PRORODEO Sports News | Roy Cooper 1955-2025 | May 2, 2025

PRORODEO HALL OF FAME

Northwest each year. The Chief Joseph Days Rodeo takes place in Harley Tucker Memorial Arena. Tucker also was posthumously inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City in 1997, the St. Paul (Ore.) Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1999, and the Pendleton Round-Up Hall of Fame in 1980.

Willy

keeps your career interesting and exciting. The music was always an asset.” Altizer was a pioneer in the rodeo world who revitalized bull riding almost single-handedly. He intro duced high-energy and modern marketing techniques into rodeo events beginning in the early 1980s. Today, no rodeo is without rock and-roll music excitement, lighting, and announcing during the bull riding go-rounds. To Altizer, rodeo was all about the fan experience, and he saw tradi tional rodeos back then as in need of more “show business.” Altizer was known for pushing for higher payouts for performing cowboy contestants. Altizer joins his father, the late Jim Bob Altizer in the PRORODEO Hall of Fame. Jim Bob, a PRCA Tie-Down Roping (1959) and Steer Roping World Champion (1967), was inducted in the inaugural PRO RODEO Hall of Fame class in 1979. The 2025 class also includes the late Harley Tucker, a past northwest rodeo producer and stock contrac tor from Joseph, Ore., who helped found Chief Joseph Days in 1946. At the time of his death in 1960 at the age of 52 of a heart attack, he was one of the nation’s largest stock contractors, providing stock and producing over 25 rodeos in the Mac Altizer

championships and was the 2008 PRCA | AQHA Horse of the Year. “He had the quick speed to move left or right in an instant, but he could still ride like the wind too,” Cassidy said. “He had a cool de meanor in the box and was all business.” Rounding out the inductees are the rodeo committee from Livermore, Calif., barrel racer Joyce (Burk) Loomis Kernek (1970 WPRA World Champion) and WPRA notable Pam Minick, the 1982 WPRA Breakaway Roping World Champion and rodeo and Western-lifestyle television personality. Colby Staysa, the secretary of Liver more Rodeo, was thrilled to receive the Hall of Fame call. “Over 100 years is pretty impres sive,” Staysa said. “We’re excited to share this with our local govern ment and with our parks district and to celebrate with them as well.”

Other inductees include Skipper Voss, the 1982 Wrangler World Champion Bullfighter who also worked the NFR in 1974 and 1978. Voss’ techniques and style in the arena have carried over into the bullfighters of today. Harley Tucker

Standout steer wrestling horse Wil ly, ridden by Curtis Cassidy, guided Rope Myers (2001), Lee Graves (2005), Jason Miller (2007) and Luke Branquinho (2008) to world Skipper Voss

Livermore Rodeo

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