Snuffy Chancellor was born in Fort Worth in 1939. Barrel man & Clown Gold Card #8492. Except for an 8-year sting with a ranching enterprise that took him off the circuit, Snuffy made his livelihood as a professional barrel man for 33 years.
Clowning on a dare, Chancellor entered his first arena in Grapevine in a borrowed wooden pickle barrel in 1957. In 1963 he got his RCA card and clowned around in same type of barrel at the Mesquite Rodeo and at Fort Worth with Buck LeGrand & Kajin Kid. It wasn’t until clowning with George Doak at Mesquite he broke out his new homemade barrel, a concoction of aluminum, old tires, foam rubber and spray paint. He used this barrel throughout his career.
He was able to entertain the crowd while protecting the contestant. This gained him the respect and admiration of his peers. He clowned in 20 states for top rodeo producers Neal Gay, Butler &
Son, and Harry Vold. He clowned Fort Worth for 5 years. He was named Texas Circuit Contract Act for 1985, Barrel man for Texas Circuit Finals in 1988 and ’90. He clowned the AJRA Finals in ’92-’96 and many others. He clowned his last rodeo at Grand Prairie in 1998. He lives in Azle, Texas.
