ProRodeo Sports News - August 20, 2021

a fulfilling career. He originally partnered with Dave Johnson to form Thain & Johnson Enterprises. They were selling tickets to concerts, circuses and racing events when the opportunity to promote rodeos entered the picture. Every year Thain and Johnson produced 30 rodeos in 21 states, including Hawaii and Alaska. “He sold more rodeo tickets and helped more contractors and rodeos than anybody I knew,” Rosser said. “I can’t tell you how many times he sold out rodeos. He was a wonderful guy who did so much for rodeo. He filled the Rose Bowl in Pasadena (Calif.) for me. We had 70,000 people in there.” Seth Doulton, a longtime friend of Thain’s, echoed Rosser’s sentiments. “I worked for Cotton Rosser as a rodeo clown, bullfighter and PR guy from like 1969-78, and I worked part time with him after that,” Doulton said. “I met Bob because he would sell tickets at those rodeos. We became instant friends, and through all those years there was this larger-than-life, successful marketing guy, and he got me interested in marketing and was a mentor of mine for 50 years. We would always talk about stuff whether it was the PRCA or other businesses I was in, like monster truck shows. His influence helped me put on monster truck shows back in the 1980s. He always supported me, and we always had a really good relationship. “Bob had a knack where people trusted him. When he would go into a town like Turlock (Calif.) and talked to the city council and the sheriff, he was very believable. He would put deals together and people trusted him with a handshake, and he came through and paid them up front.” Based in Santa Cruz, Calif., Thain was on the road and in the sky 40 weeks a year, with numerous offices and thousands of temporary staff to oversee. This took a toll on his marriage, and he and Marilynn divorced, remaining friends the rest of his life. Thain enjoyed trap shooting during his limited spare time, which is where he met his second wife, Linda, and they shared more than 35 years of a wonderful loving relationship. In 1985, when the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association was going through tough times, Harry Vold and Shawn Davis askedThain and Eldon Evans to head the reorganization efforts as co-commissioners in 1985-86. When they took over, volunteering their time, the PRCA was $200,000 in debt. When they left a year later, the organization had $1 million in the bank. For his tremendous contribution, Thain was awarded the PRCAMan of the Year in 1987. “I did a lot of things with Bob, and he did a great job,” Davis said. “He was in the ticket business and worked with us during the transition in 1985 with the PRCA when the PRCA was so far in debt. Bob was great in financing and in tickets. He was a real nice guy and a very good businessman. When he had to make a decision, he would make it. He told people the way it was. BobThain loved the PRCA, and he loved the sport of the rodeo.” Thain was a people person. His productions always had the fans in mind, with family tickets a priority, and he not only wanted the best stock and contestants but also quality singers and entertainment. His sponsors were mainly law enforcement and firefighter organizations, whom he always paid up front, a novel concept which led to years-long relationships of mutual respect and appreciation. Thain was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Mitzi; and niece, Shari. Thain was a good man and will be sorely missed by his loving wife, Linda; her two children; two grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren; his nephew, Jon (Laura) Goens; his friend and former wife, Marilyn (Dave) Zittlow; numerous relatives and friends. Thain wanted his legacy to be that he left the rodeo business better than he found it. He would appreciate any contribution honoring his life to be made to the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs. At his direction, there will be no services. Thain will be remembered at a memorial during the NFR in December in Las Vegas.

Photos courtesy Linda Thain and ProRodeo Hall of Fame

Above, Bob Thain, who made his name selling rodeo tickets, was recognized at the 1987 PRCA Man of the Year. Below, Bob Thain and his wife, Linda, share a laugh. Thain was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 1999.

ProRodeo Sports News 8/20/2021

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