PRORODEO Sports News - August 8, 2025

PASSINGS

PRCA file photo

4-TIME NFR QUALIFIER RALPH MAYNARD PASSES AWAY

R alph Maynard, a four-time qualifier for the Nation al Finals Rodeo in saddle bronc riding, has passed away. He was 80 years old. Maynard's passing was announced on Facebook by his daughter, Kelsi, who he ran Maynard Buckles with. The company was started to remain a part of the Western way of life, something Kelsi said in the post that he cherished. "My dad lived and breathed the Western way of life," the post said. "But more than his titles and trophies, he was a man of grit, integrity, and craftsmanship – values he poured into every buckle he made and every lesson he taught." Originally from South Dakota, Maynard rode saddle broncs in the 1960s and 70s alongside the likes of Larry Mahan, Mel Hyland, Shawn Davis, Kenny McLEan, John McBeth and other PRORODEO icons. He quali fied for the NFR in 1965, 1968, 1970 and 1971, placing as high as seventh in 1968. He was also inducted into

the Casey Tibbs Hall of Fame. "One of the greatest guys I ever met," Ralph said of Mahan during a 2023 interview with Cowboys of the Osage. "Sometimes us cowboys thought he dressed a little weird, but nowadays you look and hell, he knew what he was doing 20 years ago." Following his rodeo career, Ralph created Maynard Buckles, a buckle manufacturing business that sup ported cowboys and cowgirls across the country. He was also a big supporter of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Maynard Buckles has donated championship buckles to the NIRA since the 1990s. "He built Maynard Buckles from the ground up, blend ing artistry with tradition to honor every cowboy and cowgirl's legacy," Kelsi wrote. "Today, we carry on his vision, not just as a buckle maker, but as a keeper of the stories and traditions he so deeply loved."

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