People with wisdom and the willingness to serve don’t happen to come around often. And when they do they usually have a chosen field in which they give until they can’t give any more. Fortunately, Clem McSpadden chose rodeo as his field of expertise. Or maybe rodeo chose Clem. No matter. It was a beautiful match and for just eighteen years short of a century Clem and rodeo went through life as one.
Clem was born near Bushyhead, Oklahoma, November 9, 1925. When he was only two years old the family moved to the Rogers Ranch (home of his great-uncle, the famous Will Rogers) which his father managed for the next thirty-five years. Clem watched his dad rope with the best ropers in the area. He was just a button when he began throwing a rope and pretending to rope with the “old tuffs”. His first competition was a matched roping at ‘Ed Sunday’s Picnic’ in Rogers County. Clem was just ten years old. He had roped calves but never actually tied one. His dad carefully showed the youngster how to tie a calf, and lo’, he won! He tied both of his calves and his opponent only tied one. As he grew up he competed at amateur rodeos in the area during his teens. He even entered the steer wrestling too.
After serving in the Navy from 1944 through 1946 he attended a rodeo at Story City, Iowa. The final performance Saturday evening was rained out and had to be held Sunday afternoon. Rodeo producer, Monroe Veach, had a dilemma. Veach also owned a saddle shop in Trenton, Missouri, and had to send his son-in-law, George McAlister, back to Trenton to open the shop on Monday morning. The only problem was McAlister was the rodeo announcer. He recommended Clem, as his replacement, to Veach, and Clem said many years later, “Most of the competitors ‘turned out’.” It was a beginning. His second opportunity to announce a rodeo came at Davenport, Iowa, when the announcer failed to appear. He was again recommended, and offered $25 for each of the four performances. He was also competing in the roping and won $286. Returning home with $385 in his pocket made Clem think he’d never see another ‘poor day’. This beginning evolved in to a career announcing rodeos across the nation – Kissimmee, Florida; Salt Lake City; Utah; Dodge City, Kansas; too many Oklahoma rodeos to mention, and then some, including the National Finals and the National Steer Roping Finals. Not only did he announce rodeos from one end of our country to the other he was invited back year after year. He was the first American announcer to be hired for the Calgary Stampede and the Canadian Rodeo Finals. He also announced rodeos in Hawaii and Mexico, Circuit Finals, Indian Rodeos, Ranch Rodeos and College Rodeos.
McSpadden’s role in the world of rodeo was not confined to the announcer’s booth. He was the General Manager of the PRCA National Finals Rodeo for eighteen years, beginning in 1960. He was instrumental in helping establish the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, and has continued to support it in so many ways, including being the Master of Ceremonies at the annual induction of the Rodeo Historical Society Hall of Fame held there. Some things Clem did were done without much fanfare, but were extremely important to the world of rodeo. He was the primary representative of professional rodeo that was sent when some lunatic convinced a State that rodeo was inhumane and should be banned. His eloquent speech and succinct knowledge of the sport and every aspect of it soon convinced the ‘powers that be’ in these states their direction was not well-founded. Rodeo would continue to exist in these States, thanks to Clem. He has also protected rodeo from the animal rights people who think from time to time that there is cruelty of one sort or another in the sport of rodeo. It wouldn’t take him long to make people understand that cruelty is the farthest thing from anyone in the sport. That the livestock and mounts used in the sport are the ‘bread and butter’ in competition and without them there would be no rodeo. He would often point out that rodeo livestock often lives longer than other similar livestock.
This wasn’t the only career Clem had. He became an Oklahoma State Senator in 1954 and served until 1972. Followed by one term in Congress, from 1973 through 1975, at which time he ran for governor of the state. He was defeated by Governor David Boren. Many of the successful politicos in the country have often looked to this ‘gentle giant’ for advice and guidance. In 1983 he began a legislative consulting and lobbying firm, McSpadden & Associates. Clem has always had a sense of dedicated service to his community, his state and his country.
The Pasture Roping at Bushyhead was started by Clem and Donna McSpadden and was so much fun and the prize money was so good it everyone involved enjoyed it. The score line on the roping was 101 feet. Why 101 feet you might ask? Clem explained, “Well, someone had all ready had a hundred foot score line somewhere down in Texas and you know we had to best them!” The gathering which was held on a long weekend was attended by throngs of people and the roping competition was won by some of the top ropers – Phil Lyne, Dean Oliver, Tom Ferguson, Roy Cooper, and Joe Beaver, just to name a few. In a recent television interview Clem said at the event last year they had over 188 teams entered and prized totally over $70,000. Not bad for a little old pasture ropin’.
Yes, the world of rodeo will miss Clem McSpadden. His voice and his simple way of explaining to his audience, the sport and the players in it, are only an echo. His wisdom and willingness to ‘do the job, no matter how large’ is gone. His willingness to share his memories of important events in the history of the sport both witnessed and heard about will fade. His presence and words, from the dais or the pulpit, of many events including funerals of his friends from rodeo, will be missed. The World Champions and the weekend competitors were all his friends, as were their wives, children and grandchildren. Clem was easy to know because he cared about people. If you had an opportunity to hear him announce, speak or to know him, you won’t forget him. Gone but never forgotten.
Copyright 1996 - 2008 Rodeo Attitude, LLC., All rights reserved.