Everett Bowman
Encyclopedia
Everett Bowman was an American rodeo
cowboy
who competed from the 1920s to 1940s. During his career, he won the Rodeo Association of America (RAA) All-Around Cowboy
championship in 1935 and 1937 and was second three times; he also won eight titles in individual disciplines. Bowman was involved in organizing cowboys, founding the first group for pro rodeo competitors, the Cowboys' Turtle Association (CTA), now known as the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
(PRCA). From 1936 to 1945, he served as president of the organization. Bowman was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame
in 1979.
, New Mexico, and moved to Arizona when he was 13 years old; he also spent part of his youth in Texas. He joined the pro rodeo circuit in the 1920s: historian Michael Allen
wrote that he started in 1924, while the Associated Press
gave his debut year as 1925. According to the agency, he took up the sport after attending a Salt Lake City rodeo. In 1926, he won two disciplines and the all-around title at the Ellensburg Rodeo
, and finished second for the all-around title at the Pendleton Round-Up
. The next year, Bowman won the steer wrestling
title at the Ellensburg Rodeo for the second straight year, and finished tied with his brother, Ed, for the all-around title. Bowman teamed with Jack Traynor to win a team steer roping world championship and set a single-run speed record that same year. In 1929, Bowman was the all-around champion at the Calgary Stampede
despite not participating in the bronc riding
discipline. Bowman won his first RAA season championship in the tie-down roping
discipline that year; he added a steer wrestling championship in 1930.
At the Calgary Stampede
in 1931, he set the fastest-ever time for a calf roping run. Bowman won a third Ellensburg Rodeo steer wrestling title in 1932, and earned an all-around victory at the Frontier Day
event in Prescott
, Arizona. In 1933, he claimed the RAA season steer wrestling championship for the second time. The year 1935 was Bowman's most successful on the RAA circuit in terms of season championships. He was named All-Around Cowboy winner, and earned his third steer wrestling and second tie-down roping titles. Bowman finished second in the All-Around Cowboy standings in 1936, but in 1937 won his second All-Around Cowboy crown in three years, along with his third calf roping title. That same year, he claimed his only season steer roping
championship. In 1938, he won his eighth and final discipline title in steer wrestling, which was his fourth in that category; Bowman finished second in the All-Around Cowboy standings, trailing Burel Mulkey at the end of the season by 87 points. He repeated his second-place finish in 1939. His career ended in 1943, with his final performance at New York City.
Bowman won rodeo's Triple Crown (three season championships in one year) twice; Trevor Brazile and Jim Shoulders
are the only other cowboys to achieve this feat more than once. During his career and after his death, media members compared Bowman to baseball's Babe Ruth
. Fellow rodeo participant Phil Meadows credited him with doing "more to put the cowboy in good graces than any other man," calling him "a cowboy's cowboy." In competition, Allen said that "timed events" were considered a strength of Bowman. He did not compete in bronc riding after 1928, saying "Too many events and a man is no good in any of them."
According to Bowman, even though the CTA's members were able to participate in strikes, the CTA was not a true union. The CTA fought for increased prize purses and control over who judged events. In 1937, the group participated in a national strike which affected events including the Ellensburg Rodeo and Pendleton Round-Up, forcing the use of cowboys who were not part of the CTA's membership. The dispute was resolved in Ellensburg in 1938, and in 1939 in Pendleton. The organization frequently battled with the RAA and rodeo committees, who the CTA saw as the RAA's membership.
Rodeo magazine editor Will Porter has referred to Bowman as "probably the most forceful man in rodeo history." The strong-minded personality he had has been the subject of criticism; author Joel H. Bernstein wrote of Bowman that he "was not the best of diplomats and there was no way to change his mind when he felt he was right." Despite this, he received praise from CTA member Everett Shaw, who said, "These young fellows in Rodeo now, or starting out, will never realize how much they owe to Everett Bowman."
, Arizona as a Democrat
in 1944, and gained a job as sheriff in Wickenburg
. Historian Willard Porter said that, while in Wickenburg, he "held dances, taught horsemanship and talked rodeo to anyone who happened by." In addition, he worked as a rancher in Hillside, accompanied by his wife, Lois. Piloting was one of Bowman's hobbies; he had a pilot's license and once flew with Yavapai County
sheriff Willis Butler in a search for a missing two-year-old child. Into his 60s, Bowman continued to make public appearances. He was the Grand Marshall of a parade held in connection to Prescott's Frontier Days rodeo in 1966, and in 1969 accepted a movie role as a pastor in The Great White Hope
. In 1971, Bowman died at the age of 72 while flying a plane he owned, which crashed near the ranch he tended. He was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame
in 1979, and into the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2004.
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 from the 1920s to 1940s. During his career, he won the Rodeo Association of America (RAA) 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....
championship in 1935 and 1937 and was second three times; he also won eight titles in individual disciplines. Bowman was involved in organizing cowboys, founding the first group for pro rodeo competitors, the Cowboys' Turtle Association (CTA), now known as 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...
(PRCA). From 1936 to 1945, he served as president of the organization. Bowman 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.
Rodeo career
Bowman was born in HopeHope, New Mexico
Hope is a village in Eddy County, in southern New Mexico, USA. It is about due west of Artesia on U.S. Route 82. It has had a Post Office since 1890.-Geography:Hope is located at ....
, New Mexico, and moved to Arizona when he was 13 years old; he also spent part of his youth in Texas. He joined the pro rodeo circuit in the 1920s: historian Michael Allen
Michael Allen (historian)
Michael Allen is an American historian. He is a professor of history and American studies at the University of Washington Tacoma, book-review editor for Pacific Northwest Quarterly and president of the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame. He served in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War...
wrote that he started in 1924, while the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
gave his debut year as 1925. According to the agency, he took up the sport after attending a Salt Lake City rodeo. In 1926, he won two disciplines and the all-around title 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...
, and finished second for the all-around title at the Pendleton Round-Up
Pendleton Round-Up
The Pendleton Round-Up is a rodeo held in Pendleton, Oregon, United States, during the second full week of September each year, since 1910. The rodeo brings roughly 50,000 people every year to the city of Pendleton...
. The next year, Bowman won the steer wrestling
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...
title at the Ellensburg Rodeo for the second straight year, and finished tied with his brother, Ed, for the all-around title. Bowman teamed with Jack Traynor to win a team steer roping world championship and set a single-run speed record that same year. In 1929, Bowman was the all-around champion 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,...
despite not participating in the bronc riding
Bronc 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...
discipline. Bowman won his first RAA season championship in the tie-down roping
Calf roping
Calf roping, also known as tie-down roping, is a rodeo event that features a calf and a rider mounted on a horse. The goal of this timed event is for the rider to catch the calf by throwing a loop of rope from a lariat around its neck, dismount from the horse, run to the calf, and restrain it by...
discipline that year; he added a steer wrestling championship in 1930.
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,...
in 1931, he set the fastest-ever time for a calf roping run. Bowman won a third Ellensburg Rodeo steer wrestling title in 1932, and earned an all-around victory at the Frontier Day
Frontier Days (rodeo)
Frontier Days is a common name for a major rodeo event. At least five cities called their annual rodeo "Frontier Days."-Cities with a "Frontier Days" event:* Prescott, Arizona* Willits, California* Abbyville, Kansas* Charlotte, Michigan...
event in Prescott
Prescott, Arizona
Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. It was designated "Arizona's Christmas City" by Arizona Governor Rose Mofford in the late 1980s....
, Arizona. In 1933, he claimed the RAA season steer wrestling championship for the second time. The year 1935 was Bowman's most successful on the RAA circuit in terms of season championships. He was named All-Around Cowboy winner, and earned his third steer wrestling and second tie-down roping titles. Bowman finished second in the All-Around Cowboy standings in 1936, but in 1937 won his second All-Around Cowboy crown in three years, along with his third calf roping title. That same year, he claimed his only season steer roping
Steer roping
Steer roping, also known as steer tripping, is a rodeo event that features a steer and one mounted cowboy.The steer roper is behind a taut rope fastened with an easily broken string which is fastened to the rope on the steer. When the roper is ready he calls for the steer and the chute man trips a...
championship. In 1938, he won his eighth and final discipline title in steer wrestling, which was his fourth in that category; Bowman finished second in the All-Around Cowboy standings, trailing Burel Mulkey at the end of the season by 87 points. He repeated his second-place finish in 1939. His career ended in 1943, with his final performance at New York City.
Bowman won rodeo's Triple Crown (three season championships in one year) twice; Trevor Brazile and Jim Shoulders
Jim Shoulders
James A. Shoulders, known as Jim Shoulders , is known as the "Babe Ruth of Rodeo".-Rodeo career:Shoulders entered—and won—his first rodeo when he was just fourteen...
are the only other cowboys to achieve this feat more than once. During his career and after his death, media members compared Bowman to baseball's Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth
George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...
. Fellow rodeo participant Phil Meadows credited him with doing "more to put the cowboy in good graces than any other man," calling him "a cowboy's cowboy." In competition, Allen said that "timed events" were considered a strength of Bowman. He did not compete in bronc riding after 1928, saying "Too many events and a man is no good in any of them."
CTA leader
In November 1936, a rodeo was scheduled to be held in Boston, but cowboys were displeased with their lack of authority in organizing the event. Led by several cowboys, including Bowman, a group of cowboys began a strike. Although the promoter of the rodeo expressed interest in using replacement performers, the group's effort to engage in bargaining was successful. The Boston strike resulted in the formation of the CTA. Bowman was the founder of the CTA; it was the first organization of cowboys, and according to Bowman was named because of the lack of speed with which it was created. The group was initially named the United Cowboys' Turtle Association and was founded on November 6, 1936; the first word of their title was later removed. Rusty McGinty was elected as the organization's president, but he gave Bowman the position. Bowman served through 1945, when the CTA became the Rodeo Cowboys Association; the organization later changed its name to the PRCA, which it is now known as. He did announce his resignation in July 1939 when a group of cowboys refused to pay $500 fines for strikebreaking, but Bowman was reelected in February 1940 and nobody else was named to the position before then.According to Bowman, even though the CTA's members were able to participate in strikes, the CTA was not a true union. The CTA fought for increased prize purses and control over who judged events. In 1937, the group participated in a national strike which affected events including the Ellensburg Rodeo and Pendleton Round-Up, forcing the use of cowboys who were not part of the CTA's membership. The dispute was resolved in Ellensburg in 1938, and in 1939 in Pendleton. The organization frequently battled with the RAA and rodeo committees, who the CTA saw as the RAA's membership.
Rodeo magazine editor Will Porter has referred to Bowman as "probably the most forceful man in rodeo history." The strong-minded personality he had has been the subject of criticism; author Joel H. Bernstein wrote of Bowman that he "was not the best of diplomats and there was no way to change his mind when he felt he was right." Despite this, he received praise from CTA member Everett Shaw, who said, "These young fellows in Rodeo now, or starting out, will never realize how much they owe to Everett Bowman."
Later life and legacy
Bowman became a candidate for the sheriff's office in Maricopa CountyMaricopa County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*73.0% White*5.0% Black*2.1% Native American*3.5% Asian*0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.5% Two or more races*12.7% Other races*29.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, Arizona as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
in 1944, and gained a job as sheriff in Wickenburg
Wickenburg, Arizona
Wickenburg is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 6,423.-Geography:Wickenburg is located at ....
. Historian Willard Porter said that, while in Wickenburg, he "held dances, taught horsemanship and talked rodeo to anyone who happened by." In addition, he worked as a rancher in Hillside, accompanied by his wife, Lois. Piloting was one of Bowman's hobbies; he had a pilot's license and once flew with Yavapai County
Yavapai County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*89.3% White*0.6% Black*1.7% Native American*0.8% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.5% Two or more races*5.0% Other races*13.6% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
sheriff Willis Butler in a search for a missing two-year-old child. Into his 60s, Bowman continued to make public appearances. He was the Grand Marshall of a parade held in connection to Prescott's Frontier Days rodeo in 1966, and in 1969 accepted a movie role as a pastor in The Great White Hope
The Great White Hope (film)
The Great White Hope is a 1970 biographical romantic drama film written and adapted from the Howard Sackler play of the same title. The film was directed by Martin Ritt, starring James Earl Jones, Jane Alexander, Chester Morris, Hal Holbrook, Beah Richards and Moses Gunn...
. In 1971, Bowman died at the age of 72 while flying a plane he owned, which crashed near the ranch he tended. He 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 into the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2004.