Don McLaughlin
Don began trick roping at the age of six and by age nine, he had won the title of best juvenile trick roper in the world. He and his brother Gene performed all over the world together, appearing with Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. Turning to calf roping at age eighteen, Don continued to do well, winning championships at many different rodeos. Adding steer roping as an event, Don won the Cheyenne Frontier Days™ All Around title in 1959 and again in 1960. Living in Fort Collins, Colorado, Don started a roping school to teach cowboys the finer points of the event. Students flocked to Colorado twice a year to learn from the best. Continuing his competitive career, Don entered the senior circuit, taking the senior steer roping championship at Cheyenne Frontier Days™ in 1991.