EVENTS
All-Around Champion Cowboy, 1932
Rodeo Livestock Contractor
Don Nesbitt grew up on saddle broncs. Born in 1907 on a South Dakota ranch, by age 10 he was helping his father and brother break wild horses. Nesbitt’s rodeo career began around 1921.
Contesting in five events, Don Nesbitt truly excelled in saddle bronc riding. While he never won an individual event championship, he consistently finished in the money at Pendleton, Cheyenne, Calgary, New York, and all the important venues. In 1932 he captured the all-around championship. Handsome and personable, Nesbitt was courted by movie producers, but he stayed with rodeo and used his winnings to buy ranch property in New Mexico and Arizona.
During a 15-year competitive career, Don Nesbitt also judged shows for Eddie McCarty and Verne Elliott. In 1940 he bought McCarty’s half of the business and formed Nesbitt and Elliott. For decades the duo provided the bucking string, including the infamous bronc Five Minutes to Midnight, for rodeo’s biggest shows. Don Nesbitt retired from the sport to raise AQHA championship horses on ranches in Colorado and California. He died in 1988.
