Dick was born in Rockwall, TX, on September 6, 1904. His family moved to Oklahoma in 1906. He was a cowboy through and through not only as a contestant but as a cattleman too.
At the age of 15, Dick entered his first competition in Coalgate, OK. Before modern conveniences, such as pickups and trailers, he would often times ride one horse and lead his contest horse to the rodeo over 100 miles one way just to compete. Later in his era, contestants would travel with their horses by train to rodeos at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Boston Gardens, Chicago, and others.
In 1927, Dick would enter Cheyenne Frontier Days™ for the first time. It took him eight days to travel from his home in Oklahoma to CFD. Through the years, he competed in Bulldogging, Steer Roping, and Calf Roping. He won championships in Bulldogging and Steer Roping and placed many times in all three events. He would compete 30 consecutive years at CFD, and after a few years of absence would compete one last time at the age of 62 in the Steer Roping.
He was quoted in a 1966 Denver Post article as saying “I won the bulldogging here (Cheyenne) several times, but I don’t remember how many.” Dick remembered Cheyenne as being the first “big ‘un” he ever made on the circuit. He saw many changes at CFD over the years including the arena being fenced off from the race track. In the same article, Dick noted, “Back in the old days there wasn’t a fence to hold the bulls in and I would help chase them down and tie them up after the bulldogging. We had a lot more fun in those days. Everybody had time to visit with everybody else. Now when the cowboys are entered in so many rodeos, they just have time to wave at you.”
In 1936, Dick was the third man to sign the petition stating that the cowboys at the Boston Show demanded that the purse be doubled, and the entrance fee be added to every event. This petition led to the strike at the Boston Gardens and helped to create the Cowboy’s Turtle Association, the forerunner for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). His Gold Card number was 5.
Dick was never one to back down from a challenge. One of the more notable challenges he accepted was to bulldog a buffalo. The challenge took place in Sun City, KS in 1932. He was paid $5 to jump off his horse onto the buffalo, $10 to stop the buffalo, and $20 to throw him down. Ultimately, he did collect the full $35. In fact, he did it twice as the cameraman wasn’t close enough to get a picture the first time. Bob Crosby did the hazing for him and the time recorded was 40 1/5 seconds.
As well as being a tough competitor, Dick was also known as a trainer of great horses. One of his legendary horses, Streak, carried more cowboys to championships than any other mount in his day. Another of Dick’s outstanding horses was Cherry, a horse that was a winner in Bulldogging, Steer Roping, and Calf Roping. Dick was the arena director for many years at the Oklahoma Prison Rodeo in McAlester, OK. He provided some of the stock and made several trips to Mexico through the years to gather Corrientes for use in competition. He also played an integral part with a couple of other local businessmen to start the Ada Fireman’s Rodeo in Ada, OK. A rodeo that at one time was considered 2nd only to Cheyenne Frontier Days.
Dick’s career saw him win 28 saddles, 29 cup trophies, and 10 buckles. He’s credited with only one world championship, being the Steer Roping in 1939. According to rodeo historian Willard Porter, it was popular rodeo wisdom that had records been carefully compiled during his career, Dick would’ve won many more. He has been inducted into the Pendleton Roundup Hall of Fame having won championships there in the Steer Roping, Calf Roping, Steer Wrestling, and the Sam Jackson All Around Trophy. Dick was awarded the Honorary Cowboy award for the many years he contested as a Calf Roper and Bulldogger at the Arkansas-Oklahoma Rodeo in Ft. Smith AR. He’s been recognized by the PRCA for his efforts toward raising the standards of the sport of rodeo and has a place in the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, OK.
Cheyenne was a favorite for Dick and his family, for many years his wife Juanita and their kids, Dixie and Richard, would accompany him to “The Daddy”. On one particular occasion, Juanita made him buy her a chow-chow dog with his winnings. On Dick’s tombstone is a picture of him competing in 1948 at the Cheyenne Frontier Days in Steer Wrestling with the words “His family and his friends were his world.”