Bob Tallman
Encyclopedia
Robert Mathew "Bob" Tallman (born October 25, 1947) is an American rodeo
announcer from Weatherford
, Texas
, once called "the greatest announcer that ever lived. He's just got a God
-given talent."
, the seat of Humboldt County
in northern Nevada
, to John Beedle Tallman (1921–2007) and Irene Esther Tallman (1921–2008). The family first lived on a ranch
in Orovada
, also in Humboldt County, but then returned to the larger Winnemucca when Tallman was eleven years old. "I was never very good at sports, but I could ride a bucking horse or ride a horse and rope, those kinds of things. Then I found out you have to dedicate your whole life to being a champion. So I thought I haven't got that strong a constitution; I’ll just talk about it," Tallman explained his interest in announcing.
Tallman attributes his success in rodeo and business to his faith in Christ
. His early years were carefree and hectic and nearly led to disaster. By 1979, he had been in seven automobile accidents and once narrowly escaped electrocution. An airplane that he was to have boarded in Australia
was hijacked. He had a heart attack
at twenty-nine.
, Texas, as well as the National Finals Rodeo
each December from Las Vegas
, Nevada. "Most announcers inform, but Bob paints a picture with words. He also reshaped the profession by bringing the play-by-play aspect to rodeo," said Boyd Polhamus of Brenham
in Washington County, Texas, a friend and fellow rodeo announcer. Tallman often cheers, "Hang on, cowboy!" or "C'mon, let's give this guy a hand," after a contestant's tough ride or fall.
Previous announcers mostly gave audiences the name of the competitor, the hometown, and name of animal, but Tallman is a raconteur. At a Dallas
rodeo in 2004, Tallman told the crowd that roping champion Fred Whitfield had flown home to celebrate his daughter's first birthday during a tight 48-hour window of opportunity. "Now that’s what's really important in life," Tallman said.
Without formal training, Tallman announced his first rodeo in 1970, an amateur event in Winnemucca. In 1975, he announced his first National Finals Rodeo. Since 1977, he has announced the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo of Fort Worth
.
In 2004, Tallman was inducted into the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs
, Colorado
. He is a six-time recipient of the "Announcer of the Year" award. In 2007, Tallman was inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City
, Oklahoma
. In September 2008, he was honored at the American Cowboy Culture Awards banquet held during the National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration in Lubbock
, Texas.
(1992), Ruby Jean and Joe (1996), The Hi-Lo Country
(1998), and Flicka (2006), loosely based on the old CBS
television series My Friend Flicka
. He appeared as himself in two episodes of the 2008-2009 Animal Planet
television series Untamed and Uncut
.
Tallman and his wife, Kristen, raise rodeo stock on their ranch at Poolville
near Weatherford, the seat of Parker County
, Texas. They are assisted in the management of the ranch by their daughter and son-in-law, Nicole and Daniel Pennell. His Tallman Rodeo Stock Registry is patterned after that of the American Quarter Horse Association
in Amarillo
, Texas. Tallman says that while he enjoys ranching, his radio microphone still remains his lifeline to reach those in need of entertainment or inspiration.
Tallman sells Texas-style seasonings for beef, pork, and chicken through the Internet
. The brands include Stampede Steak and Panhandle Pepper. He is also the commercial spokesman for Wrangler shirts, Ariat Boots, and Winn-Dixie
beef.
His Bob Tallman Charities, established in 2000, raises nearly $50,000 annually for the pediatric program at University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston
and the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, an organization that offers financial assistance to families of professional rodeo athletes who have suffered catastrophic injuries.
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,...
announcer from Weatherford
Weatherford, Texas
Weatherford is a city in Parker County, Texas, United States, and a western suburb of Fort Worth. The population was 19,000 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Parker County and is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.-Geography:...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, once called "the greatest announcer that ever lived. He's just got a God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
-given talent."
Early years
Tallman was born in WinnemuccaWinnemucca, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,174 people, 2,736 households, and 1,824 families residing in the city. The population density was 867.5 people per square mile . There were 3,280 housing units at an average density of 396.6 per square mile...
, the seat of Humboldt County
Humboldt County, Nevada
Humboldt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of 2007, the population was estimated to be 18,052. Its county seat is Winnemucca.The county was the site of an arrest in 2000 that led to the U.S. Supreme Court decision Hiibel v...
in northern Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, to John Beedle Tallman (1921–2007) and Irene Esther Tallman (1921–2008). The family first lived on a ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
in Orovada
Orovada, Nevada
Orovada is an unincorporated area in Humboldt County, Nevada.Rodeo announcer Bob Tallman lived on a ranch near Orovada during his early childhood.-Education:...
, also in Humboldt County, but then returned to the larger Winnemucca when Tallman was eleven years old. "I was never very good at sports, but I could ride a bucking horse or ride a horse and rope, those kinds of things. Then I found out you have to dedicate your whole life to being a champion. So I thought I haven't got that strong a constitution; I’ll just talk about it," Tallman explained his interest in announcing.
Tallman attributes his success in rodeo and business to his faith in Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
. His early years were carefree and hectic and nearly led to disaster. By 1979, he had been in seven automobile accidents and once narrowly escaped electrocution. An airplane that he was to have boarded in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
was hijacked. He had a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at twenty-nine.
Full rodeo schedule
In a typical year, Tallman is on the road for 270 days. He announces small-town two-day events, such as the rodeo in SnyderSnyder, Texas
Snyder is a city in and the county seat of Scurry County, Texas, United States. The population was 10,653 at the 2010 census. It is located on Deep Creek, a minor tributary of the Colorado River of Texas. Snyder is approximately 150 km southeast of Lubbock.Located in Snyder is the Scurry County...
, Texas, as well as 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...
each December from Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Nevada. "Most announcers inform, but Bob paints a picture with words. He also reshaped the profession by bringing the play-by-play aspect to rodeo," said Boyd Polhamus of Brenham
Brenham, Texas
Brenham is a city in east-central Texas in Washington County, Texas, United States, with a population of 16,147 according to the 2009 census. It is the county seat of Washington County...
in Washington County, Texas, a friend and fellow rodeo announcer. Tallman often cheers, "Hang on, cowboy!" or "C'mon, let's give this guy a hand," after a contestant's tough ride or fall.
Previous announcers mostly gave audiences the name of the competitor, the hometown, and name of animal, but Tallman is a raconteur. At a Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
rodeo in 2004, Tallman told the crowd that roping champion Fred Whitfield had flown home to celebrate his daughter's first birthday during a tight 48-hour window of opportunity. "Now that’s what's really important in life," Tallman said.
Without formal training, Tallman announced his first rodeo in 1970, an amateur event in Winnemucca. In 1975, he announced his first National Finals Rodeo. Since 1977, he has announced the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo of Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
.
In 2004, Tallman was inducted into the Professional 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...
Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. He is a six-time recipient of the "Announcer of the Year" award. In 2007, Tallman was inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma 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
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. In September 2008, he was honored at the American Cowboy Culture Awards banquet held during the National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration in Lubbock
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, Texas.
Other activities
Tallman has also appeared in several films as a rodeo announcer, including Rodeo Girl (1980), Pure CountryPure Country
The album Pure Country is the soundtrack to the movie Pure Country, and all songs are sung by George Strait. It was released in 1992 by MCA Records. It is Strait's most commercially successful album, having sold over six million copies.-Content:...
(1992), Ruby Jean and Joe (1996), The Hi-Lo Country
The Hi-Lo Country
The Hi-Lo Country is a 1998 American Western/drama film directed by Stephen Frears, starring Billy Crudup, Woody Harrelson, Cole Hauser, Sam Elliott, Patricia Arquette, Penelope Cruz, Enrique Castillo, and Katy Jurado...
(1998), and Flicka (2006), loosely based on the old CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television series My Friend Flicka
My Friend Flicka (TV series)
My Friend Flicka is a 39-episode western television series set at the fictitious Goose Bar Ranch in Wyoming at the turn of the 20th century. The program was filmed in color but initially aired in black and white on CBS at 7:30 p.m. Fridays from February 10, 1956, to February 1, 1957. It was a...
. He appeared as himself in two episodes of the 2008-2009 Animal Planet
Animal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
television series Untamed and Uncut
Untamed and Uncut
Untamed & Uncut is an American documentary television series that premiered on June 10, 2008 on Animal Planet. The program depicts unexpected and surprising animal encounters that are caught directly on tape at the scene...
.
Tallman and his wife, Kristen, raise rodeo stock on their ranch at Poolville
Poolville, Texas
Poolville is an unincorporated town in Parker County, Texas, United States located along Farm Road 920, about seventeen miles northwest of Weatherford, the county seat...
near Weatherford, the seat of Parker County
Parker County, Texas
As of the census of 2003, there were 98,495 people, 31,131 households, and 24,313 families residing in the county. The population density was 98 people per square mile . There were 34,084 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
, Texas. They are assisted in the management of the ranch by their daughter and son-in-law, Nicole and Daniel Pennell. His Tallman Rodeo Stock Registry is patterned after that of the American Quarter Horse Association
American Quarter Horse Association
The American Quarter Horse Association , based in Amarillo, Texas, is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse. The association sanctions many competitive events and maintains the official registry...
in Amarillo
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
, Texas. Tallman says that while he enjoys ranching, his radio microphone still remains his lifeline to reach those in need of entertainment or inspiration.
Tallman sells Texas-style seasonings for beef, pork, and chicken through the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. The brands include Stampede Steak and Panhandle Pepper. He is also the commercial spokesman for Wrangler shirts, Ariat Boots, and Winn-Dixie
Winn-Dixie
Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. is an American supermarket chain based in Jacksonville, Florida. Winn-Dixie has ranked number 24 in the 2010 "Top 75 North American Food Retailers" based on 2009 fiscal year estimated sales of $7.3 billion by Supermarket News. and was ranked the 43rd largest retailer in the...
beef.
His Bob Tallman Charities, established in 2000, raises nearly $50,000 annually for the pediatric program at University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
and the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, an organization that offers financial assistance to families of professional rodeo athletes who have suffered catastrophic injuries.