![Flint Rasmussen](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Flint_Rasmussen.jpg)
Flint Rasmussen (born January 25, 1968) is an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
professional
rodeo barrelman. He is perhaps the most famous "rodeo clown" or "rodeo barrelman" in the sport of
bull riding
Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to buck off the rider.
American bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." To recei ...
. He currently resides in
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metrop ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
A former
high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
math and history teacher, Rasmussen signed a contract with the
Professional Bull Riders
The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional bull riding organization based in Pueblo, Colorado, United States. In the U.S., PBR events have been televised on CBS and CBS Sports Network since 2012. In 2013, the ...
and currently provides entertainment at their Premier Series events. Long associated with the
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States and Canada, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the National F ...
, Rasmussen earned the title of ''PRCA Clown of the Year'' for eight consecutive years and won the ''
Coors Man in the Can'' honor seven times.
[
]
Early life
On January 25, 1968, Stan and Tootsie Rasmussen had their youngest child, Flint, in Havre, Montana
Havre ( ) is the county seat and largest city in Hill County, Montana, United States. Havre is nicknamed the crown jewel of the Hi-Line. It is said to be named after the city of Le Havre in France. As of the 2020 census the population was 9,362 ...
. Flint Rasmussen grew up in Choteau, Montana
Choteau is a city in and the county seat of Teton County, Montana, United States. It lies along U.S. Routes 89 and 287, (the latter terminating at the former in this city) approximately east of the Rocky Mountains, near Flathead National F ...
, where he started his career in sports. Rasmussen was an All-State football player and track star for Choteau High School. After high school, Rasmussen attended college at the University of Montana Western
The University of Montana Western (UMW) is a public college in Dillon, Montana. It is affiliated with the University of Montana and part of the Montana University System. It was founded in 1893 as Montana State Normal School and was also the West ...
where he completed a double major in history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
and math
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
as an honor student. As the public radio sports announcer for the UMW Bulldogs, Rasmussen had his voice heard for the first time by an audience. To help with the expenses of college, Rasmussen worked as a barrel clown in western Montana. Rasmussen made his first appearance as a rodeo clown in Superior, Montana
Superior is a town in, and the county seat of, Mineral County, Montana, United States. The population was 830 at the 2020 census.
History
Superior was named after its founders' hometown of Superior, Wisconsin in 1869. The post office was establi ...
, at the age of 19. Flint had his first thoughts about being a rodeo clown when he told his father and brother that he could do better than the rodeo clowns at the time. "I just thought it needed a new energy, a young guy who could relate and get young people to get back to rodeo," Rasmussen said. After he completed college, Flint Rasmussen returned to the town he was born in, Havre, and taught at Havre High School
Havre High School is a high school (grades 912) in the small town of Havre, Hill County, Montana. It is within the Havre Public Schools. The school colors are blue and white and the mascot is the Blue Ponies.
Notable alumni
* Jacob Bachmeier, ...
in addition to coaching football and track. While teaching at Havre High School, Flint was also the public address announcer at Northern Montana College (now MSU - Northern) home Lights and Skylights Basketball games. After two years of teaching and coaching, Rasmussen grew restless and started his career as a barrelman.
Family
Flint Rasmussen comes from a rodeo family with three other siblings. He has two brothers, Will and Pete, and a sister, Linda White. Flint's parents are Stan and Tootsie Rasmussen. Stan Rasmussen, Flint's father, was a rodeo announcer and his brother, Will, followed in his father's footsteps as a rodeo announcer. Will still is a top PRCA rodeo announcer. Flint met ex-wife, Katie Grasky, who was a barrel racer
Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to run a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. In collegiate and professional ranks, it is usually a women's event, though both sexes compete at amateur and ...
, while he was touring. Flint has two daughters, Shelby and Paige, who also barrel race.
Achievements
"I think it's hard to come into this sport cold at 25 and try to learn it," Rasmussen said. But that did not stop him. Flint Rasmussen did his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo
The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) is the premier rodeo event by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). The NFR showcases the talents of the PRCA's top 15 money-winners in the season for each event.
The NFR is held each year in the fi ...
(NFR) in 1998. That same year, he was a barrel clown at the Pendleton Round Up, and thirteen years later, in 2011, Rasmussen was inducted into the Pendleton Hall of Fame. When Flint signed with the Professional Bull Riders
The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional bull riding organization based in Pueblo, Colorado, United States. In the U.S., PBR events have been televised on CBS and CBS Sports Network since 2012. In 2013, the ...
(PBR) in 2005, the contract was exclusive and Rasmussen now only works for the PBR. Before signing with the PBR, Rasmussen was the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States and Canada, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the National F ...
(PRCA) Clown of the Year for eight consecutive years. Along with those honors, he was the Coors Man in the Can seven times. In 2010, Rasmussen made a special appearance as the Pendleton High School graduation speaker. In 2011, Rasmussen was inducted into the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame
The Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame, is a hall of fame located in Pendleton, Oregon, United States. Begun in 1969, it was the first hall of fame started by an individual show, the Pendleton Round-Up. Exhibits focus on show mem ...
. In 2014, he was inducted into the St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame
The St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame is a cowboy hall of fame. Established in 1998, the hall of fame was created to honor those individuals who, throughout its history, made significant contributions or distinguished themselves in their performances t ...
. In 2019, he was inducted into the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame
The Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame is a cowboy hall of fame. The hall of fame for the Ellensburg Rodeo was established in 1997. The hall of fame writes a biography for each inductee in a permanent file. It also collects and stores inductee rodeo ...
.
Health episode
On March 11, 2009, Flint Rasmussen, at the age of 41, suffered a heart attack at his house in Choteau, Montana. After a couple of procedures, he was back in the arena in a short time. "The No. 1 thing that surprised me was the crowd reaction... and I've missed these people," Rasmussen said on returning to the arena after his heart attack. He got back to the arena with only a few differences: he had to wear a heart rate monitor and had to take a few breaks when his heart rate exceeded 140 bpm.
2020s
During the 2022 PBR Team Series, Rasmussen served as a second sideline reporter, joining Allen Bestwick
Allen Bestwick (born September 24, 1961) is an American sportscaster. He is the lead play-by-play voice for University of Connecticut women’s basketball telecasts for SNY, the lead track announcer at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the l ...
in the role at some events. However, at other Team Series events, he returned to his role as arena entertainer.
In February 2023, Rasmussen announced that he was retiring as PBR arena entertainer at the end of the 2023 PBR World Finals in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...
in May. He would join the commentator booth for the PBR Team Series during the second half of the calendar year.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasmussen, Flint
1968 births
Living people
Rodeo clowns
People from Choteau, Montana
People from Havre, Montana
University of Montana alumni
Schoolteachers from Montana