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| Don Gay at the Ft. Worth stock show 2020, Make A Wish child |
The Greatest Bull Rider of All Time: An Interview with Don Gay
by Gina McKnight
As seen in the March 2020 Issue of Florida Equine Athlete
No duplication without permission.
“You’re looking at big eyes and a lot of slobber coming
out of a bull’s nose, and you’re on your back like
a turtle.” Don
Gay
Don Gay is
an American icon. He is an eight-time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association World Champion Bull Rider. In 1979, Don was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of
Fame. Loving the arena, horses, bulls, and crowds, Don began his career at an
early age. Currently the General Manager for Frontier Rodeo Co.,
Don continues to spend time doing what he loves.
Welcome,
Don!
GM: Thank
you, Don, for a wonderful conversation about your rodeo career. Your new projects
sound amazing, including an autobiography in the works, but let’s go back to
the beginning. When did you become acquainted with horses, bulls, and riding?
DG: I was
riding horses before I even knew about it as a baby. My dad [rodeo legend Neal
Gay] was a rodeo cowboy. My dad started the Mesquite Championship
Rodeo in 1958. I was five years old. His partner was sixteen-time World Champion
cowboy Jim Shoulders.
Jim was like a second father to me. I grew up in the world’s largest dirt playground.
I grew up around pro rodeo cowboys, world champions, and the whole rodeo environment.
That was my life. It was a good opportunity. I wanted to be a rodeo cowboy. It’s
not for everybody. If I wanted to be a guitar player, I might have had a little
more trouble.
GM: A
wonderful life, Don. Many people would enjoy growing up in the same
environment. You have an autobiography in the works. How’s that going?
DG: I’m in
the process. I have been extremely lazy with. After I finish this interview, I
have to send a tape to the fellow who is going to help me author the book. He’s
a professor at Ohio State. I’m going to do this book. I see these people who
write these books every year on TV and making money, and I’m thinking how do
they do that? How do they put everything in there that needs to be in there?
Then I realize, they don’t put everything in there. I think it will be a good
read for anybody who has a hat, a pair of Wranglers, or a pair of boots in
their closet. It is a good story with my dad starting the rodeo. Basically, we
put rodeo on television. If it wasn’t for the Mesquite Rodeo telecast, we
probably wouldn’t have the PBR. I feel like we’ve
enhanced the industry, from my perspective. We’re all getting along in years,
so I’d like to depart a little bit of information for the younger kids who are
thinking about rodeo.
GM: What’s it
like to be a rodeo cowboy?
DG: Rodeo is
different from any other sport. It’s not if you get hurt, it’s when and how
bad. It’s akin to joining the military. If you’re going to be a soldier for
America, you might die. There is that possibility. It’s part of how to choose
to live your life. Not a death-wish by any stretch of the imagination, but you
got to be a little bit different. I would just like to say that everybody thinks
they want to be a cowboy until you’re laid up in an operating room. You’re
looking at big eyes and a lot of slobber coming out of a bull’s nose, and you’re
on your back like a turtle. I’ve had enough surgeries that I’m on a first name
basis with a lot of doctors.
GM: As a
spectator, I enjoy the thrill of the rodeo and the work that goes into it.
Behind the scenes, there must be an un-spoken, intentional process that all rodeo
cowboys adhere to. You have rodeo genetics. What is the best advice your father
has given you?
DG: Probably
two things: one is you don’t halfway rob a bank. You either did or you didn’t.
There’s no grey area. It’s either black or white. It’s not politics. The other saying
is that’s a really good excuse, but it’s still an excuse. If you set out
to do something, don’t stop until you do it. It doesn’t mean you win first
place at every rodeo on every ride. If you put out your best effort but didn’t
get your own way and end up a little short, put that in the rearview mirror and
go to the next one. It’s just like life. It doesn’t mean to be a good Christian
you’re sinless, that’s just not going to happen. But you can’t give up.
GM: Being a
rodeo cowboy takes a lot of guts and grit. American movies and literature have romanticized
the rodeo and the cowboy way, but listening to your story, it’s actually hard work
and perseverance. Do you remember your very first rodeo competition?
DG: Me and
my brother Pete went to Junior Rodeo when we were going up. There weren’t a lot
of them like there are today. I remember we went and most times I won second
place to my older brother. I had a big ladder to climb. My brother was pretty
good at everything he tried to do.
GM: A competitor
in many arenas around the world, of all the arenas, where is your favorite?
DG: I like Ellensburg, Washington, just because of
the mountainous skyline above the tree-line view you have from the arena floor.
I’ve always done well at Ellensburg, that’s a big help. Past that, I like Salinas, California, because it was one of
the few rodeos on the west coast. It’s one of the top five rodeos in the world.
The neatest arena and one that I’ve had a lot of success in and was drawn to is
in Arcadia, Florida. It’s a little
outdoor arena and now that I’m in the production end of rodeo, the new arena in
Arcadia just boggles the mind of how well it’s designed for the spectators to
come. Now they can enjoy the rodeo in the shade.
GM: Every
cowboy needs a good horse. How many horses do you keep in your stables?
DG: I love horses.
They’ve been in life for as long as I can remember. I have no horses on my
place now. I’m looking about 30 head of cows off my back pasture right now and
one stinkin’ coyote that’s out of rifle range of my pasture. My ropin’ horse is
crippled and I haven’t ridden her in almost a year and a half. She’s over at my
dad’s ranch. My dad’s ranch is next door to mine. He has lots of horses – mares
and colts. It’s a good place for my old ropin’ horse to spend the rest of her
days.
GM: If you
could go back and do things over, would you change anything?
DG: I don’t
think so. You’d like to smooth out all the bumps, but then you never know which
bump it took to get you back up in the saddle.
GM: What
does horsemanship mean to you?
DG: Being a
good horseman is a vocation. It is good for the soul. A good horse spends time
with a horse and not so much closed in an arena. A horse needs pasture and
space. Every animal needs a job, that’s people included. You just have to be
working towards something or you’re going backwards no matter what it is.
Connect
with Don…
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| Don's office wall. |
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| 1984 National Finals Rodeo, winning his 8th World Championship |
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| Tucson AZ 1984 First Place |
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