EVENTS
Saddle Bronc Rider
Steer Wrestler
Leo Murray, one of three brothers who were successful rough-stock riders, was born at Colbert, Indian Territory, in 1902. After learning to cowboy on his father’s ranch, he made his first rodeo at Tishomingo in 1919. Nicknamed “Pick” because of his tall, wiry build, Murray roped calves and steers and bulldogged, but he specialized in the saddle-bronc event.
After riding for the Miller Brothers 101 Ranch and Wild West Show in the early 1920s, Leo Murray became a full-time contestant. In a 21-year career he won major titles all around the nation. He captured the saddle bronc-riding championship at Madison Square Garden in 1930 and won the Black Hills Roundup saddle bronc-riding title at Belle Fourche, South Dakota, seven times between 1930 and 1941.
Along the way, he conquered the rankest broncs in the sport–Midnight (twice), Five Minutes to Midnight (twice), Hell’s Angel, and Made in Germany. After retiring in 1941, Murray worked for the Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and then ranched in Texas for two decades. Leo Murray died in 1980.
