Rodeo U
In February, 1972, a cowboy from Nebraska came to campus. He felt the University of Minnesota needed a rodeo team.
In February, 1972, a cowboy from
Nebraska came to campus. His name
was Bob Cherry and he was from
the Sandhill country of Northern
Nebraska. Mr. Cherry felt the University
of Minnesota needed a rodeo team.
I was studying agricultural economics
and finishing my second year as the
president of the Student Center Board
of Governors at the time. Cherry was
looking for horse people on the St. Paul
campus, and I was easy to find. I wore
an aging Stetson and practiced roping a
stump in front of 1306 Cleveland Avenue.
I used my skills in student government
to register a rodeo team as an approved
organization, opened a bank account
through the University, and received a
grant to place an ad in the Minnesota
Daily for the first meeting. Then, on the
last Thursday in February, a dozen or so
horse people showed up at the Livestock
Pavilion. We passed the hat for dues and
started a rodeo school, meeting every
Tuesday and Thursday.
Mr. Cherry and members of the Alpha
Gamma Rho fraternity made a bucking
dummy from a 55-gallon barrel, four
garage springs, some rope and connectors. Someone else showed up with a
homemade roping dummy. We practiced
roping and “riding.” The bucking dummy
was attached to four corners of the
Livestock Pavilion and we took turns
tying ourselves to the barrel with a bull
rope. Then, four guys (or gals) pulled on
the ropes to make the barrel buck.
After a while, Mr. Cherry said we
needed live horses to see if we really
wanted to be bronc riders. So, someone
found an indoor arena in Coates, Minnesota, that would let us set up bucking
chutes with horses that were supplied by
an auction service.
At the end of March, Mr. Cherry went
home to help with his family’s ranch and
our new rodeo club entered the University of Nebraska Rodeo. Five of us drove
to Lincoln in my mom’s car.
I was the bareback bronc rider. Matt
Bad Heart Bull, who was from Wounded
Knee, South Dakota, rode saddle broncs
and calf roped. Two boys from the Minneapolis campus with high school rodeo
experience brought their calf roping
horse. Two sisters, Ellen and Colleen,
from Osseo, and Jane Jacobi from
Vernon Center joined us. The sisters had
high school rodeo experience in barrel
racing and goat tying. This was a scouting
trip for them. They also sewed up a set
of maroon and gold vests for us to wear
during the competition.
Afterwards, there was a rodeo dance,
which led to even more interesting
stories than the actual rodeo. But, we
survived and made it back to campus.
By the time we competed in the next
rodeo, which was at the University of
South Dakota, our group had acquired
more rodeo equipment.
I bought a bareback rigging, spurs, and
a bull rope. My parents sprung for a pair
of chaps. (Jane Jacobi would eventually
leave her brand new calf rope in my
mom’s car, which I still have to this day.)
I sported a well-worn cowboy hat every
day that winter.
We didn’t get the club back together
in the fall because no one ever called me
to ask when the next meeting was.
I still have Jane’s rope, the bareback
rigging, and some bucking straps we had
made up for the rodeo school.
Larry Kiewel (B.S. ’78) was
active for 40 consecutive
years in Minnesota 4-H and
worked in manufacturing. He
and his wife, Marci, have a son, daughter, and five grandsons.