ProRodeo Sports News - May 15, 2020

ceremonies and handling the timing duties – including each daughter working at two NFRs. Cook started with Christensen Brothers in the 1950s as a general manager and secretary through 1965. He went on to produce rodeos under the name Arena Productions. In 1971, a partnership between Cook, Jack Roddy and Jack Sparrowk formed Rodeo Stock Contactors. “One of the things I like about rodeo is the free spirit,” Cook wrote for an opinion piece in the Dec. 27, 1978, edition of ProRodeo Sports News . “Traditionally, a cowboy can go where he wants, enter whatever contest in which he feels he has the best chance, lay off for a week or whatever.” Cook’s ProRodeo reach wasn’t limited to North America. In 1977 he started the American Rodeo Show and was responsible for getting livestock and crew overseas. He produced rodeos in Taiwan in 1977, Belgium in 1979 and Japan in 1982 with two separate trips totaling four months. He took 43 contestants and 53 head of livestock to Taiwan on a DC-8 cargo plane for 16 rodeo performances each week for five weeks beginning in early February 1977. “The flight cost us more one way than the entire stock was worth,” Cook told The San Diego Union , explaining that the jet ride cost $75,000 and the stock only $60,000. (That’s the 2020 equivalent of paying $327,557 for the flight for $262,045 worth of livestock, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.) Instead of doubling those transportation costs, he sold the stock to S.K. Wang, the Chinese promoter who set up the trip to Taiwan originally. “Since the Chinese watch our old westerns on television over there, and they’re real popular, Wang decided it would be a good business proposition to bring a rodeo in,” Cook said. It was a hit, with 85 performances in three cities. “They loved us,” bullfighter and clown Jerry Marluch said. “We were treated like famous movie stars. Everyone wanted to touch us and get our autographs.” Cook owned the legendary bull, Oscar, the 1972- 73 reserve bucking bull of the year and one of the stars of the movie, “The Great American Cowboy” (1977). Only five cowboys made qualified rides on Oscar: Randy Magers, Jerome Robinson, Allan Jordan, Guy Barth and Don Gay. Oscar and Gay combined for a then record- setting 97-point ride at the 1978 Grand National Rodeo in San Francisco. That same year, Jordan had a 96-point ride with Oscar. Cook played an instrumental role in developing the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and helped bring Oscar on site as the first live animal exhibit at the museum. One of Oscar’s offspring, Oscar’s Velvet, was the 1979 reserve bucking bull of the year and the bucking bull of the year while owned by Christensen Brothers. Both Oscar and Oscar’s Velvet were retired to the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Outside of rodeo, Cook also worked as a real estate broker in the 1960s with offices in Oakdale, Calif., and Clements, Calif. During that time, he served as a PRCA director for several years as the stock contractor representative and helped bring in sponsorships. “I’ve done everything in professional rodeo there is to do except announce and clown,” Cook said in 1980. Cook died of Lou Gehrig’s Disease at 68 years old in March 2001. THE LEGENDARY BULL

Among Bob Cook’s numerous interna- competi- tions was one that took place in Japan in 1982. This poster, above, is an advertise- ment for the 71-day rodeo. At left, Cook in 1983. tional rodeo

ProRodeo Sports News 5/15/2020

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