is gonna be in Texas this year. I normally make the trip every year, but with a new baby at home, mama says we got to stay here this year.

Tomas and Mack was about the right size for a bull riding but way small for the timed events.

I agree, but what I really liked was the fact that even the cheap seats, you could see well and felt like you were in on the action.

I see Wade is back healthy and just won in Idaho. I sure hope he can scramble the money to qualify for the finals. Really love watching him on rank horses.

Speaking of wildman, you all remember Larry Sandvick? I guess he’s doin well now in Kaycee building custom riggins

Good for Larry Sandvick- I was told he was a good dude. As far as Sundell I hope he is healthy I love watching him go at one!