howdy folks and greetings from the Great Plains of North
Texas where the rain continues and the parched earth is
rejoicing!
Well in my series of one of our most famous but
black cowboys, Mrytis Dightman we left off with him
finishing his career having never won the national title in
bull riding.
He started out doing this as a rodeo clown:
to this:
source
Both of them are crazy dangerous but that never stopped
him or even slowed him down. In fact, I don't think he
ever had any fear of these monsters. I think he was so
driven that he didn't have time for fear.
Here's an account of just one of his injuries, the monster
bull's name is B-16, who was a champion in his own way.
"Three jumps out of the chute, B-16 threw his head back
and struck Dightman in the forehead. The cowboy
to the dirt, blood pouring from the wound. Before the
bullfighters could reach them, B-16 delivered a parting
kick to the side of Dightman’s skull.
He was carried off on a stretcher and rushed to Pima
County Hospital, where it took seventy stitches to piece
his face back together. His head was so swollen that he
couldn’t put on his hat, but Dightman boarded an
evening flight to Houston, and the next day, still
bleeding beneath two inches of bandages, he was back
on another bull, trying to make eight."
By the way, if you are new to bull riding, "trying to make
eight" is referring to the eight seconds that a rider has to
stay on a bull to have a perfect score. And if you don't
think that's a long time then you should try it sometime!
Believe me, eight seconds feels like a lifetime.
Anyway, this is just one example of a career full of road
blocks that Myrtis overcame, or bull dozed his way
through them. Well, he IS a Texan after all!
When he was about to retire a young black kid, a
teenager, tracked him down and wanted Myrtis to teach
him how to ride. Myrtis made a deal with him that if he,
the kid, would finish High School he would teach him.
The kids name is Charles Sampson, he finished school
and Myrtis trained him. Because of the color barrier that
Myrtis broke before him, Charles was able to win the
national championship even though many rodeos
scored him lower than white riders.
By the time Charles retired it was accepted that black
cowboys were as good at riding as white ones. duh.
Only took em 200 years to figure that one out!
Believe it or not, Myrtis kept riding even though he had
retired from the professional rodeo circuit. He kept
riding into his 50's which was unheard of for bull riders.
He went on to win the Old Timers Rodeo Association in
1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987.
His last ride was in 1988 when they dedicated a new,
annual rodeo in his hometown of Crockett, Texas called
the Myrtis Dightman Hall of Fame Rodeo. They placed a
bronze bust of his likeness there:
source
This is the same rodeo that used to refuse him entry as
a rider! My my...how one man's persistence can change
things!
This event draws competitors from across the state and
raises scholarship funds for young cowboys. Dightman is
always on hand to sign autographs and offer words of
encouragement to up-and-coming athletes.
Myrtis lives by himself on his ranch in Crockett, Texas.
He works runs a small herd of cattle which he takes care
of in the morning then runs up and sits down on his
rocking chair on his front porch.
When asked how he is so spry and light-footed when
most riders are seriously banged up by the time they're
in their mid 20's like this:
source
Myrtis simply says.."the Lord's been good to me." lol.
I love that! He's still super strong but humble. He's been
inducted into every hall of fame for pro bull riders,
including the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame and
ProRodeo Hall of Fame and the Professional Bull Riders’s
Ring of Honor.
Well deserved sir, very well deserved. At age 83.. “I’ve had
a good life,” Dightman says, resting in the shade of his
porch. “I was a cowboy.”
thanks for reading folks, God bless you all!
-jonboy Texas
the gentleman redneck
ps- my friend 
and their fate after the rodeos. Trust me, they are treated like
royalty, very well cared for and wellfed and are prized in their
own right.