One of the greatest cowboys in ProRodeo history, Larry Mahan, has passed away at the age of 79.
Mahan was a prolific roughstock cowboy in his career, making the NFR 26 times combined between bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding. He was the Bull Riding World Champion in 1965 and 1967 in addition to winning six All-Around Gold Buckles.
After Mahan’s career, which spanned, from 1964 until 1975, he was one of the first inductees to the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979.
Mahan is also a member of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame, Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame, Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame among many others.
Outside of the arena, Mahan found success in the western wear business with boot and hat collections, recorded an country album with Warner Brothers and was the subject of the Academy Award winning documentary “Great American Cowboy.”
He also served as a mentor to the man who would eventually break his All-Around World Title record, Ty Murray.
“He took me under his wing when I was 13,” Murray told ProRodeo.com. “I went and lived with him that summer and he didn’t really teach me anything about riding. He never really even mentioned anything about riding but taught me a lot about not being shy when people want to interview you and to try and give thoughtful answers and tell them what it is like because most people can’t fathom what it is like to ride a bull or a bucking horse. He taught me the importance of all that stuff, which was really a big help for me in my career because growing up, if it didn’t have to do with being a cowboy, I didn’t care about it.”
The Cowboy Channel will be airing a special Western Sports Round-up to honor the life and legacy of Larry Mahan on Monday, May 8 at 6 PM ET. There will also be a special Rural America Live on RFD-TV and The Cowboy Channel dedicated to Mahan at 8 PM ET.