Rodeo royalty Harley May dies
Hall of Fame member an 'all-around cowboy'

By Ron Agostini
ragostini@modbee.com

last updated: October 31, 2008 03:24:56 AM

Oakdale residents knew all along that Harley May belonged to rodeo royalty.
The three-time world champion steer wrestler and a member of the Rodeo Hall of Fame lived in Oakdale from 1956 to the early 1980s. Rodeo fans in the "Cowboy Capital of the World" were saddened when they learned that May died Tuesday in Santa Ana after a six-month fight with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease). He was 82.

"Harley was a man's man. He had a strong work ethic and believed everyone should pull their own weight," said Lynn May, his wife of 18 years. "His passion was to take rodeo from a Wild West show to a professional athletic event. He was a true all-around cowboy. There was nothing he could not do with livestock."

May, one of the first college- educated cowboys, graduated from Sul Ross State College in Texas and won the first of his world titles as a Rodeo Cowboys Association rookie in 1952. He also won steer wrestling gold buckles in 1956 and 1965.

He was awarded 44 saddles and more than 200 buckles during his tenure on the rodeo trail. His best victories were scored at the sport's top venues: the Cheyenne (Wyoming) Frontier Days, the Pendleton (Oregon) Roundup, the California Rodeo in Salinas, Madison Square Garden (New York), the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, the Calgary (Alberta) Stampede and the National Finals Rodeo.

"He was like my father. We traveled together for 20 years," said Oakdale's Jim Charles, 72, an eight-time NFR qualifier in bull riding. "He could bulldog better than anybody. He was tall and slim but he knew how to shape a steer and put it on the ground."

May, born and raised in Deming, N.M., arrived with Charles and Jim Martinelli in Oakdale for California's spring rodeos in 1956. May soon purchased property near the Oakdale Saddle Club and -- after his rodeo career -- sold real estate for 19 years. He also raised paint horses, worked as an environmental engineer on a pipeline project and served as a rodeo coach at Sul Ross State during the 1990s.

He was a founder of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association and won eight NIRA titles -- three in all-around, two in bull riding, two in saddle bronc and one in bareback. May competed in professional rodeo until the late 1970s and, at age 50 in 1976, barely missed qualifying for the NFR.

The NFR, rodeo's Super Bowl that will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year, was begun with May's guidance. He competed in the inaugural NFR and held several high-level positions with the Rodeo Cowboys Association. He served as president from 1957-59 when the NFR was formed and was chairman of the competition committee from 1985-99. He led the RCA delegation to the White House in 1959 and presented the NFR's ceremonial first ticket to President Eisenhower.

Private family services will be held in Deming. A memorial serv-ice is being planned, however, during the 10-day NFR in Las Vegas in December.

Visit www.caringbridge.org/visit/harleymay for details.

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association contributed to this report.

Bee sports columnist Ron Agostini can be reached at ragostini@modbee.com