Charles Sampson (bull rider)


Charles "Charlie" Sampson is the 1982 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association World Champion bull rider. He is the first African American cowboy to win a World Title in professional rodeo. He was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1996.

Early life

Sampson was born in Los Angeles on July 2, 1957. To avoid the violence that surrounded him as a boy, he took a job at a riding stables near Gardena, California. There he sparked an interest in horses and rodeo. He was a fan of the famous African-American bull rider, Myrtis Dightman, who was known as the "Jackie Robinson of Rodeo".

Career

Sampson stands 5 feet, 4 inches tall. He was a ground breaking rodeo cowboy. He was the first Afro-American to win a world title in the PRCA. In 1983, there were only six black members of the PRCA. Sampson was competing on a national level. Sampson very rarely mentioned race as an issue, even though he was competing in a sport dominated by white competitors. Sampson once said in The New York Times, "I haven't encountered discrimination as much as ignorance. Some people still don't realize that something like a quarter of all the cowboys back in the old West were black."

Injuries

He is known for his many injuries as well. Sampson's left calf has 17 pins and two metal plates. In the New York Times Magazine, Sampson noted, "In 1983, a bull jerked me down and cracked my skull--I broke every bone in my face except my nose. I broke my ankle, my leg, my sternum, my wrist. In '88, I had an ear ripped off when a bull ran over me and his foot caught my hat." He shattered his face in a riding accident in front of Ronald Reagan. His PRCA career lasted almost 20 years, with 11 National Finals Rodeo trips.

Retirement

He retired at the National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Pocatello, Idaho, in 1994. He spent his retirement doing ads for companies like Wrangler Jeans and Timex. In 1996, he was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.

Wins and awards

Sampson attended Central Arizona College. Sampson married Marilyn Casmon in 1984. Casmon hailed from Big Spring, Texas. The Sampsons had two sons: Laurence Charles who was born in 1984, and Daniel Carl who was born in 1988. They made their home in Aurora, Colorado.