EVENTS
Saddle Bronc Rider
Steer Wrestler
Born near Kim, Colorado, in 1918 and raised on his grandfather’s ranch near Clayton, New Mexico, Jim Like started rodeoing at age 18. He won the amateur saddle bronc-riding in 1938 at Cheyenne and then turned professional.
Like competed full time until 1955, regularly placing in the money at the major venues in the U. S., Canada, and Mexico. In the 1940s he won the saddle-bronc event at Houston, Salinas, and Calgary. In the 1950s he took saddle-bronc, bareback, and steer-wrestling honors at Madison Square Garden, Boston Garden, and Denver. Over his career, Jim Like won more than 30 buckles and 8 saddles.
Jim Like is the only top hand to have a rodeo named in his honor. Walsenburg, Colorado, holds the Jim Like Rodeo for two days each June. In 1959 the event’s namesake won the all-around cowboy title, finishing first in bareback riding, tying for first in saddle bronc riding, and placing second in steer wrestling. Jim Like died in Colorado in 2001.
