Contract Personnel • Inducted 1998 Andy Womack was a successful Phoenix building contractor who developed and built the largest single housing project in Arizona using the assembly line process. His stint as three-time chairman of the Jaycees Rodeo of Rodeos in Phoenix sparked his interest in the sport, where he developed close friendships with clowns Jasbo...
Lifetime Achievement • Inducted 1998 Sonny Linger has spent nearly his entire life in rodeo, from his days as a contestant in the 1940s to his four decades of effort at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo as the chute boss and then the livestock superintendent. His great ability with animals will...
Rodeo Notable • Inducted 1998 The Justin name has been synonymous with the cowboy boot for more than a century. John Justin began his career in the family business at age 6, putting laces in 16-inch lace-up boots, for no pay. In the early 1950s, his lifelong dream of running the...
Bareback Riding • Inducted 1998 Marvin Garrett told his fourth grade teacher he wanted to be a cowboy when he grew up. To prove it, he began riding steers when he was 12. However, his mother altered the course of history when she said he couldn’t be a bull rider (at...
Steer Wrestling • Inducted 1998 Although his birth certificate says Scott Berry, everyone in rodeo knows him as Ote, thanks to his sister who gave him his nickname as a toddler. She thought that her brother walked like a television comic character named Otis, which was shortened to Ote. Berry, born...
Team Roping • Inducted 1997 Movie star, television actor, accomplished tie-down roper, premier team roping heeler, multiple world champion – Clay O’Brien Cooper has led a charmed life. Cooper, born May 6, 1961, in Ray, Ariz., started roping at age 6. He made his first movie debut with John Wayne in...
Stock Contractor • Inducted 1997 Swanny Kerby started his rodeo career more than 50 years ago, rounding up wild mustangs and range bulls. He trailed that string to his first rodeo at the Grand County Fair in Moab, Utah, in 1945. From that first rodeo, Kerby and the Bar T have...
Rodeo Notable • Inducted 1997 Bill Hervey was affectionately known as “Mr. Wrangler” for his involvement with the Wrangler company and support of rodeo for over thirty years. Hervey started working for Wrangler in 1957 in the sales department. He moved his way up the ladder, becoming president of the men’s...
Bull Riding • Inducted 1997 Richard “Tuff” Hedeman truly lived up to his nickname. Born March 2, 1963, in El Paso, Texas, he rode his first calf at age 4. He roped calves, winning the first roping he entered, rode saddle broncs, and at 13, started riding bulls. He won the...
Rodeo Notable • Inducted 1997 Eldon Evans’ father threatened him with his life if he ever became a rodeo cowboy. While he never competed in the arena, Evans of Twin Falls, Idaho, did become a true friend of the sport. He has given countess hours to the PRCA for more than...
