Whitfield, Fred 1967–

views updated

Fred Whitfield 1967–

Professional rodeo cowboy

In 1991, Fred Whitfield, a professional rodeo cowboy, became the first African American cowboy to win the world title in calf roping. He also became the top money earner in the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association in 1992. Whitfield not only went on to win two more world championships in calf roping, he has continued to break existing records.

Whitfield became interested in roping at the age of five while watching the sport at the Moffitt family roping arena in Cypress, Texas. His mother worked as a housekeeper for the Moffitt family, and Whitfield used to go with her to watch twelve-year-old Roy Moffitt as he practiced roping cattle. Whitfield began roping at the age of seven. He told Tom Foust of the Arizona Daily Star, “It got in my blood. All I ever wanted to do was rope calves. I have a craving for it, like smoking.” His first horse was a Shetland pony, and he used an extension cord for a rope. In addition to roping mailboxes, chickens, and goats, Whitfield would rope his own mother. She told a Houston Chronicle reporter, “If I was in the kitchen cooking, I’d look around and he’d done throwed a rope around my neck, sometimes around my leg.”

Competed at an Early Age

When Whitfield started competing in peewee rodeos at the age of nine, he won his first competition. Shortly after that victory, his parents divorced. His mother moved the family to Houston, and Whitfield struggled in his new surroundings. He returned to Cypress to live first with his aunt, then his grandfather, and finally, Roy Moffitt. By age twelve, Whitfield had won numerous saddles and trophies. Moffitt took Whitfield with him to rodeos and would pay Whitfield’s entry fees when he could. Later, when Whitfield’s natural talent enabled him to win more rodeo events than his friend, Moffitt made sure Whitfield’s entry fees were always paid.

Besides calf roping, Whitfield tried bull riding and steer wrestling. However, he found that he enjoyed calf roping better. He also played football until he entered high school. At that point, he chose rodeo over football. Whitfield developed his skills as he watched different ropers. He especially admired Roy Cooper of Childress, Texas, an eight-time world champion calf-roper and the

At a Glance…

Born Fred Whitfield, August 5, 1967 in Houston, TX.

Career: Professional rodeo cowboy and horse trainer.

Selected awards: Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association Rookie of the Year, 1990; Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association National Finals Rodeo Calf Roping Average Champion, 1991; Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo Calf Roping Champion, 1993; Coca-Cola Pro Rodeo Winner’s Circle Series Calf Roping Champion, 1994; Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association World Champion Calf Roper, 1995; Wrangler World of Rodeo Series Calf Roping Champion, 1996; Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo Calf Roping Champion, 1996; Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association World Champion Calf Roper, 1996; National Finals Rodeo Calf Roping Average Record (84, 0 seconds on 10 head), 1997; National Western Rodeo (Denver) Calf Roping Champion, 1998; San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo (San Angel o, TX) All Around Cowboy, 1999; Spring Pro Rodeo ’99 (Medicine Hat, Alberta) Calf Roping Champion, 1999; Walker County Fair and Rodeo (Huntsville, TX) Calf Roping Champion, 1999; Los Fresnos Rodeo (Los Fresnos, TX) Calf Roping Champion, 1999; Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo Calf Roping Champion, 1999.

Member: Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association, 1990-.

Addresses: Office —Attn: Wendy Buzzard, Business Manager, PM8 298, 13610 N. Scoftsdale Road, f10, Scottsdale, AZ 85254.

all-around champion in 1983. That year, in the first go-round at a rodeo in Giddings, Texas, Cooper roped his calf in 9.1 sec. While competing in the same rodeo, Whitfield also roped his calf in 9.1 seconds. After the competition, he stayed at Cooper’s home for a few days to practice roping, and eventually became Cooper’s friend and traveling partner.

In 1989, Whitfield joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association. His friend, Roy Moffitt, provided the financial backing that Whitfield needed to ride the rodeo circuit. With the backing of Moffitt, Whitfield was able to compete in as many as forty rodeos. During the competitive rodeo season, each dollar won counts as a point. At the end of the season, world champions are determined by the total number of accumulated points. The Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association has an organized, regional circuit system. A national finals rodeo is held at the end of the rodeo season.

In an article in the Houston Chronicle, Whitfield noted that economics have prevented most African American cowboys from competing in the pro circuit. He readily admitted that he could not compete in rodeos without Moffitt’s backing. Whitfield commented, “I’m sitting here driving a $30,000 truck, with a $5,000 camper, $15,000 trailer and $15,000 horse. Add it all up.” A cowboy must compete in a large number of rodeos, and place well in the events to be considered a world-champion competitor. Whitfield works very hard to compete. In 1998, he traveled nearly ten thousand miles to compete in eleven rodeos between June 30 and July 11. This period is known as Cowboy Christmas.

In 1990, Whitfield was not only the Cheyenne, Wyoming Frontier Days champion, he qualified for the National Finals Rodeo. When Whitfield won the Resistol Rookie of the Year award, he decided to quit his job as a lube distribution manager for Moffitt Oil Company and concentrate on his rodeo career. To prepare for the next calf-roping season, Whitfield roped calves for eleven hours a day. In 1991, he broke the record for calf roping by bringing down and tying ten calves in 91.70 seconds. There are ten rounds at the National Finals Rodeo and a cowboy must place well in each go-round. Charlie Sampson was the first African American cowboy to win a world championship, in bull riding, in 1982. However, Whitfield became the first African American to win a calf roping world championship. He also earned more money than any other calf roper in the history of the National Finals Rodeo, $70, 609 in the ten days of the finals.

In 1993, Roy Cooper told Gavin Ehringer of Western Horseman Magazine, “Fred is the most athletic calf roper in the business—he’s got great speed, strength, timing, and accuracy. When he’s focused right and his horse is working good, he’s unbeatable.” Whitfield admitted that a good horse is critical in competition. One horse in particular, Reno, proved to be his greatest asset. Whitfield told Pro Rodeo Sports News that to “know your horse is going to score, run, stop and work it makes it easier to win.”

In addition to owning a quality horse for competitions, it is also important to select good calves. The calves should not be too fast, skittish, or hard kickers. When Whitfield leaves the starting box in the arena, he must immediately throw his rope, catch the calf around the neck, and command his horse to slam back. Whitfield must then dismount to catch the calf, flip it on its side, grab its legs, and tie three of the legs together with a “pigging string.” He must throw his hands in the air to signal the judge, and then remount his horse. The calf must remain tied at least six seconds. Whitfield’s record for this feat is 6.9 seconds.

Because of racism and the fact that there were few professional African American cowboys, African American competitors formed their own leagues, such as the Southwestern Colored Cowboys Association and the Negro Cowboys Rodeo Association. Gradually, the successes of the few African American cowboys who did move into the pro ranks helped aspiring cowboys. In 1993, roughly one hundred twenty of the ten thousand members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association were African Americans.

Whitfield is an excellent role model for other aspiring African American cowboys, and he hoped to encourage other African American ropers to compete on a national level. Some of the rodeos Whitfield competes in are on the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo circuit, a circuit for African American competitors. This circuit is also designed to educate the public about the role of African American cowboys in the history of the West.

Continued to Win

In 1995, when Whitfield won a second world champion-ship in calf roping, people referred to him as the Michael Jordan of rodeo. Whitfield was happy to have the recognition, because when he started his career, people were not always as kind. He was often subjected to racial taunts from other riders and rodeo fans. Whitfield weathered the abuse, and went on to break record after record. At the 43rd San Angelo Roping Fiesta in San Angelo, Texas, Whitfield roped twelve calves in 122.27 seconds, a time almost six seconds faster than the record he had set in 1993. In 1996, Whitfield took home another gold buckle when he won a third world championship in calf roping.

In addition to the circuit rodeos, Whitfield participated in the A.G. Edwards Pro-Celebrity Team Roping Match in 1997. Three celebrity cowboys from the Garden City and Dodge City areas were teamed up with three world champion pros, who were competing in either the Beef Empire Days or Dodge City Roundup rodeos. Cowboy Randy Fisher founded the event to honor his roping father and others from the rodeo community who influenced him.

By 1998, Whitfield had grown tired of calf roping and looked for a new challenge. Since his friend, Roy Moffitt, had built an arena for team roping, which is another rodeo event, Whitfield decided to give it a try. One part of the team, known as the header, must rope the steer around the head and one horn, around the neck, or around both horns. The heeler part of the team must rope the steer around both hind legs. It is believed that calf ropers make good headers, and Whitfield looked to team roping as a way to extend his rodeo career.

Despite his foray into team roping, Whitfield still excelled as a calf roper. After the 1999 July Fourth weekend at the Cody Stampede in Wyoming, Whitfield became a million-dollar cowboy, earning $1,014, 426 since joining the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association. In addition, he competed in four other rodeos to set a record for earning $100,000 faster than anyone else in a regular season.

In 1999, Whitfield began contemplating a future retirement from rodeo. According to the Houston Chronicle, he hoped to build a log cabin, raise cattle, train horses, and sing in a country-western band. Whatever Whitfield does, he will do it well. As calf-roping competitor Cody Ohl once remarked to Patrick Everson of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “It’s not easy to hold off Fred.”

Sources

Periodicals

Arizona Daily Star, February 26, 1992, p. 1C.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram, December 4, 1995, p. 15; April 18, 1996, p. 2; June 29, 1999.

Idaho Statesman, July 15, 1998, p. 1C.

Houston Chronicle, February 11, 1996, p. 6-; March 1, 1996, p. 30.

Las Angeles Times, December 11, 1998.

Las Vegas Review-Journal, December 5, 1990; December 16, 1991; December 6, 1992, p. 1E; December 10, 1996, p. 1C; December 15, 1997.

Pro Rodeo Sports News, April 7, 1999, pp. 24-26.

Salt Lake Tribune, December 13, 1998, p. B9.

San Angelo Standard, November 3, 1996.

San Antonio Express-News, February 4, 1996, p. 10C.

Sports Illustrated, December 30, 1996, p. 8.

Times Record News [Wichita Falls, Texas], July 9, 1999.

Western Horseman Magazine, July 1993.

Other

Additional information for this profile was obtained from the Handbook of Texas Online, at http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/hand…line/articles/view/RR/llr1.htm; HorseNet News, at http://horsenet.com/news/pr/prca_7.19html; PRCA ProRodeo Online, at http://www.prorodeo.com/html/2.6.weeklynewsrelease.htm; and Urban Spectrum, at http://www.orci.com/usl/Html/ll-98/Bpirodeo.html.