EVENTS
Steer Roper
Born in 1896 in Harrison, Arkansas, Ben Johnson, Sr. grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In his youth he cowboyed around Osage County and then became a top hand in rodeo competition.
After an army tour in World War I, Ben Johnson, Sr. contested in steer roping at Cheyenne, Pendleton, Madison Square Garden, and other venues. He won the championship title at Cheyenne in 1922, 1923, and 1926. At Pendleton in 1927 he set a world record by roping three steers in an average of 18 seconds. A friend recalled, “You couldn’t beat him at anything. He could have roped off a mule and still beat nearly everybody.”
After retiring in 1935, Ben Johnson, Sr. managed the Chapman-Barnard ranches, with properties in New Mexico and Oklahoma. He also raised horses and cattle on his own Osage County ranch, where his son, Ben Johnson, Jr. motion picture stuntman, actor, and 1972 Academy Award winner, grew up.
Ben Johnson, Sr. died of cancer in 1952. In his honor the Ben Johnson Memorial Steer Roping is held annually.
