Here at Canadian Cowboy Country we were very sorry to hear about the untimely passing of Canadian Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame Legend of Rodeo, Dave Shields, Sr.
Dave was a pistol, a character, and a storyteller whose stories were backed up by photos, videos and stories about the man told and retold behind the rodeo chutes.
The number of young cowboys he helped along the rodeo trail are many, and some made it to the pro ranks. He could instil a sense of pride, accomplishment, and invincibility into a young man who just came off his first bronc and get them excited about “getting on the next one”.
He created an atmosphere of enthusiasm at a rodeo school with a touch of rodeo glamour, knowing that at one time, this man was watched with a twinge of envy by hundreds of thousands of people as he ramrodded the chutes at Canada’s most famous rodeo, the Calgary Stampede.
Did he have his flaws? Sure, but that’s what made him the man he was and one helluva storyteller who enjoyed a good laugh. Dave Shields was a cowboy, through and through, and he lived his life with a gusto matched by few. He will be missed.
We extend our sincere condolences to Dave’s legion of friends, fans, students and, of course, his treasured family.