James A. Shoulders (May 13, 1928 – June 20, 2007), also known as Jim Shoulders, was an American professional
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 ...
and
ranch
A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...
er. He is commemorated at 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 ...
. At the time of his death, he was one of the most successful contestants in 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), having won 16 World Championships, which was the most of any performer at that time. He was known as the '
Babe Ruth
George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Su ...
of rodeo'.
Rodeo career
In 1943, Shoulders won his first
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 ...
competition in
Oilton, Oklahoma
Oilton is a city in Creek County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 885 at the 2020 census, a 12.6% decline from the 1,013 recorded in 2010.
History
Oilton began during the development of the Cushing-Drumright Oil Field. The first lot ...
, at the age of fourteen. Shoulders earned $18.
He competed until his retirement due to injury at the age of forty-two. His success at competitions included:
:*World All-Around Champion Cowboy Championships (1949, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959).
:*World Bull Rider Championships. (1951 and 1954 to 1959).
:*World Bareback Bronc Rider Championships. (1950 and 1956 to 1958).
Shoulders was the first competitor to win all three events (bareback bronc, bull riding and all-round) at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR).
Shoulders set the record of 16 world championships in 1959 when he won his 15th and 16th titles.
The record stood for a long time until steer roper
Guy Allen
Guy Allen (born September 5, 1958) is an American ProRodeo Hall of Fame cowboy and an 18-time steer roping world champion. He competes in rodeos sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He won the world title for the stee ...
matched the record in 2001 after winning his 16th steer roping title. Two years later in 2003, he broke Shoulder's record after winning a 17th title. Allen won his 18th and final record to date in 2004. In 2013,
Trevor Brazile
Trevor Brazile (born November 16, 1976) is an American rodeo champion who competes in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He holds the record for the most PRCA world championship titles with 26. He won his 26th title in 2020. He al ...
won another all-around title and his total number of world titles moved to 19 world titles. This broke Allen's record of 18 world titles. As of 2020, Brazile has 26 world titles, eight more than Allen, who is in second place with 18 titles, and Shoulders is in third place with 16 titles. Brazile won his 26th title in 2020.
Business ventures
From his rodeo career earnings, Shoulders bought a
ranch
A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...
in Oklahoma where he raised livestock.
He owned several bucking "weather" bulls, the most famous of which was
Tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...
, a rodeo bull who threw 200 riders over 14 years. According to Frank Boggs, an Oklahoman sports writer and columnist, Shoulders bought Tornado in South Texas when he was three years old.
In 1967,
Freckles Brown
Warren Granger "Freckles" Brown (January 18, 1921 – March 20, 1987) was a hall of fame American rodeo cowboy from Wheatland, Wyoming. His career spanned from 1937 to 1974, competing in bull riding, saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc ri ...
rode Tornado.
On the basis of his rodeo success, Shoulders took work in advertising. His manager was
Billy Martin
Alfred Manuel Martin Jr. (May 16, 1928 – December 25, 1989), commonly called "Billy", was an American Major League Baseball second baseman and manager who, in addition to leading other teams, was five times the manager of the New York Yan ...
, a former
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
manager. He made advertisements for products such as
Miller Lite
Miller Lite is a 4.2% ABV light American lager beer sold by Molson Coors (previously MillerCoors) of Chicago, Illinois. The company also produces Miller Genuine Draft and Miller High Life. Miller Lite competes mainly with Anheuser-Busch's Bu ...
beer, jeans (helping to design the
Wrangler Jeans
Wrangler is an American manufacturer of jeans and other clothing items, particularly workwear. The brand is owned by Kontoor Brands Inc., which also owns Lee. Its headquarters is in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, in the United States, wi ...
13MWZ 'cowboy cut' jeans); and
Justin Boots
Justin Boots is an American western and equestrian footwear brand. It is a division of Justin Brands, Inc., itself owned by Berkshire Hathaway.
History
H.J. "Daddy Joe" Justin started repairing boots in Spanish Fort, Texas. After receiving a l ...
.
Honors
Shoulders is honored in many rodeo
halls of fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...
. He was an early participant in the American Cowboy Culture Association, which holds the annual National Cowboy Symposium and Celebration each September in
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock ( )
is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...
.
*Has an entry in ''The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' maintained online by the
Oklahoma Historical Society
The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is an agency of the government of Oklahoma dedicated to promotion and preservation of Oklahoma's history and its people by collecting, interpreting, and disseminating knowledge and artifacts of Oklahoma. ...
.
*Has an entry in the ''
Encyclopædia Britannica
The (Latin for "British Encyclopædia") is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; the company has existed since the 18th century, although it has changed ownership various time ...
''.
*Has an entry in the ''Encyclopedia of the Great Plains''.
[
*In 2017, was inducted into the Molalla Walk of Fame.
*In 2015, was an inaugural inductee into the ]Bull Riding Hall of Fame
The Bull Riding Hall of Fame, located at Cowtown Coliseum in the Fort Worth Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, is a hall of fame for the sport of bull riding. It is incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Texas, and ...
.
*In 2011, 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 ...
created the Heroes and Legends Celebration awards, one of which is the Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award.
*In 2007, was awarded the Legends of ProRodeo by 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 2003, was inducted into the Texas Trail of Fame
The Texas Trail Hall of Fame is a cowboy hall of fame in Fort Worth, Texas. Established in 1997, the building is located at 208 N.W. 24th Street, in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District of the city.
The hall honors individuals w ...
.
*In 2002, was inducted into the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame.
*In 1999, 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 1999, 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 1997, 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 ...
.
*In 1996, was an inaugural inductee into 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 ...
’s (PBR) Ring of Honor
Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was so ...
.
*In 1979, was an inaugural inductee 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 Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
.
*In 1976, was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame The Oklahoma Hall of Fame was founded in 1927 by Anna B. Korn to officially celebrate Statehood Day, recognize Oklahomans dedicated to their communities, and provide educational programming for all ages. The first Oklahoma Hall of Fame Induction Cer ...
.
*In 1955, was an inaugural inductee 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 ...
in its 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 ...
.
*Was inducted into the 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 ...
Hall of Fame in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.
Personal life
Shoulders was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
, on May 13, 1928. Shoulders attended East Central High there and graduated in 1946. In 1951, he moved to Henryetta. In 1947, Shoulders married Sharon Lee Heindselman, and they had four children. Shoulders' son, Marvin Paul Shoulders, has also competed professionally in rodeo sports.
According to his son, Marvin, Shoulders died on June 20, 2007, at 3:30 a.m. in Henryetta, Oklahoma
Henryetta is a city in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 5,927 at the 2010 census, down 9.6 percent from the figure of 6,096 recorded in 2000.
History
Hugh Henry established a ranch on Creek Nation land in 1885. He soon ...
. Shoulders fought a long battle with heart disease but succumbed to the disease at his home.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoulders, Jim
1928 births
2007 deaths
People from Henryetta, Oklahoma
Ranchers from Oklahoma
Bull riders
Sportspeople from Tulsa, Oklahoma
American people of English descent
ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees
All-Around
Stock contractors
Bareback bronc riders
Professional Bull Riders: Heroes and Legends