Buzzy was born March 4, 1939 in Hereford, Texas and lived there all of his life. He was raised around horses and cattle but never really thought about rodeo. He attended Oklahoma State on a football scholarship and one weekend was invited, by a pretty blonde haired girl, to make a trip to visit some friends she lived with part time. These friends turned out to be Dick and Juanita Truitt at Stonewall, Oklahoma. Dick and Buzzy became good friends and through Dick’s encouragement, Buzzy made both the football and rodeo team. Buzzy joined the RCA the same year he graduated, 1962. He picked up his first check in the RCA by placing third at the El Paso Rodeo in 1962. The next rodeo was Houston and he broke out to win a bunch. Buzzy went on to place at San Angelo, Lubbock, Vernon and from there on the rodeo bug had bitten.
Buzzy was operating his place, farming, and raising cattle and horses. Throughout the years he rodeoed so he never could travel as extensively as most rodeo hands. Some of the rodeos he won were Denver in 1970, ’71 & ’73. (2nd in ’72 and 4th in ’76), Plainview, 6 years in a row from 1962-1967: Albuquerque in ’65: Enid, Oklahoma 2 years in a row: Pecos in 1968: Big Springs in ’68, Mesquite, Texas several times; Guymon, Oklahoma in 1971 and Fort Worth, 4th in the average.
Buzzy also placed or won countless go-rounds in rodeos all across the U.S. He was blessed to be able to ride good horses and have good hazers-“Duke” owned by Aubrey Rankin and then “Old Colt” belonging to Jim Smith. He also had the best of traveling parterners, Don Brooks. They wore out about 5 cars and after Buzzy married Joyce they worn out a couple more.
Buzzy has Gold Card # 325 and lots of friends and memories. Joyce and Buzzy have two sons, Jim Ed and Kirby. Kirby is making a name for himself in the sport of rodeo while Jim Ed has a “real job”. Buzzy has a brother, Larry, who rodeoed some.
