Warren G. Brown
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2017) |
Warren G. "Freckles" Brown | |
---|---|
Born | Wheatland, Wyoming, U.S. | January 18, 1921
Died | March 20, 1987 Soper, Oklahoma, U.S. | (aged 66)
Nationality | American |
Awards | 1962 RCA World Champion Bull Rider |
Warren Granger "Freckles" Brown (January 18, 1921 – March 20, 1987) was a
Early career
Brown began competitive rodeo in Willcox, Arizona in 1937, at the age of 16. In 1941, he won his first bull riding trophy by riding his horse to Cody, Wyoming, before riding back again.[citation needed]
World War II
Brown enlisted to join the
1962 World Championship
Brown was injured badly in October 1962 at the rodeo in Portland, Oregon. While riding a bull name "Black Smoke" for 8 seconds, the bull flipped Brown, who fell on his head, paralyzing him.[2] The doctor "pulled on his head and feeling returned to his right side and left foot". He was operated on and put in traction for 34 days, followed by a plaster cast "from his waist to the top of his brow for over 2 months". He had saved enough money to win the Championship.[3][1] His earnings in 1962 were $18,675. Brown competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (formerly the Rodeo Cowboys Association).[4].During that year he won the World Bull Riding Championship at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) while he was on the sidelines watching.[clarification needed]
Tornado, the unrideable bull
Brown is remembered for riding an "unrideable" bull named Tornado in December 1967.
Awards and recognition
- 1962 West Best Cowboy (World Champion) Award.
- 1972 For the 1971 Film/Television - Western Documentary - “Rodeo,” Concepts Unlimited, Inc and Contemporary Films/McGraw Hill; Gaby Monet, Producer; Carroll Ballard, Director; Freckles Brown & Larry Mahan, Actors. Western Heritage Awards of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum[9]
- 1979 ProRodeo Hall of Fame[10]
- 1983 Brown received a trophy in 1983 that is in Denver for his "life long contribution to the sport of rodeo"[11]
- 1986 Rodeo Hall of Fame of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum[12]
- 1993 Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame[13]
- 2006 Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame[14]
- 2015 Bull Riding Hall of Fame[15]
- 2017 Molalla Walk of Fame[16]
Personal life
He was the youngest of 10 brothers and sisters. Brown had a wife named Edith, and a daughter named Donna Harrison, and two grandchildren.[3]
Brown had retired at age 53 to his 600-acre ranch in
His cancer returned in 1987, after being in
He was a friend and mentor to bull riding champion Lane Frost, who is buried next to him in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Hugo, Oklahoma.[8][19]
References
- ^ a b c "Stories of the Ages | Freckles Brown: The Ride". ndepth.newsok.com. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
- ^ herzberger, alan. "The well-told story of Freckles Brown and Tornado". Retrieved December 18, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Freckles Brown". lanefrost.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2016.
- ^ "History of the PRCA". Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
- ^ "Legendary Rodeo Champion Jim Shoulders, 79". June 21, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2017 – via washingtonpost.com.
- ^ a b W. K., Stratton (May 25, 1987). "Sitting Atop A Tornado: In 1967, at 46, Freckles Brown rode the unridable bull". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 24, 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
- ^ "Tornado". The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
- ^ a b Cathy Logan, "Freckles Brown's ride on Tornado is the stuff of songs and legends", Tulsa World, January 5, 2006.
- ^ "Western Heritage Awards". National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ "Warren G. "Freckles" Brown - Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame". Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
- ^ Joseph, Dana. "Freckles Brown". Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
- ^ "Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductees - National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum". National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
- ^ "Freckles Brown". Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
- ^ "Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame". www.oldwestmuseum.org. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
- ^ "Bull Riding Hall of Fame inductees". Bull Riding Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
- ^ "Walk of Fame - Molalla Area Chamber of Commerce, OR". www.molallachamber.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
- ^ Bates, Weston. "The legacy of Freckles Brown". Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
- ^ "National Finals Rodeo | The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture". www.okhistory.org. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
- ^ "Cowboy's funeral draws throng", AP in Tulsa World, August 3, 1989.
External links
- Freckles Brown at lanefrost.com
- The Ride - National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Tip: If there is just blank space under "The Ride" text on this page, you can still click in that space and watch the video.
- Ballad of Freckles Brown - Lyrics
Videos:
- Red Steagall- Freckles Brown.wmv YouTube video of Red Steagall singing his song "Freckles Brown."
- My Last Ride by Sam Hill YouTube Video