February 21, 2012 at 6:29 PM

Paul Bond, an early member of the Cowboys' Turtle Association, a trick rider and a master boot maker with a national reputation, died Feb. 9 at his home in Nogales, Ariz. He was 96. Funeral services were held on Feb. 14 at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Nogales.

Bond grew up in Carlsbad, N.M., where he worked in a saddle and boot shop during his high school years while also competing in local rodeos as a bareback rider. When he joined the Cowboys' Turtle Association at Tucson, Ariz., in 1937 (card number 395), he brought along his boot-making equipment so he could supplement his income.

Bond met Jim Shoulders – later to become a 16-time world champion – when Shoulders was 15 and he sold Bonds' boots out on the rodeo road for a few years, the beginning of a lifelong friendship. When his days as a contestant were done, Bond worked as a trick rider at many rodeos in the West before settling in to concentrate on his custom, hand-made cowboy boot business.

Bond started the Paul Bond Boot Company in 1946 in Carlsbad, N.M., moved to Nogales during the 1950s. Among the many celebrities of his time who wore Bond's boots were John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Gene Autry, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Cash and Charlie Daniels. Bond was honored with induction into the Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City in 1992. He is survived by his wife, Margaret, son, George, and daughter, Eleanor, and four grandchildren.

• Ballots to determine contested PRCA council positions have been mailed out from the office in Colorado Springs, Colo., and must be returned and sent to the auditing firm by March 25. Those who are running for council seats are Dustin Brewer and Forest (Timber) Tuckness for contract personnel (bullfighters, clowns, barrelmen); Keith Martin and Doug Schwartz for rodeo committee ($50,000 or greater); Cody Taton and Rusty Allen for saddle bronc event representative; and Skip Beeler, Mike Corey, Hank Franzen and Marty Johns for stock contractor (two open positions). There are five council positions that have already been set: Spud Duvall, steer wrestling event representative; J.P. Wickett, steer roping event representative; Troy Weekley, rodeo committees (less than $10,000); Gary Williams rodeo committees (at-large), and Benje Bendele, contract personnel (announcers).

 

• The Great American Country telecast (DISH Network 167, DirecTV 326) of the Black Hills Xtreme Bulls Tour event in Rapid City, S.D., will be aired tonight at 10 p.m. (ET) and re-aired Feb. 22 at 2 a.m., Feb. 28 at 10 p.m., and Feb. 29 at 2 a.m. (all times ET).

 

• Gregg County Commissioners agreed on Feb. 13 to provide labor, asphalt and equipment to create 850 additional parking spaces at the Longview, Texas, rodeo arena the city is renovating – a contribution worth $84,000. The Longview City Council had earlier committed $892,000 to replace structurally failing bleachers at the arena and replace them with new seating for 5,060 people, plus new lighting and an announcer's booth. County Commissioner Darryl Primo has even presented a case for covering the arena.

 

• The Greeley Tribune has reported that the Greeley Stampede's profit of about $500,000 last year was the largest reported since 1998 by the Fourth of July rodeo.

 

• Registration is now open for Rodeo U, presented by State Farm, a behind-the-chutes course for women 18 and older at Rodeo Austin (Texas) taught by some of ProRodeo's finest contestants and officials. For further information visit www.RodeoAustin.com.

 

• Marv Allerheiligen retired Feb. 6 after 45 years on the Cody (Wyo.) Stampede board of directors. While on the board, he served in every position, and oversaw more than 4,050 rodeos (including Cody Nite Rodeos). Allerheilgen is widely credited with saving the Stampede "during some pretty dark financial days along the way," according to Paul Fees, the curator at the Buffalo Bill Historical Society in Cody. The board room and hospitality building on the grounds is named the Allerheiligen Building, but the locals call it "The Marv" for short.

 

• With Tony Branquinho stepping down at the end of this season, Cal Poly State University-San Luis Obispo has begun the process of searching for a new rodeo coach. For details visit www.prorodeo.com.

 

• With the NBA San Antonio Spurs on the home stretch of their annual "rodeo road trip," the Portland Trail Blazers will give them a glimpse of home tonight. During timeouts of the Feb. 21 Spurs-Blazers game, Oregon cowboys, including bareback rider Brian Bain, team roper Jake Stanley and steer wrestler Trevor Knowles, will be shown in streaming video on the big-screen scoreboard, competing in the semifinals of the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo.

 

Provided Courtesy of the PRCA to Cuttin Up Radio

The PRCA, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., is the largest and oldest professional rodeo-sanctioning body in the world. The recognized leader in ProRodeo, the PRCA is committed to maintaining the highest standards. The PRCA, a membership-based organization, sanctions approximately 600 rodeos annually, and there are nearly 30 million fans in the U.S. The PRCA showcases the world’s best cowboys in premier events through the Wrangler Million Dollar Tour presented by Justin Boots, and its subsequent Justin Boots Playoffs, the Seminole Hard Rock Xtreme Bulls presented by B&W Trailer Hitches, the PRCA’s bull riding tour; and the world-renowned Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Action from PRCA-sanctioned rodeos and its premier events appears on Great American Country (GAC) and Pursuit Channel (DISH Network 240 and DirecTV 608). Each year, PRCA-sanctioned rodeos raise more than $26 million for local and national charities. www.prorodeo.com

 

Category: Sports
Tags: PRCA, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, News and Notes