ProRodeo Sports News - October 16, 2020

that lasted nearly as long. “The notoriety that I had as a professional rodeo clown helped me get elected,” Tomac said. “A lady came up to me in 1986 and said she voted for me because, ‘You’re a clown and we need more levity in the legislature, and a sense of humor goes a long way.’” FIRST RODEO Tomac fell into clowning by chance during the summer before his senior year of high school in 1971 when a clown didn’t show up for a rodeo near Raleigh, N.D. “I remember not knowing anything and putting makeup on,” Tomac said. “I bought red and white lipstick and figured out you can’t take lipstick off; it has to wear off. And it eventually did after two or three days but it took a lot of scrubbing. I didn’t have anyone to lean on and had to learn from the school of hard knocks.” The teenage Tomac was paid $35 for his first rodeo clown gig (about $228 in 2020 dollars). “That was enough for a tank of gas and a few cases of beer,” Tomac said. “And I remember coming home after the Fourth of July and having the time of my life, and then my dad waking me up at 6 a.m. – he’d just decided that

down between his legs,” Corley laughed. “I loved having him.” Tomac’s worlds collided when he became known as “The Senator” in the ProRodeo arena, but neither life afforded a livelihood, so he added a third branch. “I’d banked a million laughs but no 401(k), so I decided to pay attention to my retirement and went to work,” Tomac said. Tomac’s final rodeo was in 2006. “I had slowed down quite a bit and didn’t want to be like some of those clowns I looked at who stayed way past when they should have retired,” Tomac said. “I wanted to be good and active and retire under my terms, so I pulled the plug.” Tomac retired in 2018 and runs about 100 head of cattle on his ranch near Saint Anthony, N.D., with his significant other, Vicki. His son Dion McGregor lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., and has two children – Emily, 16, and Luke, 12. Tomac’s son Clay Loneman lives in Mitchell, S.D. Tomac also serves on a couple county boards and is active with his church. “I’ve tried to learn how to slow down, but I’m not good at retirement,” Tomac laughed. “I’m flunking retirement.” TOMAC TODAY

now was the time to help with hay. He did that to make his point, and he made a very good one. That was Life Lesson Number whatever it was.”

JOKING AROUND

Throughout his ProRodeo career, Tomac looked for something new to do in the arena. “You didn’t have the Internet back then, so your best friend was the Reader’s Digest , so I’d scour it for something I thought was funny,” Tomac said. Tomac was already a politician by the time he met ProRodeo announcer Randy Corley. “I questioned him and asked if he was for real,” Corley laughed. “He told me, ‘You might as well have a real clown in the White House.’ He is a little like a mad scientist. It took me a year of working his acts before I started to understand where he was coming from.” Toma’c unique balance of clown and politician landed him on The Pat Sajak Show in 1989. “It’s a bit unusual, but there’s a whole bunch of punchlines that come with it,” Tomac said, listing off: • “I was head of the North Dakota Credit Review Board, which was created to help North Dakota farmers and ranchers who were bankrupt, and in 1983 or ’84 I testified in front of U.S. Sen. Quintin Burdick. After he read some lengthy introductory comments about me, he then exclaimed that I was also a rodeo clown and asked, ‘What do they have in common?’ I really hadn’t thought about it but blurted ‘ ... Well, in all things you need to keep ahead of the bull!’ The packed hearing room roared.” • “What do a politician and a bull have in common? A point here and point over here, and a whole lotta bull in the middle.” “Some of his humor could border on gray – like, he’d pull out his firetruck’s hose and I said, ‘I don’t believe your hose is long enough,’ which would have been just fine if he hadn’t looked

Photo courtesy Steve Tomac Although he retired in 2018, Steve Tomac still keeps plenty busy, including finding time for his grandkids Emily and Luke.

ProRodeo Sports News 10/16/2020

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