EVENTS
Calf Roper
Steer Wrestler
One of the West Coast’s all-time great ropers, Gordon Davis was born in California in 1919. First known as “The Redlands Kid,” Davis entered rodeo at age 12. He won calf-roping contests up and down the Pacific Coast, earning money to pay for his college education.
From 1938 to 1957 he won top honors at 49 venues, including Seattle, Los Angeles, Tucson, and Walla Walla. Said Ben Johnson, a friend and competitor, “Gordon nearly starved me to death for ten years!” In 1952 Davis finished third in the standings, and in 1953 he was Christian Brothers Rodeos’ Champion Calf Roper. Matched roping was another skill that brought him four titles during the 1940s. His famed mount, Simon, a bay horse with white hind feet, was noted for speed and intelligence.
Gordon Davis’s personal goal was to become a rancher, and he used his winnings to buy a spread near Atascadero, California. After retiring from the arena in 1957, he produced rodeos for California Polytechnic Institute. Gordon Davis died in 1997.
