ProRodeo Sports News - April 20, 2018

Williams said. “It’s a great honor to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Rich and I had a fairytale career, and words don’t really describe how I’m feeling.” Skelton also was taken aback to receive the prestigious honor. “This is cool, and I don’t know when this will sink in,” said Skelton, who still competes on the PRCA circuit. “I wanted to make the NFR and I wanted to win the world, and then things just kept going our way. When you look back at it, we had good horses, and everything was set up at that time and that’s all we thought about and that’s all we did was rope. To me, we had so much success because Speed changed the heading and started roping fast and I just tried to be consistent.” Williams qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo 15 times (1988, 1994, 1996-2008), while Skelton has 22 NFR qualifications on his résumé (1990- 2006, 2009-10, 2013-15). “I don’t think there was any secret GREENOUGH , 54, qualified for the National Finals Rodeo 13 consecutive years (1988-2000), tied with Joe Alexander for the fifth-most overall NFR qualifications in PRCA history. His 15 career NFR go-round wins at the NFR is also fifth most in his event. Greenough won a bareback riding world title in 1993 and an NFR average title in 1992. “The biggest thing that comes to mind for me is this is just a true, neat, awesome feeling, and an honor,” Greenough said. “I grew up watching Bill Smith, J.C. Bonine, Donnie Gay,

Bareback rider Deb Greenough qualified for the National Finals Rodeo 13 straight times (1988- 2000). He won the gold buckle in 1993 and NFR average title in 1992. PRCA ProRodeo file photo by Mark Reis

to our success,” Williams said. “We came together at the same time and we had the same desires and we wanted to rodeo and that’s what we did every day, but I never even dreamed that we would win eight gold buckles in a row.”

Since 1973, this Texas cowboy has fought bulls at the NFR twice (1979, 1984) and was a barrelman at the NFR in 1991, 1994 and 1997. Coffee also won PRCAClown of the Year and was in the Top 3 every year from 1984-2001. “I enjoy putting smiles on faces, and my motto of life is God put me on Earth to do two things – make people happy and help people out, and I can do both in the arena,” Coffee said. Coffee also worked at the first National Circuit Finals Rodeo in 1987, the Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo (1980-82, 1992, 1996-97, 2003-04) and the Canadian Finals Rodeo twice (1985-86).

GARRISON was two types of cowboy, a fullback with the Dallas Cowboys and a ProRodeo competitor. He went on to combine his stardom with football and rodeo to raise more than $4 million for multiple sclerosis with his Walt Garrison All Star Rodeos over the course of 20 years. “I think that dad played football as a career,

Greenough

Larry Peabody, just tons of people. I dreamed of one day rodeoing and going up and down the road and getting to the Finals and hopefully winning a world title. That was my passion. But, something like this comes (being inducted in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame) and it is something I never even thought of as a kid. Now that is has happened, it is a thrill.” Greenough was also known for his success within the Montana Circuit, where he won five circuit titles. Greenough remains tied for the most National Circuit Finals Rodeo wins among bareback riders with three career wins, in 1995-96 and 1999.

but he got really fortunate when he retired from the NFL and Copenhagen/Skoal hired him to be a spokesperson,” saidWalt Garrison’s oldest son, Marty. The Texas cowboy was instrumental in the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco and Winston sponsorships in ProRodeo and the programs those sponsors provided – such as the Winston Scoreboard, sponsorships for individual cowboys and helping college rodeo athletes get scholarships. “His first love was rodeo, no doubt, ever since he was really young,” Garrison

COFFEE cried tears of joy when he found out he was selected for induction into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. “It kind of brought me to the milk right there, it brought tears to my eyes, that’s an old cowboy phrase for it made you cry,” Coffee said. “To know that my heroes, my friends and heroes, who are in there, and I’m in there with them – that’s just something I dreamed of.” As a PRCAGold CardMember and NFR barrelman, Coffee has enjoyed a long, lively career in ProRodeo as one of only three cowboys to be both a barrelman and a bullfighter at the NFR.

Marty Garrison said. “That’s what he would have done had he not played football in college and then got drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. His whole life, his love was rodeo.” MINICK was short on words when he received the phone call that he was being inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, only because he hadn’t had time to process his new place in immortality. “It took my breath away at first,” said the

Coffee

Minick

ProRodeo Sports News 4/20/18

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