Gene O. "Buddy" Cockrell

Gene O. “Buddy” Cockrell was born June 10, 1934, in Pampa, Texas. He learned cowboy skills early in life and entered calf roping, steer roping, team roping and steer wrestling events at various rodeos. Cockrell was the 1953 Texas High School Rodeo All-Around Champion. He also played football, basketball and boxed in the heavyweight Golden Gloves division in high school. This athletic ability helped Cockrell receive a college education – he received a full football scholarship to the University of Oklahoma and played on the 1955 National Championship team. Yet, Cockrell’s true love remained in the rodeo arena; he transferred to Hardin-Simmons University to rodeo in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA), where he joined the school’s championship rodeo team and played football. Later, Cockrell joined the New York Jets professional football team. He was the PRCA World Champion Steer Roper based on total earnings for 1977, and he later helped start the Senior Steer Ropers Association in 1984. He was a director for the Top of Texas Rodeo Association for eight years, and ran a 540,000-acre ranch in Australia for seven years. Cockrell remains a “cowboy’s cowboy” who gives back to kids and the underprivileged.