Cecil began his rodeo career in the Rio Grande Valley in 1939. He entered amateur rodeo on weekends in the summer of 1939, 1940, and 1941. He rode bareback horses, bulls, and mules, a lot of his riding was for mount money. He rode at Harlingen, Mercedes, San Benito, McAllen, Weslaco, and Rio Grande City.
Cecil moved back to Central Texas in 1942 and entered his first professional rodeo in McGregor, Texas in 1943. He won first place in both the bareback riding and the bull riding. The bull he rode was Johnny Mellon’s #62.
In Central Texas, he continued to ride bareback horses and bulls, roped calves, trained roping horses, and judged rodeos. Cecil always had a job and rodeoed in Texas on the weekends. He rode in his last rodeo in McGregor, Texas. His last bull was Johnny Mellon’s Blue Heart. He split first and second in the last round, and won third in the average.
Cecil was born and raised at Youngsport, Texas in Bell County. He joined the PRCA in 1945. The picture was taken at Georgetown, Texas in 1945. The stock contractor was Red Lyons. The bull was #14.
