How Rodeo Bulls Get Named

  Most bulls performing in the rodeo arena these days are produced using a planned breeding and development program aimed at achieving superior bovine athletes. After all the time, work, and luck it takes a producer to get a bull ready to perform in a rodeo, one last item has to be completed and that is giving that bull his stage name. Many early day rodeo bulls were identified by just announcing their number. The trend to name bulls memorible  names gave rodeo announcers more to talk about and caught the attention of the crowd. Some bulls are named after songs such as Wipe Out. Others are named for  color  as is the case in The Orange Blossom Special. Bulls can be named for weather events. The legendary bull, Tornado, fits in this category. Movie titles provide  bull owners with name ideas like Red Dawn and Black Sunday.Some names that  describe a bull can  become as famous at the bull himself. To me the bull and name Bodacious is the ultimate one-name, name. Yellow Jacket obviously  took his handle  from that nasty stinging insect, but rodeo stock  can be named for people, places or the even the area they came from. I always get a kick out of the names stock contractors come up with for their bulls. I even remember one bull named Captain Crunch after the morning cold cereal.