Jim Shoulders was an acquaintance I had spoken to only a couple of times, but I felt like we were friends. I imagine most felt that way after meeting the man who I immediately think of when you talk about great Oklahomans.
To hear on Wednesday of his death at 79 came as a shock considering the lively conversations I had with him last fall.
Writing for many years about crime and then the arts, I never thought I’d come in contact with the world’s greatest cowboy. When he decided to visit the Circle Cinema last September to talk about “Bullrider,” a fascinating documentary he appears in, I jumped at the chance.
He was more than polite, he was accommodating. In an era of individuals who are the biggest names in their respective fields using handlers as impenetrable barriers between themselves and public view, Jim was quick to issue an invite to his ranch southeast of Henryetta.
A bull’s head on the wall, numerous trophy saddles and other items were the evidence of a champion’s career. Talking to the man was evidence of an Oklahoman who had traveled the world to show off the skills he learned here at home.
When you’re a 16-time world champion cowboy like Shoulders, there’s a reason that a Dallas Cowboy like Troy Aikman insists that Henryetta’s town sign honor both local heroes, but that Shoulders’ name come first.
As the descendant of more than a few Oklahoma dirt farmers, I loved his stories of the old days, and of the decision at age 14 that he’d rather fight bulls than farm the fields.
“It was 1942, and I can remember working the wheat and oat harvest for a neighbor in Tulsa, making 25 cents an hour, at 10 hours a day. One day there was a problem with a thresher, and I went over to a rodeo in Oilton where I rode the bulls. I won it and won $18, and that sure beat the hell out of 25 cents an hour.”
If there’s anything a reporter has an appreciation for, it’s a straight shooter, and Shoulders fired fast and furious. He was not only the voice of experience in his line of work, but the rodeo clown as well, as evidenced by some of his quotes in my story.
On retirement: “I don’t do nothin’ now, and I don’t do it till after 11 o’clock.”
On attending current rodeos: “These days, it seems like they need a little more riding and a lot less bull….folks like to see a bull rode occasionally.”
He enjoyed a good laugh, and he enjoyed making bold statements. He’d earned the right to make them, and he had few complaints about the many injuries incurred during a career that him famous.
“I’ve bought a few teeth. Broken nose, broken collarbone, broken pelvis, broken legs. But nothing serious,” he said, another one of those lines that you could tell he had used a couple of hundred times or so.
“You try to forget about those things. There ain’t a thing wrong with me that 40 years and winning the lottery wouldn’t fix.”
I doubt they’re running the Lotto up in heaven, but you can bet they’ve got a special round-up arena for great Oklahomans like Jim Shoulders.
