ProRodeo Sports News - August 2, 2019

STOCK CONTRACTOR

Elra & Jiggs Beutler

Elra

Jiggs

QUICK FACTS • Renowned stock contrac- tors with the Beutler & Son Rodeo Co. be- ginning in 1956 • Sent livestock to the National Finals Rodeo every year be- tween 1959-62 and 1964-88. • Will be hon- ored posthu- mously

PRCA ProRodeo file photo

Elra and Jiggs Beutler join family members in Hall BY TRACY RENCK T he Beutler name is rich in tradition in the sport of rodeo. Now, Elra and John Arthur “Jiggs” Beutler are adding another illustrious chapter to the history of their family as posthumous selections to the 2019 class of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Elra and Jiggs were born into rodeo, and they took their passion for Lynn Beutler was inducted into the inaugural ProRodeo Hall of Fame class in 1979. In 1954, Elra sold his interest in the livestock company to his brothers Jake and Lynn. A year later, Elra joined with Buster Morgan to form Beutler and Morgan Rodeo Producers. In 1959, Elra and Jiggs bought

the sport to the next level when they formed the Beutler & Son Rodeo Co. in 1956. It began with seven rodeos their first year. That steadily increased until they were putting on about 30 each year across six states. The Beutler name has been part of professional rodeo for decades, from the onset of Beutler Brothers Rodeo Co. in 1929 to the collaboration of Beutler & Son Rodeo Co. Elra had previously worked with his brothers Jake and Lynn to form the Beutler Brothers Rodeo Company. Focusing on quality over quantity, Elra and Jiggs chose rodeos based on the traveling needs of their stock. They sent livestock to the National Finals Rodeo every year between 1959-62 and from 1964-88. The core of the Beutler ranch was 5,000 acres in western Oklahoma’s “short grass country.” This fertile area gave the stock plenty of room to graze and allowed for farming. Elra and Jiggs were among the foremost rodeo promoters. “It doesn’t get any bigger than (April 22) was for us,” Bennie Beutler said about the day the 2019 ProRodeo Hall of Fame class was announced. “They (Elra and Jiggs) worked rodeo all their lives, and they put me into the (ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2010). They should have gone in long before I ever did. They did a heck of a lot more than I ever did and had it a lot tougher. The rodeos we still have in this day and age, they are the ones who had them. The rodeo business has been very good to the Beutlers.”

out Morgan and formed Beutler & Son Rodeo Co., which has become synonymous with top livestock and quality rodeo production. Fast-forward to the present where Jiggs’ son, Bennie, and grandson, Rhett, operate Beutler & Son Rodeo Co. Elra passed away in 1987 at the age of 90. Jiggs died in a tractor accident in 1980 at the age of 55. Elra “Boss Man” Beutler was an avid horseman and stockman. He served as the company’s pick-up man at the age of 65. He was selected to be a pick-up man at the inaugural NFR in 1959 and again in 1960. He was a veteran of WorldWar I and was a catalyst in bringing modern professional rodeo into its maturity. Jiggs was part of the 82nd Airborne Division during WorldWar II. He also served as a guard for Gen. George Patton and was awarded the Purple Heart. He competed in bareback riding and bull riding until his riding career ended following a severely broken arm. Elra and Jiggs owned Old Spec, the curiously spotted, cross-bred Brahma bull that in 350 attempts, over a seven-year bucking career, allowed only seven riders to make qualified rides. Old Spec was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979. Elra and Jiggs also owned the 1973 Saddle Bronc Horse of the Year, Sam Bass.

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