EVENTS
Steer Wrestler, Champion, 1954, 1958, 1961, 1963
Born in 1924 at Danville, Alabama, James Bynum moved at age four to a Texas cotton farm with his family. At age 16 he entered his first rodeo, the Cowboy Reunion at Stamford, Texas, as a left-handed calf roper.
Left-handedness, coupled with size, gave Bynum an advantage over the competition. At six-feet-four-inches and 210 pounds, he soon turned to bulldogging. He exhibited his astounding physical ability in a world’s record throw of 2.4 seconds at Marietta, Oklahoma, in 1955–a steer-wrestling record that still stands. For more than a decade, “Big Jim” Bynum dominated the event, capturing the championship title four times in nine years.
James Bynum retired from active competition in 1969 due to a knee injury. He resided in Maypearl, Texas, until his death in 1999.
