Gene Rambo (June 12, 1920 – February 21, 1988) was an American

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

who competed in International Rodeo Association (IRA) events in the 1940s and 1950s. Rambo won the IRA's all-around cowboy season championship four times between 1946 and 1950. He took part in numerous disciplines, including saddle bronc riding, steer roping, steer wrestling, and tie-down roping. Rambo was inducted into the

ProRodeo Hall of Fame The ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy was opened in August 1979 as a museum designed to "preserve the legacy of the cowboy contests, the heritage and culture of those original competitions, and the champions of the past, pr ...

in 1989.

Biography

Rambo was born in

San Miguel, California San Miguel (Spanish for " St. Michael") is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in San Luis Obispo County, California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,336. San Miguel was founded by the Spanish in 1797, when Mission San Miguel ...

, on June 12, 1920. His father was a ranch foreman in

Monterey County Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas. Montere ...

. By the age of seven, Rambo was helping to train horses. At the age of 17, he participated in a rodeo for the first time in 1937; he took part in

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 ...

in that event. At the 1938 Frontier Days rodeo in

Prescott, Arizona Prescott ( ) is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona T ...

, Rambo won "His first big rodeo money", according to ''

The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circulation) lists it as the 59th larges ...

''s Willard H. Porter. Rambo went on to participate in International Rodeo Association (IRA) events. In 1944, he was the all-around champion at the

Pendleton Round-Up The Pendleton Round-Up is a major annual rodeo in the northwestern United States, at Pendleton in northeastern Oregon. Held at the Pendleton Round-Up Stadium during the second full week of September each year since 1910, the rodeo brings roug ...

and received the Sam Jackson Trophy for his effort. At a 1945 event in

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

in New York City, Rambo suffered a broken bone in his shoulder and was forced to withdraw. In 1946, he won the all-around IRA season championship. Rambo was the season earnings leader in each of the five disciplines that comprised the IRA all-around standings, becoming the first cowboy to accomplish the feat. In addition, he was the first "to win an all-around world championship and the all-around championship of a major show all in 10 days' competition, plus three individual event championships for the show." Two years later, he claimed his second IRA all-around title. Rambo was the all-around champion, and the leading earner in saddle bronc riding and bareback bronc riding, in that year's Newhall-Saugus Rodeo, and he was the leader in two disciplines at

Cheyenne Frontier Days Cheyenne Frontier Days is an outdoor rodeo and western celebration in the United States, held annually since 1897 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It bills itself as the "World's Largest Outdoor Rodeo and Western Celebration." The event, claimed to be one of ...

. In 1949, he repeated as the all-around champion, becoming the first cowboy with three all-around season titles. At one San Francisco rodeo, he won around $4,000 in prize money; for the season, he earned 10,723 standings points and approximately $25,000 in earnings. That year, he also won the all-around competition at the

Ellensburg Rodeo The Ellensburg Rodeo opens every Labor Day weekend along with the Kittitas County Fair in Ellensburg, Washington. Started in 1923, the Ellensburg Rodeo has grown from a local competition among ranch hands to the Professional event of today with ...

, and finished third in the Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA) all-around cowboy season standings, behind

Jim Shoulders James A. Shoulders (May 13, 1928 – June 20, 2007), also known as Jim Shoulders, was an American professional rodeo cowboy and rancher. He is commemorated at the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. At the time of his death, he was one of the most successfu ...

and

Bill Linderman William E. Linderman (April 13, 1920 – November 11, 1965) was an American rodeo cowboy who competed on the Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA) circuit in the 1940s and 1950s. During his career, he won RCA All-Around Cowboy titles in 1950 and 1953, ...

. In 1950, Rambo won the steer wrestling competition at the Newhall-Saugus Rodeo, and was the calf roping champion at the

Fort Worth Stock Show The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo (formally the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show) is the oldest continuously running livestock show and rodeo. It has been held annually in Fort Worth, Texas since 1896, traditionally in mid-January throu ...

(where he earned $2,500). At the end of that year's IRA season, Rambo was crowned the organization's all-around champion for the fourth time. After that season, he announced that he would not participate in most bull riding disciplines in the future, although he remained active in other events. In 1955, Rambo partnered with Everett Muzio to win the team roping competition at the Reno Rodeo, a feat he repeated in 1958 with Jim Rodriguez. Rambo was the 1957 all-around winner at the

California Rodeo Salinas Salinas, California, Salinas is a major stop on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) circuit. The Salinas rodeo (pronounced the Spanish way: "roDAYo") began in 1911 as a Wild West Show on the site of the old race track ground, now ...

; it was his third championship at the rodeo, having won titles in 1948 and 1949. In two of the next three years (1958 and 1960), he and Rodriguez tied for the California Rodeo Salinas all-around championship. With Rodriguez, Rambo won the team roping average earnings championship at the

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 ...

in 1959 and 1960. The pair also won team roping titles at the California Rodeo Salinas four times in a six-year span between 1957 and 1962. Rambo was a member of the RCA's board of directors from 1962 to 1965. At and during his peak years in rodeo, Rambo was noted for his versatility. He participated in bareback and saddle bronc riding, tie-down roping, steer roping, and steer wrestling. In addition, he took part in team roping events. Porter said of Rambo that "He was hard as a rock, yet he had the suppleness and flexibility of much smaller riders. On February 21, 1988, Rambo was killed when he accidentally shot himself while climbing a fence. He was 67 years old. In 1955, he was inducted into the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 American West, Western and Native Americans in the United States, American Indian art works and Artifact (archaeology), ar ...

Rodeo Hall of Fame The Rodeo Hall of Fame was established by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1955. Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., the Hall was created to celebrate the contributions of cowboys and cowgirls from around the world. The ha ...

. 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 ...

Pendleton, Oregon Pendleton is a city and the county seat of Umatilla County, Oregon. The population was 17,107 at the time of the 2020 census, which includes approximately 1,600 people who are incarcerated at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution. Pendleton ...

inducted Rambo in 1969, 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 ...

inducted him in 1998, the

inducted him in 1989, and the

California Rodeo Salinas Hall of Fame The California Rodeo Salinas Hall of Fame is a cowboy hall of fame. Established in 2010 by the California Rodeo Salinas, the hall of fame recognizes and awards those individuals who helped build the rodeo and those rodeo performers who helped th ...

inducted him in 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rambo, Gene 1920 births 1988 deaths Firearm accident victims in the United States People from San Luis Obispo County, California ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from California