ProRodeo Sports News - June 23, 2023

TEAM ROPING

Dan Hubbell photo

Doyle Gellerman BY TANNER BARTH D oyle Gellerman has been a staple in the team roping world for the last 40 years and will now forever be enshrined as an inductee into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. “It means everything to me, it’s quite an honor,” said Gellerman, after receiving his Hall of Fame induction call. In 1981, Gellerman, a header, roping with partner Walt Woodard, shared the team roping world championship. Gellerman and Woodard each ended the season with $48,818 – back when only one team roper typically earned a gold buckle. Not until 1995 were separate PRCA header and heeler world championships awarded. The title fulfilled a dream for Gellerman. “I would have to say the most memorable moment in my career would have to be winning a world championship,” he said. “That was something that I wanted since I was a kid and that was one of my goals throughout my career. I was able to accomplish that and everything else was just icing on top of the cake.” Just a few years before Gellerman and Woodard were the 1979 co reserve world champions. Gellerman was also reserve world champion in

Made 25 trips to the Wrangler NFR

1990, and he was the 1995 header reserve world champ. Even with all of those achievements, that may not have been the most impressive accomplishment of his ProRodeo career. He qualified for the National Finals Rodeo 25 times, the fifth most by any team roper in PRCA history. Twelve of those selections came while Gellerman and Woodard were roping together from 1977-85 and they teamed up again from 1992-94. Roping has always been the only way of life Gellerman has ever known. LeRoy Gellerman, his father, was a standout team roper and by the age of 5, Doyle had a rope in his hand. The choice to pursue a team roping header career was a wise one for Gellerman, who hailed from Oakdale, Calif., at the time. He would go on to turn that dream into what is now a Hall of Fame career. He said even with all the success throughout the years, receiving this honor never once crossed his mind. “It’s something I never even thought was possible when I started my rodeo career,” Doyle said. “It’s not something you think about when you’re going down the road to rodeos. It was one of those things where if it happened it happened if it didn’t, I was good with it.”

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