Bill Linderman
Encyclopedia
William E. Linderman was an American rodeo
cowboy
who competed on the Rodeo Cowboys Association
(RCA) circuit in the 1940s and 1950s. During his career, he won RCA All-Around Cowboy
titles in 1950 and 1953, along with an unofficial All-Around Cowboy championship in 1945; in addition, he earned season championships in rodeo disciplines four times. Linderman was the first cowboy with three RCA world championships in a year, a feat he accomplished in 1950. Beginning in 1947, Linderman worked various jobs for the RCA, including spells as a member of the organization's board of directors, president, and secretary-treasurer. He remained with the RCA until his death in a plane accident. Linderman was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame
in 1979.
, Montana and raised in Red Lodge
, Linderman had six brothers, four of whom were cowboys on professional rodeo tours. At the age of seven, Linderman's father, John H. Linderman, died, and he eventually moved to his stepfather's farm in Belfry
. As he became older, he began work as a cowboy, in addition to serving as a miner. Sources differ on when Linderman joined the RCA; he did so between 1940 and 1942.
event, and finished third in the All-Around Cowboy standings. Two years later, he won the All-Around title, which was unofficial at the time; his closest competitor was younger brother Bud Linderman. In addition to the All-Around crown, he won the saddle bronc riding world championship that year. In 1946, Linderman attempted to repeat as All-Around Cowboy, and entered the Deadwood
, South Dakota rodeo with the lead in the standings. However, as he tried to wrestle a steer
, he sustained broken back vertebrae and a broken neck, ending his season. Linderman returned to competition in 1947, only to have an appendectomy prematurely finish his campaign. The next year, Linderman won the all-around championship at the Calgary Stampede
rodeo, and added a victory in the saddle bronc discipline.
Linderman claimed three RCA world championships in 1950, becoming the first cowboy to win that many in a season. With over $30,000 in earnings during the year, he won the official All-Around Cowboy championship. He also won his second saddle bronc title and only steer wrestling crown. In 1952, Linderman earned more than $28,000 in RCA events, finishing third in the All-Around Cowboy standings behind Harry Tompkins and Buck Rutherford. The following year, Linderman again won the All-Around Cowboy title, with more than $33,000 in season earnings. In defense of the championship in 1954, he led the standings until mid-August, but fractured his right arm in the Colorado Springs Rodeo while competing in steer wrestling. The injury forced him to limit his schedule to riding events only, and a subsequent injury in Omaha caused him to miss the remainder of the season.
In 1955, Linderman won the all-around championship at the Ellensburg Rodeo
, adding victories in the bareback bronc and saddle bronc disciplines. However, he re-injured his right arm three times over the course of the season. The next year, he won all-around, bareback bronc, and steer wrestling championships at the Spokane Rodeo. Linderman repeated his wins in the all-around and steer wrestling categories in the 1957 Spokane Rodeo. In 1959, Linderman retired from competition; estimates of his career earnings range from over $439,000 to over $500,000.
In 1951, the RCA made Linderman its president, and he served six terms through 1956. During his time as president, the RCA agreed to a deal with the Girls Rodeo Association
(GRA), which mandated that rodeos comprising the RCA's schedule gain sanctioning by the GRA. Linderman's desire for a season-ending event came to fruition in 1959 with the founding of the National Finals Rodeo
. He was selected by those in the rodeo community to be arena director at the rodeo. Linderman returned to the RCA in 1962 as secretary-treasurer, holding the position for the remainder of his life.
, Washington. In 1959, Linderman purchased a Twin Falls
, Idaho cattle ranch; he also acquired land in Gooding
, for a residence.
, Washington, to speak at a Washington Fairs Association conference. Upon reaching Salt Lake City
, Utah, the plane crashed short of the runway. The landing gear gave way at impact, leading to a fire which started in the jet's back section. The fire caused the deaths of 41 passengers, including Linderman. Multiple pieces of folklore exist in the rodeo community regarding events surrounding his death. According to one story, Linderman exited the plane after surviving the crash, only to die after returning in an effort to help others still aboard. American Cowboy magazine editor Kendra Santos describes another story, on a visit by Linderman to a Denver restaurant hours before the accident, as having "been passed along—cowboy to cowboy". Linderman allegedly cashed a check at the restaurant and was asked for his address, which he is said to have given as "Heaven."
, Oklahoma's Cowboy Hall of Fame
in 1969. He had been a member of the Hall since 1955. Linderman was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame
in 1979, and was enshrined in the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2001.
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
who competed on the Rodeo Cowboys Association
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association is an organization whose members compete in rodeos throughout North America, primarily in the United States. The PRCA sanctions rodeo venues and events through the PRCA Circuit System. Its championship event is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo...
(RCA) circuit in the 1940s and 1950s. During his career, he won RCA All-Around Cowboy
All-Around Cowboy
All-Around Cowboy, or All-Around, is an award given to a rodeo competitor who is most successful in two or more events. Most individual rodeos and championships determine the winner of this award at the conclusion of the other events or championships....
titles in 1950 and 1953, along with an unofficial All-Around Cowboy championship in 1945; in addition, he earned season championships in rodeo disciplines four times. Linderman was the first cowboy with three RCA world championships in a year, a feat he accomplished in 1950. Beginning in 1947, Linderman worked various jobs for the RCA, including spells as a member of the organization's board of directors, president, and secretary-treasurer. He remained with the RCA until his death in a plane accident. Linderman was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame
ProRodeo Hall of Fame
The ProRodeo Hall of Fame is dedicated to the preservation of rodeo artifacts and continued interest in the sport. It is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and run by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association's board. It claims to be the "only museum in the world devoted exclusively to the...
in 1979.
Early life
Born in BridgerBridger, Montana
Bridger is a town in Carbon County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 745 at the 2000 census.The town of Bridger was named for the scout Jim Bridger...
, Montana and raised in Red Lodge
Red Lodge, Montana
Red Lodge is a city in and the county seat of Carbon County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Linderman had six brothers, four of whom were cowboys on professional rodeo tours. At the age of seven, Linderman's father, John H. Linderman, died, and he eventually moved to his stepfather's farm in Belfry
Belfry, Montana
Belfry is a census-designated place in Carbon County, Montana, United States. It is part of the Billings, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 219 at the 2000 census. It is located approximately 11 miles from the Wyoming border, roughly halfway between Billings, Montana and...
. As he became older, he began work as a cowboy, in addition to serving as a miner. Sources differ on when Linderman joined the RCA; he did so between 1940 and 1942.
Professional rodeo career
In 1943, Linderman won his first world championship in the bareback ridingSaddle bronc and bareback riding
Bronc riding, either saddle bronc or bareback bronc competition, is a rodeo event that involves a rodeo participant riding on a horse , that attempts to throw or buck off the rider...
event, and finished third in the All-Around Cowboy standings. Two years later, he won the All-Around title, which was unofficial at the time; his closest competitor was younger brother Bud Linderman. In addition to the All-Around crown, he won the saddle bronc riding world championship that year. In 1946, Linderman attempted to repeat as All-Around Cowboy, and entered the Deadwood
Deadwood, South Dakota
Deadwood is a city in South Dakota, United States, and the county seat of Lawrence County. It is named for the dead trees found in its gulch. The population was 1,270 according to a 2010 census...
, South Dakota rodeo with the lead in the standings. However, as he tried to wrestle a steer
Steer wrestling
Steer wrestling, also known as bulldogging, is a rodeo event in which a horse-mounted rider chases a steer, drops from the horse to the steer, then wrestles the steer to the ground by twisting its horns. Like all rodeo events, there are concerns from the animal rights community that the competition...
, he sustained broken back vertebrae and a broken neck, ending his season. Linderman returned to competition in 1947, only to have an appendectomy prematurely finish his campaign. The next year, Linderman won the all-around championship at the Calgary Stampede
Calgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every July in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The ten-day event, which bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth", attracts over one million visitors per year and features one of the world's largest rodeos, a parade, midway,...
rodeo, and added a victory in the saddle bronc discipline.
Linderman claimed three RCA world championships in 1950, becoming the first cowboy to win that many in a season. With over $30,000 in earnings during the year, he won the official All-Around Cowboy championship. He also won his second saddle bronc title and only steer wrestling crown. In 1952, Linderman earned more than $28,000 in RCA events, finishing third in the All-Around Cowboy standings behind Harry Tompkins and Buck Rutherford. The following year, Linderman again won the All-Around Cowboy title, with more than $33,000 in season earnings. In defense of the championship in 1954, he led the standings until mid-August, but fractured his right arm in the Colorado Springs Rodeo while competing in steer wrestling. The injury forced him to limit his schedule to riding events only, and a subsequent injury in Omaha caused him to miss the remainder of the season.
In 1955, Linderman won the all-around championship at the Ellensburg Rodeo
Ellensburg Rodeo
The Ellensburg Rodeo opens every Labor Day weekend along with the Kittitas County Fair in Ellensburg, WA. Started in 1923, the Ellensburg Rodeo has grown from a local competition among ranch hands to the Professional event of today with over 500 contestants and prize money in excess of $250,000...
, adding victories in the bareback bronc and saddle bronc disciplines. However, he re-injured his right arm three times over the course of the season. The next year, he won all-around, bareback bronc, and steer wrestling championships at the Spokane Rodeo. Linderman repeated his wins in the all-around and steer wrestling categories in the 1957 Spokane Rodeo. In 1959, Linderman retired from competition; estimates of his career earnings range from over $439,000 to over $500,000.
Other rodeo work
From the mid-1940s until his death, Linderman also held various jobs in the rodeo industry. In 1946, after sustaining the injuries that ended his season, he served as a judge for other performers. The RCA gave Linderman a position on its board of directors in 1947, as he was recovering from his appendectomy; he represented bareback bronc riders. At the time, there were multiple rodeo organizations awarding world championships; in addition to the RCA, there was the International Rodeo Association (IRA), which itself was created by a merger of two organizations. Linderman was sent to a November 1948 IRA convention, where he backed the idea of a single champion per event. The IRA stopped calling their season point leaders "champions" in 1955. While on the board, he pushed for the creation of an event to be held at the conclusion of the rodeo season, which would involve the leaders in the standings. His intent was to have the event play a large role in deciding the season's champions, which were determined by season earnings.In 1951, the RCA made Linderman its president, and he served six terms through 1956. During his time as president, the RCA agreed to a deal with the Girls Rodeo Association
Women's Professional Rodeo Association
The Women's Professional Rodeo Association is one of the largest rodeo sanctioning bodies in the world and is open exclusively to women eighteen years of age and older...
(GRA), which mandated that rodeos comprising the RCA's schedule gain sanctioning by the GRA. Linderman's desire for a season-ending event came to fruition in 1959 with the founding of the National Finals Rodeo
National Finals Rodeo
The National Finals Rodeo, organized by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, is the premier championship rodeo event in the United States. Wrangler Jeans is the title sponsor for the 10-day event, commonly just called the National Finals or NFR, which is also sometimes referred to as the...
. He was selected by those in the rodeo community to be arena director at the rodeo. Linderman returned to the RCA in 1962 as secretary-treasurer, holding the position for the remainder of his life.
Personal life
Linderman had a wife, and the couple had two daughters and one son. Around 1953, the family relocated from Montana to a ranch in Walla WallaWalla Walla, Washington
Walla Walla is the largest city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,731 at the 2010 census...
, Washington. In 1959, Linderman purchased a Twin Falls
Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The population was 44,125 at the 2010 censusTwin Falls is the largest city of Idaho's Magic Valley region...
, Idaho cattle ranch; he also acquired land in Gooding
Gooding, Idaho
Gooding is the county seat and largest city of Gooding County, Idaho, United States. Its population was 3,384 at the 2000 census.The city is named for Frank R. Gooding, a local sheep rancher who became a prominent political figure in Idaho in the early 20th Century, serving as both Governor of...
, for a residence.
Death
On November 11, 1965, Linderman boarded a flight to San Francisco; he was heading to SpokaneSpokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
, Washington, to speak at a Washington Fairs Association conference. Upon reaching Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, Utah, the plane crashed short of the runway. The landing gear gave way at impact, leading to a fire which started in the jet's back section. The fire caused the deaths of 41 passengers, including Linderman. Multiple pieces of folklore exist in the rodeo community regarding events surrounding his death. According to one story, Linderman exited the plane after surviving the crash, only to die after returning in an effort to help others still aboard. American Cowboy magazine editor Kendra Santos describes another story, on a visit by Linderman to a Denver restaurant hours before the accident, as having "been passed along—cowboy to cowboy". Linderman allegedly cashed a check at the restaurant and was asked for his address, which he is said to have given as "Heaven."
Legacy
Nicknamed "The King" by other rodeo performers, Linderman has been honored posthumously on several occasions. In 1966, Rodeo Sports News editor George Williams created the Bill Linderman Memorial Award, which is presented yearly to the leading cowboy with minimum earnings of $1,000 in three events; riding and timed events must both be represented. The RCA had sculptor Bob Scriver build a bronze statue of Linderman, which was placed in Oklahoma CityOklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, Oklahoma's Cowboy Hall of Fame
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of American rodeo, photographs, barbed wire, saddlery, and early rodeo trophies...
in 1969. He had been a member of the Hall since 1955. Linderman was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame
ProRodeo Hall of Fame
The ProRodeo Hall of Fame is dedicated to the preservation of rodeo artifacts and continued interest in the sport. It is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and run by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association's board. It claims to be the "only museum in the world devoted exclusively to the...
in 1979, and was enshrined in the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2001.