Has anybody noticed Eagle Butte, SD bronc rider Shorty Garrett’s shirt? Most nights he wears a purple one, but last night he wore a white shirt, with purple sponsorship lettering. Shorty has a couple of uncles that won World titles in the bareback riding (Mark and Marvin Garrett), but the purple is not about them. It’s a salute to his great-uncle, Casey Tibbs.
From 1949 to 1959 Casey won nine World titles, six in the Saddle Bronc Riding, one in the Bareback Riding and twice he was named the All-Around Champion. Cowboys like Trevor Brazile and Jim Shoulders won more titles, but Casey Tibbs remains the most famous rodeo cowboy ever.
The first thing visitors see when they go to the Prorodeo Hall of Fame is a gigantic statue of Casey on a bronc. The figurine is entitled ‘The Champ.’ He was often described as ‘handsome and debonair’, and everybody wanted a piece of Casey’s charisma. He had multiple product endorsements and modelling contracts. He was on the cover of Life magazine back when that honour was reserved for US Presidents, Navy Admirals and Army Generals, not cowboys. He was a guest on countless TV talk shows, and he rubbed shoulders with Hollywood stars and appeared in numerous movies. In 1966, he produced and directed the movie “Born to Buck.” Ian Tyson wrote and recorded a song about Casey called “The Rainbow Rider” in 1989. A movie called “Floating Horses” was made posthumously about his life in 2017. He had unlimited pizzazz, he drove a purple Cadillac and won his World titles wearing purple chaps. Good on ya, Shorty!
*hot tip* Shorty has Frontier Rodeo’s Medicine Woman tonight.
Round Five Draw
Why is it that every time an IT person tries to improve a webpage, it gets more difficult for an old hayseed like me? That fancy new PRCA webpage still hasn’t posted the daysheet, so I can’t tell you what’s in the re-ride pen.
In the Bareback Riding, Snake-bitten Orin Larsen has drawn Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Faded Night and Richie Champion has Redzilla from HiLo Rodeo. I would imagine Cajun Winn Ratliff is content right now knowing he’s drawn Northcott/Macza’s 118 OLS Tubs Stevie Knicks. Utah’s Mason Clements will be devising a game plan for C5’s famed F13 Virgil.
Hopefully, Canada’s two-time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Zeke Thurston can crack the code and pull a cheque riding Pete Carr’s Dirty Jacket. The Calgary Stampede has three broncs in this pen; Wyoming bronc rider Brody Cress has S-83 Special Delivery, Texan Jacobs Crawley is matched with X-55 Xena Warrior and Montana cowboy Chase Brooks will saddle up S-66 Stampede Warrior.
All-Around champ Stetson Wright has Outlaw Buckers’ 069 Brahma Boots Chrome in the Bull Riding and Missouri’s Denton Fugate has 15 Sunny from the Northcott Macza herd.
