George Doak was always quick to say the 28 years he was in rodeo were the ‘best years of his life’! George passed away peacefully on the evening of April 27th, with his wife by his side after an illness of several months. When George could no longer talk on his phone the rodeo world knew George was in trouble. His funeral will be held at 2PM, May 18, 2021, at the Lone Star Cowboy Church, at 21627 Eva Street, Montgomery, TX 77356.
George was born in 1937 and raised by his aunt and uncle in Fort Worth. At the age of eight when asked what he wanted to do when he grew up he quickly answered, “Be the best rodeo clown in the world!”. Many a rodeo hand, during his 28 year era, will tell you he made his 8 year-old dream come true.
He began his rodeo career in 1953 at Mesquite, Texas, when he and two high school friends were riding bareback horses and bulls. His friend ‘hung up’ and George went to his rescue. After several years in college learning to be a mechanical engineer, for his aunt and uncle, he gave it up and went to Cowtown, New Jersey, for Howard Harris where he fought bulls through 1960. The Cowtown, New Jersey Rodeo was on television in 1958 and the entire country watched George fight bulls.
He joined the Rodeo Cowboys Association in 1961 and booked 21 rodeos including Walla Walla, Ellensburg, Pendleton and Lewiston, the Big Four in the northwest. They had watched him on television earlier, and knew how good he was. From that introduction to professional rodeo he was hired from one end of the country to the other, and border to border. He spent ten years traveling with Junior Meek, a bullfighter, too. In 1971 he worked the National Finals Rodeo, and again in 1977. In 1979 he helped put the Wrangler Bullfights together and judged various events including the 1981 Wrangler Bullfight Finals. He also worked the National High School Finals three times, the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Finals in 1969, and received numerous awards along the way. He retired in 1981 at Pendleton, Oregon, where he fought bulls for 19 years.
He was inducted in to the Pendleton RoundUp Hall of Fame in 1983, the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame that year, too. He was inducted to the Rodeo Hall of Fame in the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 2001, and the Cowboy Capital Walk of Fame in Stephenville, TX, in 2002. He became the President of the Rodeo Cowboy Alumni organization in 2004 and held that office for ten years.
George and Quail Dobbs, clowned the American Bi-Centennial Rodeo, in Philadelphia, PA in 1976. George put Quail’s make-up on him the first time he clowned. George and Junior Meek performed at the Royal Easter Rodeo in Sydney, Australia in 1971. In 1977 he was made an Honorary Shriner by the Ardmore, OK, Shriner Club, the first person to get this award by that chapter. He appeared in the Academy Award Winning Documentary Film of 1972, “The Great American Cowboy”. He was a judge for the Miss Rodeo America Pageant in 1988 and 1989.
George had three boys, George Jr., Steve and Mike. He married Reada Vincik in 1998 and they lived in Montgomery, Texas.
George never left rodeo or his rodeo friends. It was not unusual to see George at numerous cowboy reunions that were held in various places throughout the country, rodeos across the nation, Rodeo Clown Reunions, and inductions at the various Halls of Fame for rodeo persona. George worked for Cavender’s Western Stores, and enjoyed working for friend, Bunky Boger, retired bullfighter, who created the TicTacToe Chicken that was featured in various casinos across the nation. After all, George, thought a lot of his rubber chicken that was his constant companion on the rodeo road.
George is survived by his wife, Reada Kay Doak; sons George Doak, Jr and wife, Laquitta and Michael Doak and wife Laura; Step-son Derron Vincik and wife Amy, step-daughter Lenece Smith and husband Raymond Smith Jr; grandchildren: Colby Doak, Cassie Hamlin, Samantha Doak, Amberly Andress, Nicolas Doak, Jordan Johnson, Katelyn Macalla, Kelsey Vincik, Kingsley Vincik. Skye Smith and Steele Smith; great-grandchildren Jett & Jake Doak, Chase Hamlin, Ballie Sessom, Gage & Brielynn Andress and Royer and Amberi Doak, plus many other loved ones.
George was preceded in death by his son, Steven Lyle Doak.
Memorials for George should be sent to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, at 101 ProRodeo Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80919 and/or the Rodeo Cowboy Alumni, Scholarship Fund, 6064 Appleton Rd SW, Albuquerque, NM 87105.