Happy Hump Day POU! A Bull hump at that!
Today we feature two premiere bull riders of the last century.
Myrtis Dightman
Myrtis Dightman is a Champion Afro-American Bull Rider from the 1960s and 70s. Born in 1935 in Crockett, TX. Myrtis was a successful rodeo bull rider during the 1960s & 1970s. He is considered to be the Jackie Robinson of modern American Rodeo. Myrtis started his career as a Bull Fighter then soon switched to riding bulls. He was the first black cowboy to compete at the National Finals Rodeo. In 1967 & 1968 he finished 3rd in the PRCA World Standings.
In 1971 he won the Calgary Stampede. In 1972 he was hired to do stunts for the rodeo movie J.W. Coop. He was a big influence on Charles Sampson. In 2001 he was inducted in the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in Belton, TX. In 2003 he was inducted into the National Cowobys of Color Museum and Hall of Fame. Also in 2003 the PBR inducted him into the Ring of Honor. In October 2006 a benefit concert was held to raise funds for a bronze statue in his honor. It was placed in the downtown area of Crockett, TX, which also has an annual Rodeo that bears his name.
Charles Sampson
Charles “Charlie” Sampson (born July 2, 1957 in Los Angelos, California) is the 1982 World Champion bull rider. He is the first black cowboy to win a World Title in the PRCA.
Sampson was a ground breaking rodeo cowboy. Sampson stands 5ft 4in tall. He was the first Afro-American to win a world title in the PRCA. To avoid the violence that surrounded him as a boy, he took a job at a riding stables near Gardena, CA. There he sparked an interest in horses and rodeo. He was a fan of the Jackie Robinson of rodeo Myrtis Dightman.
In 1983, there were only 6 black members of the PRCA. Charles was competing on a national level. Charlie very rarely mentioned race as an issue, even though he was competing in a sport dominated by white competitors. Charles once said in the New York Times, “I haven’t encountered discrimination as much as ignorance. Some people buy viagra kuwait still don’t realize that something like a quarter of all the cowboys back in the old West were black.” Although downplaying the race issue in his own career, Sampson has admitted that he saw the bull riding as a way to “ride” out of the ghetto. He also has spoken often to minority youngsters in inner city schools, telling them that positive thinking, goal setting, and hard work can help them achieve success in their lives. He always had the respect of his fellow World Champion bull riders.
He is known for his many injuries as well. Sampson’s left calf has taken a bad beating over the years, and is now wired together by screws, 17 pins, and two metal plates. Recounting his various injuries as a bull rider in the New York Times Magazine, Sampson noted, “In 1983, a bull jerked me down and cracked my skull–I broke every bone in my face except my nose. I broke my ankle, my leg, my sternum, my wrist. In ’88, I had an ear ripped off when a bull ran over me and his foot caught my hat.” He now has a prosthesis for the missing ear in 1983 at the Presidential Command Performance he shattered his face in a riding accident in front of President Ronald Reagan. His PRCA career lasted almost 20 years, with 11 NFR trips.
His list of awards include the following:
- World Champion bull rider, 1982
- Sierra Circuit bull riding champion, 1984
- Turquoise Circuit bull riding champion, 1985–86 and 1993.
- Copenhagen/Skoal bull riding champion, 1992
- Calgary Stampede $50,000 bonus round bull riding champion
- 2-time bull riding champion at Pendleton Round-Up
- 2-time Grand National Rodeo (Cow Palace) champion
- 2-time bull riding champion at California Rodeo (Salinas)
- 2-time winner of Del Rio George Paul Memorial bull-riding buckle
- Rodeo Superstars Championship
- Named to Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, 1996
Always a fan favorite, Sampson loved displaying his fearless riding style. He retired at the Dodge National Circuit Finals in Pocatello, ID, in 1994. He spent his retirement doing ads for companies like Wrangler Jeans and Timex. His ground-breaking efforts in rodeo did not go unnoticed. In the 1990s he was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame