Tornado (bull)
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| Breed | Braford |
| Sex | Bull |
| Color | red with a white face |
| Weight | 1,850 pounds (840 kg) |
| Born | 1957 Texas, U.S. |
| Years active | 1960-1969 |
| Owner | Jim Shoulders |
| Notable riders | Warren "Freckles" Brown |
| Died | 1972 (aged 14–15) Henryetta, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Honors | |
| 1979 ProRodeo Hall of Fame 2016 Bull Riding Hall of Fame |
|
| Awards | |
| Bucking Bull of the Year at the NFR 1962-1965 |
|
Tornado was a ProRodeo Hall of Fame bucking bull. He is also a Bull Riding Hall of Fame inductee. He went to the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) at least four times. He was voted Bucking Bull of the Year at the NFR four times consecutively from 1962-1965. He was named the "meanest bull alive" at the NFR four times. But Tornado is best known for his matchup with ProRodeo Hall of Fame bull rider, Freckles Brown, which is most often referred to as "The Ride." It was Brown who, in 1967, finally broke Tornado's undefeated streak of 220 buckoffs which occurred over a six year period. Tornado was owned by a rodeo legend, Jim Shoulders. Tornado, Brown, and Shoulders have gone down in history as all have been recorded in The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture maintained online by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
The bull Tornado was born in 1957 in Texas. The cowboy bull rider and stock contractor Jim Shoulders, of Henryetta, Oklahoma, owned and managed the great bull. He was a Brahma-Hereford crossbred bull, known as a Braford that generally weighed 1,850 pounds. He is described as red with a white face. Tornado first started bucking in Mesquite, Texas in 1960. Shoulders actually maintained several quality bucking stock, which included the famed "weather" bulls Cyclone, Hurricane, Twister, and Tornado. According to Frank Boggs, an Oklahoman sports writer and columnist, Shoulders bought Tornado in South Texas when he was three years old.
From Tornado's first rodeo in Mesquite, Texas, in 1960 through to the NFR in December 1967, he was undefeated. Over and over he bucked off the toughest of cowboys, leaving a myriad of injuries behind. There was a sign outside his pen at Shoulder's ranch in Henryetta that said it all: "Warning: Enter at Your Own Risk." Shoulders often referred to his bull as a 'pet' touting his tame nature around children who visited his ranch. Shoulders often could be seen petting his bull or feeding him grass. However, inside the arena was a different story. The bull became intimidating, forceful, and explosive.
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Wikipedia