Larry Mahan
Born(1943-11-21)November 21, 1943
Salem, Oregon, U.S.
DiedMay 7, 2023(2023-05-07) (aged 79)
Valley View, Texas, U.S.
Occupations
  • Rodeo cowboy
  • entrepreneur
  • color commentator
  • actor
Years active
  • 1957–1977 (rodeo)
  • 2003–2009
Known forSubject of The Great American Cowboy
AwardsPRCA All-Around Champion (1966–1970, 1973)
HonorsProRodeo Hall of Fame (1979)

Larry Mahan (/ˈmeɪhæn/;[1] November 21, 1943 – May 7, 2023) was an American professional rodeo cowboy. He won six all-around world championships and two bull riding world championships in the Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit at the National Finals Rodeo.

Mahan was the subject of the documentary The Great American Cowboy, which won the 1974 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film. The ProRodeo Hall of Fame inducted him in 1979 in the all-around category. It also inducted him as a Legend of ProRodeo in 2010.

Rodeo career

Larry Mahan was born on November 21, 1943, in Salem, Oregon.[2] He began competing in professional rodeo at the age of 14.[3] He competed in the Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA) beginning in 1963. Said organization would later be renamed the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) in 1975.[4] He won the title of World All-Around Champion for five consecutive years from 1966 to 1970, and a sixth time in 1973.[3] His 1973 comeback and competition with Phil Lyne was the subject of the documentary The Great American Cowboy, which won the 1974 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film.[5]

In the RCA, he competed and regularly won in saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, and bull riding; he was the first to contest three National Final Rodeo events in one year. He was the high money winner in bull riding in 1965, and in 1967 won more than $50,000, the first to achieve that level in a single season. In the 1970 season he earned more than $280,000. He had a tough decade in the 1970s, winning an all-around title in 1973 but with injuries sidelining him some of the time.[4]

Mahan earned six all-around titles, but the last one was not consecutive. His consecutive all-around record of five titles was not surpassed until 1979 when Tom Ferguson won his sixth consecutive title.[6] In 1994, Ty Murray broke Mahan's and Ferguson's record of six titles and tied Ferguson's record of having won six titles consecutively. In 1998, Murray won his seventh title, surpassing both of them and holding the record for all-around titles at seven titles.[6] That's when they started calling Murray "King of the Cowboys."[7] In 2010, Trevor Brazile won his eighth all-around title, surpassing them all. In 2018, Brazile won his 14th all-around title.[8] Mahan was also the World Bull Riding Champion in 1965 and 1967.[3]

Outside rodeo

Mahan entered the rodeo school market by running a few schools himself. He even had his own brand of Western clothing. After he retired from rodeo in 1977, he bought a ranch near Phoenix, Arizona.[4]

Western wear entrepreneur

Mahan established the Larry Mahan Boot Collection, as well as a clothing line. He also licensed his name to various entities, including Tony Lama, Gensco, and others. Larry Mahan's Hat Collection has been available from the Milano Hat Company since 1984.[5]

Musician

Larry Mahan is one of the title characters in the song Ramblin' Jack and Mahan by Guy Clark.[9]

In 1976, he released an album on Warner Brothers entitled Larry Mahan, King of the Rodeo. Mahan said of his short-lived music career, "Couldn't sing a lick. I did a record ... It was a flop, but it was fun."[10] Mahan and his group opened for Waylon Jennings at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Mahan's later assessment of the experience was that "it became obvious that the crowd of 8,000 screaming fans were there to see Waylon, not me."[11]

Actor

Mahan had a small part in the 1972 Steve Ihnat film The Honkers, which starred James Coburn and Slim Pickens.[12] In 1975, he appeared in Sixpack Annie.[12] He also co-starred in the 1995 TV movie The Good Old Boys directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones and also featuring Sissy Spacek, Matt Damon, and Joaquin Jackson.[13]

Color commentator

While as an active rodeo contestant and even after retirement, Mahan provided some color commentary for televised PRCA rodeos. In 2003, he briefly served as a color commentator during the 2003 season of the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series on the Outdoor Life Network.[14]

Television host

Mahan hosted RFD-TV's Equestrian Nation until 2009.[15]

Death

Mahan died on May 7, 2023, at age 79 at his home in Valley View, Texas, after a prolonged struggle with cancer.[16][17]

Rodeo honors

Cultural references

In the 2007 film No Country for Old Men, Josh Brolin's character asks for and purchases a pair of "Larry Mahans" (cowboy boots) at a western clothing store, and during a subsequent visit is asked by the clerk how his "Larrys are holding up".[35][36]

References

  1. ↑ "An Interview with Rodeo-Legend Larry Mahan LIVE from the 20th WCRR". YouTube. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Larry Mahan biography". Retrieved April 20, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Larry Mahan – Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame". Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "Larry E. Mahan | American cowboy". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Larry Mahan". LarryMahan.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  6. 1 2 "PRCA World Champions (Historical)". Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Ty Murray – King of the Cowboys". www.tymurray.com. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Trevor Brazile wins 14th all-around title in final NFR". Las Vegas Review-Journal. December 16, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Ramblin' Jack and Mahan". CowboyLyrics.com. Retrieved May 30, 2007.
  10. ↑ "Collected Wisdom: Larry Mahan".
  11. ↑ "Mr. Rodeo: The Life and Legacy of Larry Mahan". November 19, 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Larry Mahan". IMDb. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  13. ↑ "The Good Old Boys".
  14. ↑ "Obituary: Larry Mahan Death Cause - How Did He Die?". May 8, 2023.
  15. ↑ "'Equestrian Nation' a New TV Show for Horse Lovers ~ EquestrianMag". equestrianmag.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Larry Mahan passes away". Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  17. ↑ Freeman, Joe (May 8, 2023). "Larry Mahan, Hall of Fame rodeo cowboy from Oregon, dies at 79". The Oregonian. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Larry Mahan | Rodeo Hall of Fame". National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  19. ↑ ""Rodeo" | Western Heritage Awards". National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
  21. ↑ "Larry Mahan". Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Larry Mahan" (PDF). Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame. pendletonhalloffame.com. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Larry Mahan". St. Paul Rodeo. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  24. ↑ "PBR Ring of Honor". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Larry Mahan | Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame". Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame Inductees". Cheyenne Frontier Days. www.cfdrodeo.com. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Larry Mahan". Western Heritage from the Texas Trail of Fame. June 10, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  28. ↑ "Larry Mahan". Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame | Fort Worth Texas. November 20, 2014. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Larry Mahan | Ben Johnson Memorial Award". National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  30. ↑ "Legends of ProRodeo – Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame". Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Bull Riding Hall of Fame inductees". Bull Riding Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Larry Mahan". Molalla Area Chamber Area of Commerce. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
  33. ↑ "The PBR Ty Murray Top Hand Award".
  34. ↑ "Ty Murray Top Hand Award". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  35. ↑ IMDB quotes
  36. ↑ No country for old men page 85

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