EVENTS
Steer Wrestler
Saddle Bronc Rider
Trick and Roman Rider
Born in February of 1898 at Omaha, Nebraska, James E. “Buck” Lucas became a noted rider and performer during rodeo’s first golden age of the 1920s. Following active service in World War I, he remained in Germany with the Army of Occupation and rode with the United States Cavalry’s winning polo team.
On his return to the states, Buck Lucas homesteaded a ranch near Douglas, Wyoming, and did stunt work in several William S. Hart movies. He also competed in a number of rodeos around Wyoming, winning several bulldogging championships, and performing as a trick and Roman rider. In 1924 Lucas participated in Tex Austin’s first London Rodeo, capturing the International Trophy. He also won the steer wrestling trophy at Pendleton, Oregon, in 1924. And, that same year, Lucas married distaff rodeo performer Tad Barnes, for whom he developed and refined many of the stunts that made her a world-renowned lady trick rider.
Prior to retirement from the arena, Buck Lucas competed in saddle bronc riding, bulldogging and Roman riding at Cheyenne, Pendleton, Madison Square Garden, Chicago, Fort Worth and again in London in 1934. In later years he served as a judge at major rodeos and was co-owner of the Triangle Ranch Rodeo Company. Buck Lucas died in 1960.
