EVENTS
Saddle Bronc Rider
Bareback Bronc Rider
Steer Wrestler
Calf Roper
Bull Rider
Born in Yuma, Colorado, in 1919, Wayne Dunafon grew up on a ranch where the motto was, “If you don’t want to walk, break a horse!” By age 18, he was contending in all five rodeo events on a professional level at the Denver Stock Show Rodeo and soon was a member of the Cowboys Turtle Association.
Under the mentorship of Turk Greenough and Bill Linderman, Dunafon excelled in several arena contests and made a credible record as a steer wrestler. In 1956 he tossed a steer at Pendleton in 6.7 seconds on a long barrier, and was the runner-up as World Champion Steer Wrestler at the Madison Square Garden Rodeo. He also rode to the pay window on notorious broncs like Hard Twist, Cavalcade, Home Brew, and Typhoon.
For many years Dunafon modeled his authentic cowboy image with the H.D. Lee jeans company and with Philip Morris as the “Marlboro Man.” He established a ranching operation in the Flint Hills region in Kansas, and in the 1970s was instrumental in setting up the PRCA-sanctioned Kaw Valley Rodeo Association. Wayne Dunafon passed from the arena in 2001.
