Monthly Archives: January 2025

OKLAHOMA CITY – The ladies made the biggest statement during Saturday’s final performance of the Oklahoma City ProRodeo. It was the final PRCA- and WPRA-sanctioned rodeo in Jim Norick Arena, and a solid crowd worked its way into the storied coliseum to see the action; the first ProRodeo occurred six decades ago when the 1965 National Finals Rodeo kicked open the building’s doors. “This is actually my first time to compete here,” said Shelby Whiting, who posted a 2.1-second run to win the breakaway roping title and $1,881. “Being able to win it in the final night of rodeo for the arena is a great memory to help me remember how special this is for me.” A pair of barrel racers also made solid statements. Two-time NFR qualifier Lesley Smalygo of Skiatook, Oklahoma, posted a 15.39-second run to win barrel racer, while fellow Tiany Schuster, a three-time qualifier from Krum, Texas, was just one-tenth of a second behind to finish as the runner-up. Smalygo earned $2,076, and Schuster collected $1,779. The key for all three was to take advantage of the opportunities before them. “You just have to go after it,” said Whiting, a Paola, Kansas, cowgirl who moved into the top five of the breakaway roping standings in the Prairie Circuit, the region made up primarily of rodeos and contestants from Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. “I was the third run on (that calf). I knew he was really good, and I knew I just had to go out there and go after it. “It’s so tough nowadays that you just have to go after it anyway.” A key component in any timed event is to have solid horsepower, and Whiting knows she has something special in Dolly, a 10-year-old bay mare. “My horse is phenomenal,” said Whiting, who attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant. “I’ve had her since she was 2. She’s a spitfire for sure, and she keeps me on her toes, but she gives me 1,000 percent every time I nod. “She’s my baby for sure.” The goal now is to take advantage of her situation. The rodeo season will continue through September, and while every roper’s dream is to qualify for the National Finals Breakaway Roping in December, the Kansan would love to earn a spot at the Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo. To do that, she’ll need to finish among the top 12 in the region. “This is a fantastic start to the circuit season,” Whiting said. “It’s super exciting.” Oklahoma City ProRodeoOklahoma CityJan. 24-25Bareback riding: 1. Myles Carlson, 80 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Blackhawk, $1,034; 2. Reece Reder, 78, $776; 3. Jence Griffith, 74.5, $517; 4. Rhett Robbins, 74, $259. Steer wrestling: 1. Riley Duvall, 4.0 seconds, $1,015; 2. Tyler Scheevel, 4.4, $840; 3. Adam Musil, 4.5. $665; 4. Weston Taylor, 4.7, $490; 5. Shawn Musil, 4.9, $315; 6. (tie) Laramie Warren and Cooper Orr, 5.1, $88 each. Team roping: 1. Cam Hoelting/Dawson McMaster, 4.8 seconds, $1,772; 2. Cash Duty/Cashton Weidenbener, 5.0, $1,466; 3. Casey Hicks/Trigger Hargrove, 5.2, $1,161; 4. (tie) Brandon Farris/Braden Harmon and Kolton Schmidt/Landen Glenn, 5.3 each, $703 each; 6. Jake Clay/Tanner Braden, 5.4m $306. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Waitley Sharon, 84 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Red Cloud, $1,442; 2. Walker Rezzonico, 80, $1,093; 3. Brady Irvine, 79, $787; 4. Jace Lane, 78, $525; 5. Roper Kiesner, 77.5, $306; 6. Danny Cassidy, 77, $219. Tie-down roping: 1. (tie) Hagen Houck and Paul David Tierney, 8.7 seconds, $1,563 each; 3. Ace Reese, 8.8, $1,121; 4. Preston Pederson, 9.1, $826; 5. Pax Vogel, 9.2, $531; 6. Gator Goodrich, 9.4, $295. Breakaway roping: 1. Shelby Whiting, 2.1 seconds, $1,881; 2. (tie) Erin Johnson and Taylor Munsell, 2.5, $1,513 each; 4. Mataya Eklund, 2.6, $1,145; 5. Payton Scalzo, 2.8, $900; 6. Sami Jo O’Day, 2.9, $654; 7. (tie) Reagan Davis, Kashly Van Petten, Willow Wilson and Y’leigh Yarbrough, 3.0, $143 each. Barrel racing: 1. Leslie Smalygo, 15.39 seconds, $2,076; 2. Tiany Schuster, 15.49, $1,779; 3. Kellie Jorgensen, 15.61, $1,483; 4. Jo Fisher, 15.64, $1,285; 5. (tie) Wenda Johnson and Devon Brown, 15.66, $890 each; 7. (tie) Paige Jones and Julie Plourde, 15.71, $494 each; 9. Kaydi Anderson, 15.72, $297; 10. Randee Hedrick, 15.75, $198. Bull riding: 1. Josiah Chism, 86 points on McCoy Rodeo’s Bam Bam, $2,491; 2. Brayden Lamb, 76, $2,122; no other qualified rides.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Riley Duvall is hoping a run of luck can last through a hiatus of more than a decade. He’s giving it a shot, anyway. The third-generation steer wrestler, Duvall knocked his steer down in 4.0 seconds during Friday’s opening night of the Oklahoma City ProRodeo to take the bulldogging lead with one day of competition remaining. “This is the first time I’ve run one here in 13 years,” said Duvall, a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Checotah, Oklahoma, who competed in Las Vegas in 2016, 2018-19 and 2021. “The last time I ran one here, I won the average at the National Circuit Finals, so maybe we’re still on a hot streak.” He said that with a bit of a smirk, but doing well at this rodeo is one of the reasons he’s competing this weekend. This is the last PRCA event to take place inside the historic Jim Norick Arena, which hosted its inaugural event the 1965 NFR. The sport’s grand finale continued in the State Fair Arena for 14 years before moving downtown in Oklahoma City from 1979-84; it has remained in Nevada since then. “My family’s been bulldogging here for 60 years,” Duvall said, tipping his cap to his grandfather, Bill, and great uncle, Roy, who are the dual patriarchs for the family’s rodeo legacy. “That means a lot to me, 60 years in a building, three different generations and my uncle (Roy) won all three of his world championships here. “My dad won the high school here, so if I can end this arena with a ‘W,’ that would be something special.” He owns a half-second lead over the No. 2 man, Adam Musil of Crescent, Oklahoma, and will have to hold off 16 more bulldoggers that are set to run Saturday. Running steers is how the family has conducted business for decades, and Riley Duvall is just the next stage of that factor. In addition to competing, he also helps as a hazer. If that weren’t enough, he’s also the PRCA’s steer wrestling director, so he handles the political side of the job, too. He knows the animals and the athletes, so it has set him up for success. “These are J.J. Miller’s steers, and me and J.J. talk probably four or five times a week,” said Duvall, who finished the 2024 campaign 24th in the world standings. “I didn’t know my steer at all, but I called J.J., and he told me that my steer was one of the best ones. I just tried to be honest, catch him and throw him down. “I’ve probably got the best group of guys to work with as a director; if I had to be a director in any other event, I probably wouldn’t do it. I saw my uncle, Spud, do it for eight to 10 years, so I learned from him how to handle the business and the bulldogging side of it and separate them.” Riley Duvall learned how to compete from the generations before him, but he handles the business of rodeo like the veteran he is. Oklahoma City ProRodeoOklahoma CityJan. 24-25Bareback riding: 1. Jence Griffith, 74.5 points on McCoy Rodeo’s Hell’s Angel; 2. (tie) Bubba Holcomb and Jacoby Campbell, 70; 4. Stetson Bierman, 60; no other qualified rides. Steer wrestling: 1. Riley Duvall, 4.0 seconds; 2. Adam Musil, 4.5; 3. Shawn Musil, 4.9; 4. (tie) Laramie Warren and Cooper Orr, 5.1; 6. Wyatt Scales, 9.5. Team roping: 1. Brandon Farris/Braden Harmon, 5.3 seconds; no other qualified times. Saddle bronc riding: 1. Waitley Sharon, 84 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Red Cloud; 2. Taylor Nelson, 74; 3. Brody Baca, 71; 4. Cooper Tyler, 65; 5. Hunter Greathouse, 64; 6. Heston Harrison, 62. Tie-down roping: 1. Sam Ward, 12.5 seconds; 2. Luke Potter, 12.6; 3. Billy Hamilton, 18.5; 4. Jesse Clifton, 24.0; no other qualified times.  Breakaway roping: 1. No qualified times. Barrel racing: 1. (tie) Wenda Johnson and Devon Brown, 15.66 seconds; 3. Tristan Parish, 15.76; 4. Bradee Addison, 16.21; 5. Kathryn Todd, 16.44; 6. Mollie Bassett, 16.46; 7. Cacee Hendrick, 16.54; 8. Makenna Shook, 21.06; 9. Delaney Seibert, 21.48; no other qualified times. Bull riding: 1. Josiah Chism, 86 points on McCoy Rodeo’s Bam Bam; 2. Brayden Lamb, 76; no other qualified rides.

OKLAHOMA CITY – The word has spread across rodeo circles that this weekend’s Oklahoma City ProRodeo will be the final PRCA event in the historic Jim Norick Arena at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. It’s just one of the reasons that nearly 500 cowboys and cowgirls put their names in the hat to be part of this exclusive field. Many will be part of the two performances set for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets are available at McCoyRodeo.com. “I was very surprised by the numbers that we’re seeing,” said Cord McCoy, an Oklahoma cowboy who will produce the two-day event via McCoy Rodeo, which he co-owns with his wife, Sara. “I think a lot of them understand that this is the final time they can compete at a ProRodeo in that arena, and they want to be part of it.” That list of contestants includes some of the greatest stars the sport has to offer, from world champions to many-time qualifiers to the National Finals Rodeo. Being in Oklahoma City this weekend is an especially easy decision for those contestants with ties to the Sooner State. The arena will be torn down this spring and replaced by a new complex that’s under construction nearby. “I’ve rarely missed anything that they’ve had at that arena,” said barrel racer Dona Kay Rule, a five-time NFR qualifier from Minco, Oklahoma. “I’ve worked as a secretary and assisted at a lot of the major horse shows. I don’t think I’ve ever missed a state fair for as long as I can remember. “It’s a little hard on my heart to see it go, although I know it’ll be good for our city.” Nostalgia plays a big part. Its first event was the 1965 NFR, which was conducted inside the then-named State Fair Arena through 1978 before moving into the Myriad Arena in downtown Oklahoma City. It had a six-year run there, so ProRodeo’s grand finale was a major deal in the state’s capital city for two decades. In addition, Jim Norick Arena has hosted hundreds of other Western sports events over the years, from a variety of horse shows to barrel racings, team ropings, high school rodeos and the PBR. Some of the greatest competitors have nodded their heads. “That building’s got a lot of history to it,” said Brandon McLagan, who will announce the festivities this weekend. “I’ve announced the (Better Barrel Races) World Finals there a couple of times, and I did four International Finals Rodeos there. “That’s hallowed ground, and to know those bucking chutes from where Freckles Brown rode Tornado are directly below my feet where I’m going to be standing for the final two nights of ProRodeo in that building … I’ve got chills right now thinking about it.” Brown, the 1962 world champion bull rider, rode Jim Shoulders’ “unrideable” bull Tornado at the 1967 NFR, then went on to win the average championship that week. It was the only time in more than 200 trips with some of the best cowboys in the business that the bull was conquered for eight seconds, and it’s just one of the many pieces of lore that will continue to live on after the final piece of rubble is removed this spring. McLagan noted that the historical nature of this weekend’s rodeo is just one of the factors that plays into the decisions made by contestants. “It’s going to be a great circuit rodeo,” he said of the Prairie Circuit, made up of rodeos and contestants primarily from Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. “Beyond that, there’s going to be some ballers, so to speak, that are coming to Oklahoma City.” That includes tie-down roper Hunter Herrin, a 14-time NFR qualifier from Apache, Oklahoma. “I’m starting a new year, and I’ve got a new horse, so I thought this would be a good place to start that horse,” said Herrin, whose first NFR was 2006. “I was going to enter with Chizm Kuykendall, but our schedules got messed up. I’m up at Fort Worth (Texas) on Sunday and Monday, so I figured Cord has a rodeo right there in Oklahoma City, it’s a circuit rodeo, and it would be a good place to start the year off.” It’s been a good place for him over the years. Until a decade or so ago, he made sure to be in the mix during the Oklahoma State Fair Rodeo, which took place each September along with the annual exposition. He’s happy to be part of its final chapter involving the PRCA. “Oklahoma City had a really good rodeo for a long time,” he said. “They did away with it and had some bull ridings, which is kind of sad, but I’m looking forward to being back there again. I’m glad I get to rope up there to start the new year off.” Rule has had her own history with the sport and with events in Oklahoma City. Her husband, John Rule, made the saddles for the NFR after it had moved downtown, and she can’t count the number of runs she’s made inside Jim Norick Arena over her lifetime. She’s ready to make one more. “There are a lot of reasons I entered that rodeo,” she said. “I love the history of that arena, and I’m so sad to see it go. I wanted to be there for the last one, and I also think so much of the McCoy family; I would like to go and support Cord. Rodeo has a big history in Oklahoma, so this is very special. “When you see those guys in Las Vegas and you’re interested in hearing about their stories, you get a feeling for what they’ve gone through. If you dig into it, a lot of their parents, grandparents and even further back were here in Oklahoma at some point. It all started here for a lot of them.”

Oklahoman has a mix of experiences at historic Jim Norick Arena OKLAHOMA CITY – The date is engrained in his mind, but Cord McCoy doesn’t remember much of it. It was late September 2004, and McCoy was competing at the State Fair Rodeo in Oklahoma City. It was the biggest ProRodeo in his home state, and eagerness added to the excitement. During the championship round, he was bucked off his bronc, but his left foot hung in the stirrup. Momentum pushed the southeastern Oklahoma cowboy backward as he fell, and the animal’s hoof connected with the left side of McCoy’s head. He was motionless on the arena dirt. His brother, Jet, leapt from the back of the bucking chutes in a single bound to be at his side, with medical personnel right behind. Family in the stands could only look on as everything transpired. A circular fracture left it’s mark and pushed inward toward his brain. He was transported to the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, where he began the process of healing. He had surgery to fix his malady, then spent time in intensive care before employing months of rehabilitation to relearn cognitive skills. McCoy recovered, and a few months later returned to the rodeo arena. His was a success story and part of the history of Jim Norick Arena, but McCoy wants to add another chapter with the production of the Oklahoma City ProRodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, and Saturday, Jan. 25, at the historic Jim Norick Arena at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. Tickets are available at McCoyRodeo.com. “When I found out this was going to be the last year of that coliseum, I knew I wanted to be part of the last PRCA rodeo ever held there,” said McCoy, co-owner of Lane, Oklahoma-based McCoy Rodeo with his wife, Sara. “There’s so much that has happened in that building, and there are a lot of great memories for people, especially those involved in rodeo.” The former State Fair Arena hosted the National Finals Rodeo from 1965-1978 before it moved into downtown at the then-named Myriad Arena, now the Cox Convention Center. In fact, the first event in “The Big House” was the NFR, which had begun in 1959 in Dallas before a three-year stint in Los Angeles. The redirection was a chance to get ProRodeo’s grand finale back into Cowboy Country, and the coliseum was a natural fit. “I have my own history there,” McCoy said, reflecting on his successes and that ominous circumstance two decades ago. “I qualified for my first (International Finals Rodeo) there and won my first IPRA world titles there.” In all, he earned five championships in the Oklahoma City-based International Professional Rodeo Association before taking his game to the PRCA and the PBR. He was trying to make his name on the highest levels of rodeo while riding bareback horses, saddle broncs and bulls. After his injury, and because doctors recommended he wear a helmet, McCoy focused on bull riding for most of the rest of his competitive career. Seven months after the 2004 mishap, he was back in action. He had taken baby steps, from retraining his brain to walk and talk to getting on bucking animals. “I’d put that little old helmet on, and I’d start walking horses around,” McCoy said in 2005. “About a month before I went to the doctor to see about being released to compete again, I started getting on horses bareback to get my balance ready to ride bulls. I went to ride him across the pasture, and I almost fell off several times. “Now, this is something I’ve done all my life, and I couldn’t do it. You would’ve thought this guy would never be a bull rider. I had to take the horse up and set him in a little bitty pen that we have set up for kids just so I could do it.” From that first rodeo at the Lazy E Arena northeast of Oklahoma City, McCoy set out on his plan to earn a trip to the NFR. With the help of a big payday at the Xtreme Bulls event during Bullnanza at the then-Ford Center, now the Paycom Center, he earned his qualification to Las Vegas, the NFR’s home since 1985. “I think it all fed off my spirituality,” McCoy said 20 years ago. “It was tough starting back, because as far as trusting yourself and your reaction and also trusting in God … that was something I had to just turn over to God. “This is what I’m going to try to do, and if this is what’s out there for me, it’ll happen. Just leave the reins to Him and let Him guide me.” That faith has kept him in the saddle longer than many realized could happen. He retired from riding bulls in 2013 after an NFR qualification and six trips to the PBR World Finals, tried his hand at bronc riding for a bit all while riding with a helmet, and then focused his attention to raising bucking animals. He’s been a stock contractor in the PBR since before he hung up his spurs, raising some of the top bulls in the organization. In fact, his bull, Ridin’ Solo, is a two-time PBR Bull of the Year. He and his wife also developed McCoy Rodeo a few years ago, and they’ve been producing PRCA events ever since. “Outside my momma, my daddy and my family, rodeo was my first love,” said McCoy, who, along with Jet, was part of the CBS reality series “The Amazing Race” three times. “I’ve been involved with rodeo my whole life. I love the history of rodeo, and being part of it means the world to me. “For us to be involved in producing the last PRCA rodeo at Jim Norick Arena means everything to me and means everything to my family. When you add my history and my family’s history with that coliseum, there’s a lot  Continue Reading »

OKLAHOMA CITY – Freckles Brown had already distinguished himself as one of the best bull riders in rodeo by the time the National Finals Rodeo came to town in 1965. Six years before, h qualified for the first four NFRs – three in Dallas and one in Las Angeles – and earned the 1962 world championship. In all, he made the finale eight times, but his most memorable occurred in 1967, the third year the PRCA’s premier event was held at State Fair Arena in Oklahoma City. During that affair, Brown rode the Jim Shoulders bull Tornado, becoming the first cowboy to master eight seconds on the beast that had dumped 200 world-class bull riders befoe. Brown ended that NFR as the average champion, having bested the top 15 men in the field. Oh, and he was 46 years old. He’s one of many greats that competed in the complex now known as Jim Norick Arena who have been inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and the Rodeo Hall of Fame that’s part of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Brown’s 1967 feat is often recalled as one of the most incredible things to have happened in the sport’s history. Another chapter to that book will happen later this week with the final PRCA event ever to take place in Jim Norick Arena, the Oklahoma City ProRodeo, which is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the historic Jim Norick Arena at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. Brown wrapped his career with four straight trips to NFR in that legendary building – his final year to compete at the grand finale was 1969. He was inducted into the ProRodeo hall in 1979 and the Oklahoma City hall in 1986. Dean Oliver, who competed at 18 NFRs, won the first all-around championship crowned at State Fair Arena in 1965; it was his third. Larry Mahan won the bull riding title that season and added the all-around crown the next year. In all, Mahan won eight gold buckles – six in the all-around (1966-70 and ’73) and two in bull riding (1965-67) – and it all happened at the fairgrounds. Roping superstar Leo Camarillo won five world titles and all but the 1983 team roping championship happened at Jim Norick Arena. Saddle bronc rider Shawn Davis – who spent three decades as general manager of the NFR – won three gold buckles at the fairgrounds (1965, ’67-’68). Roy Duvall of Checotah, Oklahoma, still owns the record for NFR qualifications with 24, including 21 straight from 1966-86; all of his gold buckles (1967, ’69 and ’72) were in that building. Oklahoma hand Tom Ferguson won nine world championships, and all but the 1979 all-around crown were secured at State Fair Arena. Texan Don Gay is one of the top bull riding broadcasters of his generation, but he was best known for his eight bull riding titles. He won the first four at State Fair Arena, then won the other four when the NFR moved across town to the Myriad. The state’s capital city set a standard for rodeo royalty during its place as the 20-year home of the sport’s premier event. It’s legacy is firmly in place, and the tales from Jim Norick Arena will hold strong years after the final piece of the building hits the ground this spring.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Legendary Oklahoma statesman Clem McSpadden wore many hats in his time on Earth. Mostly, though, those chapeaus were in a cowboy shape, because that, deep down, who McSpadden was. He went from roper to rodeo announcer to serving others, first as a representative at the Oklahoma Capitol, then as a U.S. congressman representing his home state. He was also the general manager of the National Finals Rodeo during its run in Oklahoma City, and he may have made his biggest impact in that role. Nobody outside southeastern Oklahoma knew much about Reba McEntire, but McSpadden did. Her grandfather and father were world champion steer ropers, and Reba had sparked an interest from one of the most recognized voices in ProRodeo. He hired her to sing the national anthem at the 1974 NFR. McEntire has credited that moment from 50 years ago as the launching pad to her career, which has featured a distinctive Oklahoma twang that not only showcases her roots but also presents her unique style of entertaining. She has won Grammys, Country Music Association honors and has been a star on stage, screen and television. Her ties to the sport of rodeo date back nearly a century, and it’s a perfect history lesson as the city remembers the iconic Jim Norick Arena, which will be torn down this spring. The final PRCA event in the coliseum will be the Oklahoma City ProRodeo, set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, and Saturday, Jan. 25, at the historic arena at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds. Tickets are available at McCoyRodeo.com. McEntire isn’t the only famous singer to perform in the 60-year-old complex, but Elvis Presley and Sonny & Cher didn’t have many ties to the sport in which her family competed. There was, however, Chris LeDoux, a rodeo-cowboy-turned-artist who not only played for the crowds inside the former State Fair Arena but also rode bucking horses there. In fact, he won the 1976 bareback riding world championship inside those memory-filled walls. The history of professional rodeo runs deep in the red Oklahoma dirt. The first event ever conducted inside the complex known then as State Fair Arena was the NFR, which kicked open the doors to the building in 1965. The sport’s grand championship had a 14-year run in the coliseum before moving across town to the Myriad Arena in 1979, where it continued for six more seasons – the Myriad was renamed the Cox Convention Center in 2002. Oklahoma cowboy Cord McCoy has competed in the Jim Norick Arena, and he will produce the final PRCA event in the complex during next week’s Oklahoma City ProRodeo. As co-owner of McCoy Rodeo with his wife, Sara, he will close a long chapter in the coliseum’s history. Jim Norick Arena has been host high school championships, hockey and some of the brightest stars in music and entertainment. It began with a rodeo staple 60 years ago, and nearly 500 cowboys and cowgirls will be in the mix as professional rodeo closes the doors on its run in the majestic building. That’s the perfect way to say celebrate rodeo’s legacy in “The Big House.”

OKLAHOMA CITY – The new paint still had a fresh smell the first time the Duvall brothers made their way into State Fair Arena. The grand opening in the storied complex was the 1965 National Finals Rodeo, the championship event developed by the Rodeo Cowboys Association, now known as the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Within a year, Roy Duvall was in the mix at ProRodeo’s grand finale, a 10-day affair that features only the top cowboys from the regular season. Bill Duvall was right there with has baby brother, just nine months younger. They were more than siblings; they were partners in the business of rodeo while wrestling steers and making a living in a sport they loved. Bill Duvall never qualified for the NFR, never earned a gold buckle, but he played a major role in the family’s success. Roy Duvall is now 82 years old living near Bill in Checotah, a community of about 3,000 souls in eastern Oklahoma. Roy is a three-time world champion steer wrestler (1967, ’69 and ’72) who still owns the record for the most NFR qualifications for a bulldogger at 24, including 21 in a row from 1966-1986. Bill was right beside him every step of the way as the champ’s hazer, the cowboy who rides on the opposite side of the steer to keep the animal in line to help secure the fastest time possible. “That was the highlight of our lives,” Bill Duvall said of those magical moments six decades ago. “We’d been to the IRA Finals in Tulsa, and we’d been to Pasadena, Texas, and a lot of amateur rodeo stuff, but when we went to Oklahoma City to bulldog in that coliseum, that was the deal. It was good for the cowboys. It was good for the people that lived there. It was good for the committee. Everything worked out pretty good.” Rodeo has been “pretty good” for the Duvalls. Bill and Roy serve as dual patriarchs to a laundry list of exceptional talent. Cousin Tom Duvall has been to the NFR, as have Bill’s sons, Sam and Spud, both two-time qualifiers. The third generation of the family, Sam’s son Riley, is a four-time qualifier who is still competing at a high level at age 32. His first trip to the championship was 2016, 50 years after his grandpa hazed for his great-uncle in Oklahoma City. Later this spring after 60 years of showcasing some of the greatest accomplishments in Western sports, that building will be torn down, but the memories will stand long after the last beam falls. The Oklahoma City ProRodeo – set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, and Saturday, Jan. 25, at the historic Jim Norick Arena at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds – will be the final PRCA-sanctioned event inside those magical walls. “That’s really the only reason I’ve entered that rodeo,” Riley Duvall said. Cord McCoy, a lifelong cowboy with family ties to rodeo, owns McCoy Rodeo with his wife, Sara. They’re producing next week’s rodeo with the same mindset. The McCoy family understands the history that goes with State Fair Arena, which was renamed in 1971 to honor former Oklahoma City mayor Jim Norick. “When I look at the history that is in that building, I knew there had to be a way to bring ProRodeo back to it and give it the perfect send-off,” Cord McCoy said. That includes taking a gander at legacies built by cowboys like Roy and Bill Duvall. “We did anything we could to enter rodeos,” Roy Duvall said in a 2001 story published in The Oklahoman. “We started out tough. We had us a homemade trailer and a Ford Car, and we went on the road that way.” That meant battling for every dollar possible. Rodeo is unique compared to other professional sports: There are no guarantees, and only the top finishers in each round earn money. If a cowboy fails to succeed, then he is out of the cash. On top of that, each cowboy must cover his own expenses, including paying fees in order to compete. While most of that money goes into the purse along with sponsorship dollars, the cream always rises to the top when it comes time to collect the paydays. “Most guys, when they got broke and knew they had to win money to move on down the road, they can’t do nothing,” Roy Duvall said in 2001. “I was just the opposite. “One time I went six weeks and had not won a penny. I wound up two months behind on my phone bill and every bill I had, and I told them I’d have it pretty soon if they’d give me the time.” Within days, he’d earned big money at the time at the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days Rodeo and made good on his promises. “I hadn’t won much in the rounds, but I was making good runs,” he said. “I backed in there and kept going at it and won $7,400 at Cheyenne. I tell you, them bill collectors were happy.” His stories are just part of the lore that paved the way to greatness. Bill Duvall not only experienced it first-hand, but he was witness to what made their business venture special. In addition to finding successes on their own, they paved the way for others, and it paid dividends in the end. “When I first started, not everybody would let you ride their horses,” Bill Duvall said. “I thought, ‘If I ever get good enough to do this, I’ll let guys ride my horse.’ A lot of guys rode my horse, and it made me a lot of money in the long run.” Hazers and horse owners earn a percentage of a bulldogger’s earnings. Those dollars add up, but it takes a lot of trust for a man to trust another. That goes both ways, and a lot of steer wrestlers have leaned on a Duvall over the years to guide them to the pay  Continue Reading »