PrintA gathering of heroes: Four greatest rodeo champions meet in Ft. Worth
EnlargeOn December 15th, 2009, the four greatest living rodeo champions gathered together in front of the bucking chutes at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas, to discuss the past, present, and future of rodeo. They sat, as if portraying the evolution of the rodeo cowboy, from left to right, oldest to youngest: Larry Mahan, Tom Ferguson, Ty Murray, and Trevor Brazile. Each has shared or broken the records of the man sitting to his left, except for Mahan, whose predecessor, Jim Shoulders, died in 2007. At opposite ends of the rodeo spectrum, these cowboys represent the evolution of the sport. From Mahan’s brass, carefree nature, reflective of a wilder, simpler era, to Brazile’s careful words and display of corporate sponsorship, it’s easy to see both the bravado and the expertise that continue to draw the support of millions of dedicated followers.
The four legends sat down to discuss what drew them to the sport in the first place, what it means to be a cowboy, and how you know when it’s time to hang up your hat.
On the appeal of rodeo:
Trevor Brazile: I think the reason we have such a connection with fans of rodeo is just because it is so pure. It evolved from a lifestyle that we all grew up with. I don’t know many people who didn’t grow up wanting to be a cowboy, and to be able to do it for a living is just a dream come true for me. But it is pure. Our fans know. They hurt when we hurt because they know we don’t get put on the injured reserve. We put up money every time. It’s the way an American sport should be.
Larry Mahan: They have sponsors now, don’t they? [Laughs.]
Brazile: I hear rumors of that.
Mahan: You know, I think a great thing about the game is that we’ve all had an opportunity to represent, to a degree, the Western lifestyle and how this game started from the agricultural industry; from the ranchers and the ranch cowboys to rodeo cowboys — that covers a huge variety of individuals. Bottom line is we’re all just spirits here in these human bodies floating around this planet trying to do the best we can do. And we happen to have found a game that we really love, and there’s a lot of responsibility that goes along with that. It’s a real honor to be here with these other three weirdos. [Laughs.]
Ty Murray: Larry Mahan was the very best the sport had ever seen, and that’s where all my inspiration has come from. I looked at everything he did. I used to cut out every picture of him I could find. I looked at him in magazines and I thought, “That guy is the best cowboy in the world.” And that inspired me to the point where I said, “I want to try to break that guy’s record.” He changed my life — because of what he was able to do. I’m 40 years old now, and I still look up to him the way I did when I was 5.
Mahan: Ty, thank you, but I started cutting out pictures of me before you did. [Laughs.]
On being a cowboy:
Brazile: Because of the guys before me — that’s why you want to be a cowboy. I don’t care if my son chooses to do what I do for a living. There are a lot easier ways to make a living than doing what we do. But there’s a certain code of the West that comes along with being a cowboy, and I just want my son to learn those values and responsibilities, and I think it’ll help him no matter what career he chooses.
Tom Ferguson: There’s a saying we have in the rodeo business. When things get tough everyone says, “Well you just need to cowboy up.” Quit complaining. If you don’t like it, then go home. Just do your part; do the best you can and enjoy what you’re doing every day. There will be good days and there will be bad days, but just cowboy up and things will be better tomorrow.
EnlargeMurray: I do believe being a cowboy is more than how you ride something that bucks or handle a rope. I feel like there’s a code that goes with it. I’ve always felt that way, and I still feel that way to this day. And it can be a cliché: A guy’s word is his bond, and his handshake is good. But we take that to heart. In this sport, you try and pass along the traits that go along with being a cowboy.
On changes in the industry:
Mahan: Everybody always thought that I was Trevor Brazile when I would go out into the real world. Now [because of the media attention] they’re going to know the difference. [Laughs.] I tell them I’m Ty or Trevor. Just depends what dance floor I’m on. I can’t try and tell them I’m you [points at Ferguson], because you’d get mad about things like that.
Murray: I don’t think you can make bull riding less dangerous. I don’t care what you wear. I’ve watched a lot of my friends die right there in the arena, and putting a helmet and a vest on it doesn’t make bull riding safe or not scary. I’ve been on about 8,000 head in my lifetime, and there’s an element of fear there every single time. And to see guys that are friends of yours or young guys that you’re watching come up with a lot of potential — you see them get jerked down. A bull hits them in the face and you watch it and you think, Before [helmets], I’d be watching my friend get a bunch of titanium plates put in his face. Or you might say, “I would have watched that guy die.” And if somebody thinks that a guy wearing a vest or a helmet doesn’t make him that tough, then why don’t they go up there and tell him that? [Laughs.]
Ferguson: The helmet, I think, is very protective. Baseball players, they wear batting helmets. If you want to change anything, get the same helmet and just put a brim on the side. If you think it’s a coward way to do it, then get up there and show me.
Murray: You and I don’t get to go play basketball with Kobe Bryant because we paid $250 and we have a membership card that says we can. If you’re going to play with Kobe Bryant or you’re going to golf with Tiger Woods, you’ve got to prove that you’re good enough to be there. Having a tiered system [in rodeo] will take care of this whole thing that we’re talking about — about these different rules that get put into place where you’re taking away from guys that are good. I understand why they’re doing it. It’s like you’re trying to fix something, but you’re trying to fix it in the wrong way.
EnlargeOn when to hang your hat:
Mahan: I said if I have a great start in the year and decide I want to go for it, then I will. But then I started getting involved in the other ventures — the apparel business, the boot business I was in. And I said, “I’m not giving 100 percent to the game.” And I realized that unless you do, you better think about giving it up, because then you’re going to ride yourself into the ground. There’s nothing worse than seeing someone try to hang on too long.
Murray: After I broke Larry’s record, I didn’t have a purpose out there anymore. I always made a deal with myself that when I felt my ability start to slip, I would quit. Well, it didn’t work out that way for me. After I broke Larry’s record, I had zero drive left — I mean zero. The next year after that it just felt like, What am I doing out here? That’s why I walked.
Mahan: I really respect Trevor because he has so much compassion. He told me earlier today that he is not going to go for number eight because he doesn’t want to do the mental damage to Ty. [Laughs.] He knows what’ll happen.
Brazile: Don’t believe everything you hear.
