David was so young he couldn’t even tell you when he attended his first rodeo, but the rodeo bug hit, and he never thought of being anything other than a professional rodeo cowboy. He was totally smitten with the rodeo clowns and bullfighters, and by the wise old age of eight, that’s all he wanted to be. What influenced David at such an early age was the bullfighter’s responsibility for the protection of the bull riders.
Beginning in 1974, David rose from the ranks of the small west Texas rodeos to some of the largest productions in the PRCA, treasuring every minute of it. Along the way, he was chosen Texas Circuit Bullfighter of the Year in his PRCA rookie year of 1976. David was selected by the top 15 bull riders in Texas to work the Texas Circuit Finals Rodeo on seven different occasions: 1978, 1979, 1981, 1986, 1987, and 1988. He was selected at the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Finals three times, in 1981, 1982, and 1984. David was chosen as one of the original ten Wrangler Bullfighters, qualifying for its first-ever Bullfighting Finals in 1981. He was honored once again in 1982 by the top 15 bull riders in the world to fight bulls at the National Finals Rodeo.
David retired from the sport in 1992 but was contacted in 1998 to fight bulls for the PBR in Houston, Texas. At the age of 43, David stepped up to the plate, hit another home run, tipped his hat, and walked out of the arena for the final time.
David has been known to say on several different occasions, “Have fun and nobody gets touched! That’s what my job was all about. The laughter, tears, aches, and pains of 18 years, the fans, contestants, and lifelong friends of this magnificent sport have made these experiences priceless.”
