ProRodeo Sports News - May 12, 2023

MEMORIAM ... LARRY MAHAN 1943-2023

Remembering Mahan’s legendary career Steamboat Hotshots photo A playful Larry Mahan ropes from left, skier Billy Kidd, Loris Bryngelson and J.C. Trujillo at the Steamboat (Colo.) Ski Resort in 1983. Mahan and Kidd founded the Cowboy Downhill in Steamboat in 1974.

BY TRACY RENCK T he star power of Larry Mahan on the sport of ProRodeo will never be forgotten. Mahan, who passed away, May 7 at the age of 79, was not only an eight-time world champion who qualified for the National Finals Rodeo a total of 26 times in roughstock events, but one of the sport’s biggest personalities. There was a great article by Jim Bainbridge in the Nov. 21, 2007, ProRodeo Sports New s talking about Mahan. It read as follows: There was always more to Mahan than the numbers. He’s considered to be among the most colorful cowboys in the sport’s history, capable of generating interest in rodeo beyond the normal boundaries with what a 1974 Sport magazine story described as “the handsome, rugged quality of a young Marlon Brando.” Mahan’s persona as “Bull” or “King of the Rodeo” came not only from his success in the arena, but also from wearing long hair when it wasn’t the cowboy thing to do, flying his own twin engine Cessna, driving his 1960 Cadillac “Bullmobile” to rodeos in the Southwest and always, always figuring a way to liven things up. Sometimes that meant dismounting from his ride without a pickup man so he could land on his feet, waving his hat. Sometimes it meant competing when he had three cracked vertebrae in his neck. Sometimes it meant putting himself out there to appear in movies and TV shows like The Streets of San Francisco or singing professionally. Here are some thoughts Mahan shared in the Nov. 23, 2012, edition of the ProRodeo Sports News .

What is your favorite NFR memory? “One of the fondest would be the first time I went in 1964. I had a 1960 Ford one-ton truck that I pulled a 19-foot travel trailer with, and I plugged it right in there next to the L.A. Sports Arena. I had always dreamed of making it to the NFR, and I was scared to death. I think I won third in two go-rounds, which came to about $360 total.” Mahan on cowboys (Aug. 20, 1997 ProRodeo Sports News) “The tough guy image of rodeo people is a misconception. It isn’t a tough guy attitude that makes a tough competitor, it’s a guy who is in tune with his body and mind.” Mahan on why he never had a star complex (Nov. 21, 2007 ProRodeo Sports News) “My ego is pretty well balanced. It’s pretty convenient for an ex-bull rider to have his own psychologist in the house. I don’t know if she loves me or I’m just a good case study.” Mahan on his mindset “There are two things that run my life: competing and winning. There is no such thing for me as just going from one day to the next.” Mahan on values (2008 issue of the American Cowboy) “We need to get back to the values Roy Rogers and Dale Evans represented in their movies. It is a must. If not, we’re in for a bumpy ride. Events like the National Day of the American Cowboy can bring those values back for the younger generation, or at least create a knowledge base of what was there, of what matters.”

ProRodeo Sports News 5/12/2023

ProRodeo.com

32