Darrell earned his PRCA card and became a member in 1972. He attended the University of Southern Colorado in Pueblo, CO on a rodeo scholarship and competed in Bareback Riding, Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Tie Down Roping and Bull Riding. He qualified for College National Finals Rodeo twice, in 1975 and 1976, becoming the Steer Wrestling Champion in 1975. His entire rodeo team placed 2nd in the nation in 1975 and 3rd in 1976.

During his competition days, Darrell enjoyed big wins at Cheyenne Frontier Days. He started at CFD as a contestant in 1973 competing in Bareback riding until 1977. In 1975 he split the first go-round and finished 8th in the average. Other major rodeos where he competed and won include Colorado Springs, CO; Santa Fe, NM; Walla Walla, WA; Pueblo, CO; and Odessa, TX. He was also the All-Around Champion at Phillipsburg, KS in 1975.

From 1973-1979, Darrell worked for the Harry Vold Rodeo Company. He became foreman of the company in 1974 and retained that position during his tenure. In 1976 Harry Vold received the contract to produce CFD. He worked as a pickup man for Vold and was a bucking chute boss at select rodeos. During his rodeo career, he picked up for many different rodeos. Darrell worked as a Livestock Superintendent and Riding Event Chute Boss at Cheyenne Frontier Days from 1976-1987, and he returned in 1997 to work as a Riding Event Chute Boss until 2014, using his vacation to fulfill these duties.

As Riding Even Chute Boss for CFD Darrell’s responsibilities included coordination with the CFD Chairman and CFD Contestants Chairman, CFD volunteer chute crew and each stock contractor. His daily activities included keeping the action running smoothly and in a timely manner at the bucking chutes. Coordination with each contestant was also a key factor in keeping things running smoothing to get each performance ran off by a certain time daily.

Darrell was vital in getting the Copenhagen Scoreboards used in the CFD arena. He worked for Copenhagen for 30 years from 1977 to 2007 doing promotions and was the Western marketing manager his last 12 years at Copenhagen. He was involved with the Copenhagen Scoreboard program, that started in 1990, and in charge of the PBR program and College Rodeo program while working for Copenhagen. Darrell and Kevin Arnold, the Copenhagen Regional Manager out of Chicago, met with Dave Johansen about the Copenhagen Scoreboards around 1992.

Additional to working at CFD, Darrell, was the Arena Director at the College National Finals Rodeo from 1977-1992, where he ran Bucking Chutes and the Timed Event Chute. He was selected as the Riding Event Chute Boss for National Finals Rodeo from 1982-2012. He also worked for the PRCA Tour Finals from 2000-2005 in Mesquite, TX; Omaha, NE; Las Vegas, NV; and Dallas, TX, and stayed to work that event in Dallas from 2006-2008. He worked as a Livestock Superintendent for the Texas PRCA Circuit Finals from 1978-1991, and in 1992 was the Riding Event Chute Boss.

Darrell was the Director of the Rodeo Historical Society for the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, OK from 2009-2016, and was the director of the Windy Ryan Memorial Roping in Fort Worth, TX from 1988-2013 and became the Director of the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, TX in 2010. He was inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2008.