EVENTS
All-Around Champion Cowboy, 1947
Steer Wrestler, Champion, 1947
Bull Rider, Champion, 1953
Born in 1920 near Rufe, Oklahoma, Todd Whatley left school in the eighth grade and followed the rodeo. His first competition came in 1937.
Whatley’s specialties were bareback riding, bull riding, and steer wrestling. From the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s he consistently placed in the top five in bulldogging and bull riding. In 1947 he combined his two best events to become the RCA’s first all-around champion.
Todd Whatley’s promising career was cut short when a hip injury sidelined him in 1953. He retired from rodeo and ranched near Hugo, Oklahoma. Despite his inability to perform, he continued to support professional rodeo, sponsoring local teams and working with the Hugo Rodeo and Horse Club. He was killed in a shooting affray in 1966.
