Vicki Adams (trick rider)

Last updated

Vicki Adams (born May 13, 1951) is a ProRodeo Hall of Fame cowgirl.

Contents

Life

Vicki Adams was born Vicki Herrera on May 13, 1951, on the Yakima Indian Reservation in Toppenish, Washington. [1] [2] She is of mixed Native American heritage. Adams' mother was enrolled Yakama. Adams' ethnicity was Yakama, Snohomish, Puyllap, Cowlitz, Cayuse, and Umatilla. However, Adams choose Cowlitz to be enrolled. This was due to her great-great grandmother's mother being full blood Cowlitz. Her given Indian name is Le Yi Ah. This name means "women who sews fast". [2]

Her father was a rodeo champion who taught his daughter rodeo. She was a barrel racer in an Indian association. She also performed trick riding. In 1969, she was an alternate Miss Indian America. At 18, she met and married Leon Adams. [2]

Career

For five decades, Leon and Vicki were a team who entertained rodeo audiences with their roman riding, trick riding, dancing horses, and trained bulls. They performed throughout the United States and in some other countries. They resided in Stuart, Oklahoma. [3] The Adams operated a 2,500 acre ranch in Stuart. [2]

Both of them competed on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, the top circuit in the United States. In 1982 Leon was awarded the PRCA Specialty Act of the Year; in 1984 Vicki received the award. After that, they both won the award in 1987 and 1997. For 19 straight years, they were nominated for the award. [1]

Honors

Along with the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, Adams was inducted into the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame in 2005. [2] Adams was presented with the Tad Lucas Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 2012. [4]

Retirement and Leon's death

Leon retired from competition into 2005. Adams retired in 2006. Leon was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2008 and died on October 30, 2017, in Stuart, Oklahoma. [5]

Related Research Articles

Peter Charles Knight was a Canadian and World Champion Rodeo Bronc Rider. Knight was the acclaimed "King of the Cowboys" of the 1930s, and held the Rodeo Association of America title "World Champion Bronc Rider" for 1932, 1933, 1935, and 1936. The Rodeo Hall of Fame in the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum inducted Knight in 1958. The Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame inducted Pete in 1998. The ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado, inducted Knight in the Saddle Bronc Riding category when it opened its doors in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ProRodeo Hall of Fame</span> Hall of fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado

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, present and future." It is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and only inducts Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and Women's Professional Rodeo Association members. It is the "only museum in the world devoted exclusively to the sport of professional rodeo."

Larry Mahan is an American former professional rodeo cowboy. He won six all-around world championships and two bull riding world championships in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) circuit at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). 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.

James A. Shoulders, 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 successful contestants in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), having won 16 World Championships, which was the most of any performer at that time. He was known as the 'Babe Ruth of rodeo'.

Lewis Feild was an American professional rodeo cowboy. He specialized in bareback bronc riding and saddle bronc riding and competed on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) circuit. He was the World All-Around Cowboy Champion from 1985 to 1987 at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). He was also the World Bareback Riding Champion from 1985 to 1986. The ProRodeo Hall of Fame inducted him in 1992 in the all-around category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum</span> Hall of Fame for rodeo

The National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum, formerly the National Cowboys of Color Museum and Hall of Fame, is a museum and hall of fame in Fort Worth, Texas.

Myrtis Dightman is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He is a ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee. Known as the "Jackie Robinson of Rodeo", Dightman was the first African-American to compete at the National Finals Rodeo.

Reg Kesler began his rodeo career at the age of 14 at the Raymond Stampede, competing in the boys steer riding. At the time, it was common for cowboys to compete in many or even all the rodeo events, and Kesler was no exception as he grew into his rodeo career. He participated in all five major rodeo events of the time: saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, tie-down roping and steer decorating, a precursor to steer wrestling. Kesler especially excelled in the roughstock events, namely saddle bronc riding and bareback riding, appearing in the top four in the Canadian standings in those events six times. He was also a successful competitor in the wild cow milking and wild horse racing, an outrider in the chuckwagon racing, and a well-known pick-up man. Kesler was a ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee.

Warren Granger "Freckles" Brown 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 riding, team roping, and steer wrestling. He was the World Bull Riding Champion in 1962. Brown was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado, for bull riding in 1979. He was also inducted into the inaugural class of the Bull Riding Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, Texas, in 2015. Brown was most famous for riding Tornado, who had an undefeated record of 220 riders. Brown was also a close friend and mentor of Lane Frost.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wanda Harper Bush</span> American barrel racer (b. 1931)

Wanda Harper Bush was an American professional rodeo cowgirl. She competed in the Girl's Rodeo Association (GRA), now known as the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA), and won two barrel racing world championships, in 1952 and 1953. She was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 1978 and the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2017. The August 2017 induction ceremony was ProRodeo's 38th annual event, and marked the first time in the event's history that the class of inductees included barrel racers from the Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA).

Pat North Ommert, in Bell, California, is a skilled rodeo trick rider. She performed as a stunt double in numerous films and toured the world with the Wild West shows through the 1940s and 60s.

Jimmie Gibbs Munroe is a ProRodeo Hall of Fame barrel racer inductee for 2019. Munroe is also the granddaughter of Zack Miller of the renowned Miller Brothers 101 Wild West Show. In addition, she also served in many positions on the Women's Professional Rodeo Association and helped advanced many causes for women competitors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tad Lucas</span> American trick rider

Tad Lucas is a ProRodeo Hall of Fame cowgirl inductee.

Nancy Sheppard is a ProRodeo Hall of Fame trick rider and trick roper who was inducted in 2003.

Jo Decker was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2001.

Pam Minick was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2000.

Karen Void is a 1978 National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame trick rider inductee.

Bob Tallman born Robert Matthew Tallman is a ProRodeo Hall of Fame American rodeo announcer. He is known as "the voice of professional rodeo".

Sharon Camarillo was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2006. She is a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier in barrel racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodeo Hall of Fame</span> Hall of Fame for rodeo

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 hall is a tribute to the most notable rodeo performers, who established the path for today's champions. The hall of fame has the largest rodeo collection in the nation and claims to be the first rodeo hall of fame.

References

  1. 1 2 "Vicki Adams". ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Vicki Herrera Adams". National Cowboys of Color Museum and Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Rodeo Hall Of Fame Inducts New Class". KKTV. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Tad Lucas Award". National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Leon Adams". ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 7, 2019.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.