EVENTS
Steer Wrestler, Champion, 1952, 1956, 1965
Born in California in 1926 and raised at Deming, New Mexico, Harley May was the first college rodeo athlete to turn professional. While attending college in the late 1940s at Sul Ross State College, at Alpine, Texas, he participated in the founding of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. In 1949 he captured that organization’s first all-around title.
Harley May’s college experiences prepared him for professional rodeo, and he entered his first regular competition in 1952. In his early career he contested in all five standard events, but he specialized in bulldogging. He captured the RCA championship in steer wrestling in 1952, 1956, and 1965. For 13 years he always placed in the top 15 in his major event. During those years he also placed well up in the all-around standings.
A versatile performer and an excellent representative of his generation of rodeo cowboys, Harley May retired in the late 1960s and passed away in 2008.
