Darrell Barron was born in Ft. Worth, Texas and he got interested in rodeo and livestock at an early age. When he was 16, he went to work for two amateur stock contractors, Bob Jenkins and Jack Ratjen, at the Kowbell Rodeo. Both of these men taught him a lot about handling bucking horses, bulls and how to pick up bucking horses. It was
that same year he also started riding bareback horses. He competed in the American Junior Rodeo Association (A.J.R.A) and in 1970 qualified for the A.J.R.A Finals ending the season ranked fourth in bareback riding.
Barron got his PRCA permit for a high school graduation present and in 1973, while working for Howard Harris’s Cowtown Rodeo on the east coast, he filled his permit and got his PRCA card. In 1974 he was offered a job with the Harry Vold Rodeo Company in Colorado, picking up bucking horses, flanking bulls and on occasion running the bucking chutes. He continued to compete in the bareback riding and steer wrestling while working for Vold.
While working for Vold, he also got a full rodeo scholarship to the University of Southern Colorado. in Pueblo. He competed at the College National Finals Rodeo twice and worked every event except the saddle bronc riding. He was the 1975 CNFR steer wrestling champion. He also won the all-around category at “Kansas Biggest Rodeo” in Phillipsburg that same year.
In 1977 he graduated from USC with a B. S. in Business Administration. He worked for Vold until 1979 and credits Harry Vold with a lot of his opportunities, both in and out of the arena. He said Vold taught him more about picking up and bucking horses in general than anyone.
Darrell also worked for U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. in their western marketing department for thirty years. He was involved in developing the company’s PRCA stock contractor bonus programs, which also included the Bucking Stock of the Year and PRCA Circuit bonus programs. Using vaction time Darrell ran the chutes at several major rodeos. He was the arena director at the College National Finals 15 years; he was the bucking chute boss at the Texas Circuit Finals for 14 years and was the arena director in 1991. He has been the bucking chute boss at the Cheyenne Frontier Days for 21 editions of the “Daddy of ’em All.”
In 1982 he was asked to apply for the bucking chute boss position at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City. He has been selected to be the NFR bucking chute boss since 1982. He feels blessed to have been selected to work with some of the best rodeos in the world, as well as working with the best cowboys and bucking stock in the
business.
Darrell lives with his wife Lee in Paradise, Texas and enjoys team roping and building spurs,
