Rodeo rides on big Shoulders

Butch Thurman, a contributing rodeo columnist for the Capital Press and president of the Pendleton Round-Up, wrote a special column this week about the death of rodeo's biggest champion ever, Jim Shoulders.

The legendary cowboy died this week at 79.

Butch's column is not available in this week's print editions of Capital Press, it is only available online.

I never got a chance to see Shoulders ride. His dominance of professional rodeo ended before I was born, but his name and legacy is known to all rodeo fans. But now, even those of us who didn't get a chance to see Shoulders ride live, can watch him now, thanks to the Internet, and the site Rodeo Up from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, which has been described as a YouTube-type site for cowboys.

I've tried embedding the video here, but if it doesn't work, click here.


Good ride cowboy. Thanks for all you did for the sport of professional rodeo, inspiring generations of champions.