Gene Graham was born January 30, 1932, and reared on a ranch working cattle, goats, and riding horses since he was old enough to stay on. He started his rodeo career in 1947, entering the bareback, saddle bronc, and bull riding at open rodeos for the next three years.
In 1950, Gene joined the RCA, at San Antonio, to enter their very first Livestock Show and Rodeo. In the ensuing years, he participated at rodeos from California to Texas, including shows like Ft. Worth, San Angelo, Lubbock, Phoenix, and Lancaster, CA. In these years he started college. Following a stint in the army from 1952-1954, he had lots of success at the NIRA rodeos as well. He was a member of the Texas Tech National Championship team in 1955 and was second in the bull riding at the CNFR the next year. He wound up getting his Bachelor of Science degree at Southwest Texas State University and his Master’s degree from Texas Tech.
Graham liked rodeoing in the northern states and Canada. One year in Canada, he got on fourteen bulls, riding everyone of them, and placing on thirteen, with one of the rodeos being the Calgary Stampede.
Gene culminated his riding career in 1957 and judged lots of open and college rodeos. He judged the Rocksprings Rodeo for nearly twenty years, a rodeo where he had won the bull riding four times and the saddle bronc riding two times.
While a professor at San Antonio College, Gene helped start a rodeo club and rodeo team. Being the faculty sponsor, he traveled with the team to the NIRA rodeos to assist any way he could.
Gene still raises cattle and goats on a ranch near Rocksprings where he is a charter member of the Edwards County Fair Association. He has held several offices in the association, and has helped put on the rodeo for years. He still keeps up with rodeo, and he loves to go to the WNFR.
