EVENTS
All-Around Champion Cowboy, 1954
Born in 1929 near Nowata, Oklahoma, Buck Rutherford grew up wanting to be in rodeo. By cowboying on Wyoming and Oregon ranches during the 1940s, he became a seasoned hand. Around 1947 Rutherford entered his first rodeo at Burns, Oregon, taking a first in bronc riding.
Although slowed by numerous arena and automobile injuries, Buck Rutherford nevertheless established a creditable record as a bull rider, bareback bronc rider, and bulldogger. He placed third nationally on bulls for four consecutive years. Rutherford was declared the all-around champion cowboy in 1954, having barely missed the title in 1952.
In addition to many smaller rodeos, Buck Rutherford competed often at New York, Cheyenne, Calgary, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. After retiring, he operated a Brahma crossbred cattle ranch at Lenapah, Oklahoma, not far from his boyhood home. Buck Rutherford died in 1988.
