Bob Mayo was born on June 15, 1944, in Grinnell, IA. He grew up on a corn and dairy farm where hard work was the order of the day. He was the third of four boys and an older sister.
Don and Paul, the two older brothers, were multiple qualifiers for the National Finals Rodeo.
In high school, Bob was the state champion in wrestling at 103 pounds. He went to college on a wrestling scholarship. After one year in college, he quit to go rodeo as a bare back rider.
Bob joined the PRCA in 1964 and occasionally placed in the bull riding. During one stint, he went 51 weeks and never placed in the bare back riding.
Labor Day weekend in 1965, everything came together for Bob Mayo. That fall, he won Oklahoma City and placed regularly until the end of the year. From 1966-1971, he qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in bare back riding. He placed at or won every major rodeo in the United States. His best years were 1967 and 1968, he finished 3rd in the World Standings both years.
In 1976, he was divorced, drinking heavily and his riding had fallen off dramatically. He quit rodeo, quit drinking, and gained custody of his boys Beau and Leslie. He raised them by himself and they turned out great. Bob is prouder of those boys, their beautiful wives, and his 5 grandkids than he is of any of his accolades in the rodeo arena. Since 1996, he has had a wonderful wife, Eva, that keeps him in line most of the time.
