D.L. started working in Jr. and Youth Rodeos in 1948 at the age of 13, contesting in steer riding, steer decorating, and sometimes bareback riding. Living in the suburb of Houston, it was easy for D.L. to work many Jr. shows within a hundred-mile radius of where he lived. Transportation was accessible for Dwayne, as Johnny Cobb, Jack Holder, Jake Livingston, C.D. Ferguson, and his brother, Bob, were nearly always available for him to catch a ride with.
Dwayne got his hardship driver’s license at age 15, and then he was off and running. By this time, he was working amateur rodeos all over Texas and Louisiana. In 1952 and 1953, he won the Texas High School Championship in Bull Riding and placed second in bareback riding in Hallettsville, Texas.
In the summers of 1952 and 1953, Dwayne traveled to the northwest with his brother Bob, Buck Ferguson, and Johnny Cobb, working R.C.A rodeos all over the Big Sky Country of the U.S. and parts of Canada, competing in bull riding and sometimes bareback riding.
Since Dwayne was still in high school, he was exempt from joining the association, as there was no cap on total winnings at that time, which later changed. In both years, Dwayne also worked rodeos in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska.
In 1953, while still in school, Dwayne enjoyed the luxury of being able to compete in both amateur, R.C.A., and S.R.A. rodeos. However, none of the winnings he had could be counted as points in either association due to his amateur status. In late summer of 1953, with all the high school rodeos over for the year and with the insistence of many people, including Joe Venus and Buck Rutherford, Dwayne joined the R.C.A and worked all the major rodeos (placing and winning), with the exception of New York and Boston. During this time, he traveled with many great guys and enjoyed the ups and downs that this great sport offers.
Dwayne continued contesting through most of 1964 before he encountered a severe break of his right leg and left hand, which took about two years to recover. It was then that he decided that with the responsibility of a wife and three kids, he needed to find a safer way to earn a living.
Now, at 62+ years of age, Dwayne feels every moment of his rodeo career. However, he says, “I would not trade my 16 years of competing and meeting some of the truly great athletes in a sport that is head and shoulders above all other sports combined.” Dwayne is a Gold Card carrier and a strong supporter of youth and high school rodeos in Texas and Louisiana.
