Flint Rasmussen (born January 25, 1968) is an American former professional rodeo barrelman. He is perhaps the most famous barrelman in the history of bull riding. [1] [2] [3]
A former high school math and history teacher, Rasmussen signed a contract with the Professional Bull Riders and provided entertainment at their Premier Series events. Also long associated with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, he earned the title of PRCA Clown of the Year for eight consecutive years and won the Coors Man in the Can honor seven times. [2] [3]
On January 25, 1968, Stan and Tootsie Rasmussen had their youngest child, Flint, in Havre, Montana. [4] Flint Rasmussen grew up in Choteau, Montana, where he started his career in sports. [4] [5] Rasmussen was an All-State football player and track star for Choteau High School. [4] [5] After high school, Rasmussen attended college at the University of Montana Western where he completed a double major in history and math 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. [4] To help with the expenses of college, Rasmussen worked as a barrel clown in western Montana. [4] Rasmussen made his first appearance as a rodeo clown in Superior, Montana, at the age of 19. [4] 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. [4] "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. [5] After he completed college, Flint Rasmussen returned to the town he was born in, Havre, and taught at Havre High School in addition to coaching football and track. [5] 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. [5]
Flint Rasmussen comes from a rodeo family with three other siblings. He has two brothers, Will and Pete, and a sister, Linda White. [4] Flint's parents are Stan and Tootsie Rasmussen. [4] Stan Rasmussen, Flint's father, was a rodeo announcer and his brother, Will, followed in his father's footsteps as a rodeo announcer. [4] Will still is a top PRCA rodeo announcer. [4] Flint met ex-wife, Katie Grasky, who was a barrel racer, while he was touring. [6] Flint has two daughters, Shelby and Paige, who also barrel race. [4] [6]
"I think it's hard to come into this sport cold at 25 and try to learn it," Rasmussen said. [6] But that did not stop him. He did his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 1998. [4] When Rasmussen signed with the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) in 2005, the contract was exclusive and he now only worked for the PBR. Before signing with the PBR, he was the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Clown of the Year for eight consecutive years. [4] Along with those honors, he was the Coors Man in the Can seven times. [4] In 2010, Rasmussen made a special appearance as the Pendleton High School graduation speaker. [4] In 2011, he was inducted into the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame. [7] In 2014, he was inducted into the St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame. [8] In 2019, he was inducted into the Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame. [9] In November 2024, he will be inducted into the National Rodeo Hall of Fame. [10]
On March 11, 2009, Rasmussen, at the age of 41, suffered a heart attack at his house in Choteau, Montana. [11] After a couple of procedures, he was back in the arena in a short time. [12] "The No. 1 thing that surprised me was the crowd reaction... and I've missed these people," [11] [12] 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. [11] [12]
Rasmussen began to transition away from being an arena entertainer to become a color commentator for PBR during the inaugural PBR Team Series season in 2022; serving as a second sideline reporter with Allen Bestwick at some events. However, at other Team Series events, he returned to his role as arena entertainer. [13]
In February 2023, Rasmussen announced that he was retiring as PBR arena entertainer at the end of the 2023 PBR World Finals in May and becoming a full-time commentator beginning at Cheyenne Frontier Days, the opening event of the PBR Team Series during the second half of the calendar year. [14] Rasmussen officially retired after working the 2023 PBR World Finals in May. [15] He was the barrelman for the National Finals Rodeo eight times (1998 through 2005) and the barrelman/arena entertainer for the PBR World Finals 26 times (1997, 1998, and 2000 through 2023). He began his full-time career as a sideline reporter for the PBR Team Series in July of that year. Allen Bestwick did not return as a sideline reporter for the PBR Team Series, and Rasmussen's sideline reporting partner was now five-time PRCA World Champion steer wrestler Luke Branquinho, who himself had retired as a rodeo contestant in 2021.
Rasmussen now resides in Fort Worth, Texas. [10]
A rodeo clown, bullfighter or rodeo protection athlete, is a rodeo performer who works in bull riding competitions. Originally, the rodeo clown was a single job combining "bullfighting" — the protection of riders thrust from the bull, as well as being an individual who provided comic relief. Today, the job is split into two separate ones: bullfighters who protect the riders from the bull, and entertainers (barrelmen) who provide comic humor. However, in some parts of the world and at some small rodeos, the jobs of bull rider protection and comic remain combined.
Lane Clyde Frost was an American professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding, and competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He was the 1987 PRCA World Champion bull rider. Frost was also the only rider ever to score a qualified ride on Red Rock, the 1987 PRCA Bucking Bull of the Year. During a ride in 1989 nicknamed "The Last Ride", Lane sustained fatal injuries when the bull Takin' Care of Business struck Frost with his right horn. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
Quail Dobbs was a famous rodeo clown and performer, inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2002.
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Larry Mahan 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.
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Richard Neale "Tuff" Hedeman is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in bull riding. He won the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) bull riding world championship three times, as well as the 1995 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) world championship. He also won the 1993 world championship for the now-defunct Bull Riders Only (BRO) organization. He is also one of the co-founders of the PBR and is known for having been one of rodeo icon Lane Frost's closest friends. Hedeman and the infamous bucking bull Bodacious had a few historic clashes. He later served as the President of the PBR and then the President and Ambassador of Championship Bull Riding (CBR). In 2018, he formed his own bull riding organization: the Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding Tour (THBRT).
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Ted Nuce is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He was the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) World Champion bull rider in 1985, and was a co-founder of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) in 1992. He won the inaugural PBR World Finals event in 1994. In his career, he qualified for the NFR 14 consecutive times from 1982 through 1995 and qualified for the first two PBR World Finals in 1994 and 1995.
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Skoal Pacific Bell #14 was an American bucking bull best known for being the only three-time consecutive Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Bucking Bull of the Year and for only being ridden 5 times in 150 attempts. In 2007, he was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. As of 2016, he was the seventh and most recent bull so honored. The PRCA said in an official YouTube induction video that "Skoal Pacific Bell was a crowd pleaser and a cowboy challenger."
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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 created to "recognize, memorialize, and applaud the bull riders, bullfighters, bulls, stock contractors, events, and individuals who have made a historic contribution and attained stellar performance in the sport." Membership is open to fans worldwide.
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Sage Steele Kimzey is an American professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in bull riding. For most of his career, he competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), winning seven bull riding world championships. He also competed in the now-defunct Championship Bull Riding (CBR) organization, where he won three world championships. Since 2023, he has ridden for the Carolina Cowboys during the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Team Series season. As of 2024, he competes full-time in the PBR.
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