story by Sage Marie Massey
Most everyone in the rodeo industry has watched his flamboyant opening ceremonies, cheered on his supreme bucking stock, and knows when we say “King of the Cowboys” we are referring to Mr. Cotton Rosser. What many don’t know, however, is he was born a city boy with a cowboy dream.
Rosser was born August 5, 1928, in Long Beach, California. Surrounded by asphalt and buildings, Rosser’s inspiration came from silver screen cowboys: Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, and John Wayne. Rosser knew he was meant to be a cowboy and he was determined to make it happen. As a nine-year-old boy, he rode his bike to the nearby stables where he cleaned stalls and did chores to make the dream a reality. Before long, he convinced the stable owners to let him ride the saddle horses. But he yearned to try his hand at the rough stock events. At 13 he rode his first bucking bull and three years later sat atop his first bronc.
At the time, World War II was heating up. Many of the working cowboys were shipped overseas, leaving cow outfits without help. Though still a boy, Rosser seized the opportunity, inserting himself as a hired hand for the Wrigley Company, which ran cattle on Catalina Island. He cowboyed on the island for a spell, gathering and shipping beef cattle to San Pedro. His real passion, however, was competition in the arena. Still in his teens, he started entering bull riding and saddle bronc events at amateur rodeos in Southern California.
As much as Rosser enjoyed the excitement of rodeo, he recognized the value of a college education. He entered Cal Poly to study Animal Science in 1946. Rosser claims Cal Poly was the foundation for his life and has used the motto “learn by doing” throughout his career. “I learned three things at Cal Poly,” Rosser said, “how to fly airplanes in the Mustang Flying Club, how to ride on my hand, and how to learn.”
As a Cal Poly student, Rosser quickly garnered the title “The College Cowboy.” As captain of the rodeo team, he continued to excel in the arena, winning the Reserve All-Around Cowboy title at the first ever College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR). His successes helped position Cal Poly at the forefront of intercollegiate rodeo. Today, Cal Poly remains one of the winningest schools in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA), holding 46 national titles.
After graduating in 1952, Rosser continued to pursue his dream. His versatility in the arena amazed the rodeo fans. He worked five events at the professional level: bareback, saddle bronc, bull riding, tie down, and bull dogging. In 1951, he captured the prestigious All-Around Cowboy title at the Grand National Rodeo in San Francisco.
Many rodeo cowboys claim Rosser would have been a 10-time world champion had his competitive career not been cut short in 1956, when a posthole auger sucked him down into a hole. The accident left him with compound fractures in both legs and an exorbitant hospital bill that no cowboy could afford. Fortunately, his rodeo family was quick to jump in, quite literally, to get him back on his feet—putting on a benefit to bail him out of the hospital. Due to his severe injuries, Rosser would never again compete in the arena. That didn’t hold him back. Rosser reinvented himself and a new kind of rodeo star was born.
“That accident was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Rosser recalled.” My competitive cowboy days were over, but not my love of rodeo. I look at it as a blessing. I would have went on and rodeoed. Instead, I got into management and putting on the shows.”
Rosser teamed up with Dick Pascoe to buy the 30-year-old Flying U Rodeo Company from Doc Sorensen in 1956. Today, Flying U is the oldest continuing rodeo stock company in the United States. Mr. Pascoe eventually took up with the movie industry, while Rosser built up the Flying U. He now runs it with his son Reno, putting on 50 rodeos a year all over the United States, including our very own Poly Royal Rodeo.
Mr. Cotton Rosser is a pioneer of modern-day rodeo, bringing flare and staying power to the sport. He evolved rodeo from a casual cowboy competition to a spirited production that exudes the Old West lifestyle.
