EVENTS
Saddle Bronc Rider
In 1922, 25-year-old Howard Tegland, a native of Deadwood, South Dakota, entered 19 rodeos and won in 18, including New York, Cheyenne, Chicago, and Pendleton. In a brief, six-year career, Howard Tegland crashed his way to first place at every big rodeo in the nation.
A flashy, brilliant rider, Tegland made a practice of competing while inebriated, and his unusual style included looking backward over his shoulder or yelling at the judges’ stand while wildly spurring the horse. Nerve and fighting spirit carried him through hundreds of reckless encounters with the rankest broncs in rodeo.
Among Tegland’s many prizes was the Waldorf-Astoria Challenge Trophy, won in 1922 at the Bozeman Round-Up. Said Tegland’s friend and competitor Ray Bell, “You just couldn’t beat him unless he bucked off or blew a stirrup.” Howard Tegland retired from the arena in the early 1930s. He died at Redding, California, in 1945
