Buck LeGrand

Buck LeGrand was born September 8, 1931, in Ponca City, Oklahoma. At age 18 he began to rodeo as a bull rider, bareback rider and saddle bronc rider. At one rodeo LeGrand heard a rodeo producer complain about a barrelman and LeGrand offered to take the barrelman’s place. He then became a bullfighter and was known as the cowboy’s bullfighter — one of the toughest men in the rodeo arena. He was selected by the bull riders as the very first NFR bullfighter in 1959, and continued in 1960, 1965, 1967 and 1968. He took the punishment of many bulls to save a bull rider, but never complained. Most major rodeos and many stock contractors sought out LeGrand to work their rodeos. He also entertained audiences with his jokes and animal acts. LeGrand worked the Houston Rodeo 20 times; Madison Square Garden and Boston Garden 10 times each; the Burwell, Nebraska, and Sidney, Iowa, rodeos 17 times each; and the 101 Ranch Rodeo in Ponca City, Oklahoma, 15 times. He was inducted into the AkSarBen Hall of Fame in 1971, and received the Top Hat Award at the NFR in 1985. LeGrand retired from the arena in 1976 and died March 1, 1997.