Mayo, McBeth,
Flynn, Dunn, Beutler take their place in ProRodeo Hall of Fame Courtesy PRCA
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.
– Paul Mayo, a two-time world champion and an innovator in the style of
bareback riding that is still used today, headed a five-member ProRodeo Hall
of Fame class that was inducted this morning in a ceremony that had the feel
of a family reunion.
Mayo, the world champion bareback
rider in 1966 and 1970, was joined in the Hall by 1974 world champion saddle
bronc rider John McBeth, three-time National Finals Rodeo bull riding
champion Denny Flynn, bullfighter Rex Dunn and third-generation stock
contractor Bennie Beutler.
That’s five men who all worked the
roughstock end of the arena during careers that intersected many times on
the rodeo road and who developed a deep sense of mutual respect.
“I’m proud to be part of this day in more
ways than one,” McBeth said. “All of these guys are from our era; they’re
all good cowboys and all good friends for a long time.”
Dunn reminisced about the 14 years he spent
fighting bulls at Beutler family rodeos and how Flynn always remembered to
thank him after every ride. Flynn talked about how Mayo was an idol of his
when he started out, and how many times Beutler’s bull Cowtown hooked him.
And Beutler had stories to tell on all of them.
“It is absolutely fun going in with this
bunch of guys,” Beutler said.
Mayo, along with his brothers, Don and Bob, and
Jim Houston, is credited with altering the style of bareback riding in the
1960s, taking a position farther back on the horse, literally lying down on
the horse’s back and spurring as the horse went over the peak of its jump,
began its descent and kicked up its hind legs.
Mayo, of Sutherland Springs, Texas, became
so expert at the technique – dubbed the Mayo Style – that in addition to his
pair of gold buckles he was also the reserve world champion three times
(1965, 1967 and 1971), losing the ’65 title to Houston by just $641.
A talented all-around hand, Mayo, 68, also
qualified twice for the NFR in bull riding, rode saddle broncs and
occasionally roped steers. He had 12 NFR qualifications overall, twice
finished among the top three in the world all-around standings and won the
Linderman Award for all-around excellence at both ends of the arena in 1968.
“Paul beat the best of two generations of
bareback riders,” said ProRodeo Hall of Fame Saddle Bronc Rider Shawn Davis,
who accompanied Mayo to the podium. “All the people he beat to win world
titles are (already) in the Hall of Fame.
“The thing about Paul was that he understood
rodeo better than anybody in the sport – how to enter, how to travel and how
to compete once he got in the arena. A write-up in the PRCA annual may have
said it best, describing him as ‘a cool character with Marlon Brando-like
poise, a 5-5 cowboy with a prize fighter build who was one of the sport’s
fiercest competitors.’”
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McBeth, of Andover, Kan., was an 11-time NFR
qualifier (1965-74, 1978), all in saddle bronc riding. In his world
championship season of 1974, he took the lead on March 15, was assured of
the title before the NFR, and finished second in the average at Oklahoma
City to break the event’s single-season earnings record by more than
$10,000.
McBeth, 69, served as
Prairie Circuit Manager for 10 years (1975-85) while still a competitor and
won the year-end Prairie Circuit championship six times (1975-78, 1984-85).
The second-generation PRCA cowboy also worked as a judge at the National
Finals Rodeo, College National Finals Rodeo and National High School Finals
Rodeo.
“Back in the early days of my
career, a great rodeo cowboy gave me two pieces of advice that affected me
profoundly,” McBeth said. “He said that amateurs compete against everyone,
but a true professional only competes against himself. He also said you need
to approach each ride with the idea you are going to spur one inch higher
every jump.
“I always figured if I could follow
those ideals and maintain an extreme sense of competition, I would do all
right.”
Often identified as the most
talented bull rider never to win a world title, Flynn, of Charleston, Ark.,
qualified for the National Finals Rodeo 10 times (1974-82, 1985) and set a
record for most bull riding average titles won at the NFR (1975, 1981-82),
later equaled by Jim Sharp. Flynn, 59, finished second in the PRCA season
standings three times, losing the 1980 title to Don Gay by a mere $188.
His 98-point ride on Tommy Steiner’s Red
Lightning at Palestine, Ill., in 1979 was a world record for a dozen years
and remains the second-highest score in ProRodeo history in any roughstock
event. Flynn’s 92-point score on a bull named Ed Pivik at Cheyenne (Wyo.)
Frontier Days in 1974 stood as the arena record for 15 years. Flynn was
inducted in the newly merged notables/lifetime achievement category.
“It was a humbling experience when I
saw all my stuff in the display case,” said Flynn, who estimated 60-80
family and friends from Arkansas made the trip for the induction. “Here I
was alongside all the greats of the sport. It was all a bit overwhelming.
I’m proud to go in with this group. They have all been a big part of my
life.”
The Beutler name has been synonymous with
stock contracting since 1929, when brothers Elra, Jake and Lynn Beutler
began providing stock to Oklahoma and Texas rodeos. Jake and Lynn – a member
of the inaugural ProRodeo Hall of Fame induction class of 1979 – kept the
sibling business running in similar form, while Elra eventually teamed with
son Jiggs to form the original Beutler & Son marquee.
Bennie Beutler, 61, worked with his father,
Jiggs, and grandfather in the family business, and after his elders’ deaths
in the 1980s, Bennie joined forces with E.K. Gaylord II to form Beutler &
Gaylord Rodeo. That partnership endured for a dozen years, with Beutler
being named PRCA Stock Contractor of the Year in 1997. In 2001, Bennie and
son Rhett began a partnership that reclaimed the firm’s original name,
Beutler & Son.
Since 1982, Beutler has served as assistant
general manager at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo after stints as NFR
chute boss and the stock contractor representative on the NFR Committee. He
served on the PRCA Board of Directors from 1989 through 2005.
“This has to be the highlight of my life in
rodeo by far,” Beutler said. “It just doesn’t get any better than this.”
Dunn, 54, was selected to work three NFRs
(1983, 1985-86), two Canadian Finals Rodeos and 13 circuit finals over a
16-year professional bullfighting career in which his deceptively effortless
style earned him the nickname “Mr. Smooth” from Hall of Fame announcer Clem
McSpadden. Dunn twice finished second in the Wrangler Bullfighting standings
– making six appearances – and was voted PRCA Clown of the Year in 1985.
Once he stepped out of the arena, Dunn began
putting on bullfighting schools and became a fighting-bull stock contractor,
creating Coyote Hills Rodeo. He had 138 bulls selected for the NFR
bullfighting competition from 1986-2000. The Professional Bullfighters
organization has named an award in his honor, in tribute to his excellence
in the arena.
“I’ve forgotten more good memories than most
people every have,” Dunn said, “and this is the greatest one of all … the
biggest dream.”
The ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees are
selected by a committee of former contestants, PRCA officials and rodeo
experts. More than 150 individuals are nominated each year and selection is
based on contributions to the sport of professional rodeo in any of seven
categories: contestant, contract personnel, stock contractors, rodeo
committees, livestock, notables and lifetime achievement.
Including this year’s inductees, 217 people,
25 animals and 16 rodeo committees have been enshrined in Colorado Springs,
Colo.
