10/09/07 Cowboys Turtle Association

Turtles, cowboys and rodeo, I'm Jeff Keane and I'll be back to share how a slow start became a professional organization. Protests and angry cowboys prompted a change in the world of rodeo in 1936 when conflict over purse money found cowboys on the fighting end of a strike. Here's Becky with more on the origination of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. The stage was set at Boston Gardens, the year 1936, and by refusing to add the cowboys' entry fees to the overall rodeo purse, rodeo promoter W.T Johnson would set into motion a chain of events that eventually created the now famous Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. After a group of cowboys walked out of the event, Johnson finally caved into their demands. And, with their marching strike a success, the cowboys now felt they must protect their rights as professional riders and created the Cowboys' Turtle Association. I never did understand why they used that name Becky. Well they chose the name mostly in reference to the length of time it took to organize group, but also because, like turtles, when push came to shove they were not afraid to stick their necks out to get what they wanted. The Turtles did change the name in 1945 to the more appropriate Rodeo Cowboys Association and then again in 1975 when the organization finally became the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Well Becky I hope the PRCA Organization always remembers it's roots and remembers that it was a turtle that won that famous race we all know about, I'm Jeff Keane.