Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Famer Sammy Andrews is a legend in the rodeo. He and his famed world champion, Bodacious, share the coveted honor of being inducted into the elite organization reserved for the best of the rodeo.
Sammy Andrews was named Rodeo Cowboys Association Professional Contractor of the Year for 2002, with 7 more selections on the PRCA’s Top 5 Stock Contractors list. He was inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2008. Andrews received Distinguished Achievement Awards from the Texas State Senate in 2011 and the House of Representatives in 2012.
Born on March 16, 1939 in Decatur, Georgia, Sammy Andrews happily celebrated a birthday with his son and namesake, Sammy Lee Andrews Jr., who was born on his 30th birthday. As at the year 2022, he died at the age of 83.
Andrews, a third generation rodeo contractor, was born in the rodeo. He has been involved in breeding and rodeo for as long as he can remember. And he can’t imagine doing anything else.
“He’s a bug you can’t shake off,” Andrews said of the passion he grew up with. “I took my first steps at a rodeo at the Fort Worth Coliseum. At least that’s what my mom said, ”Andrews laughed, reflecting on his question about his early rodeo memories.
Growing up on a farm meant a lot of hard work and the opportunity to learn different things. He also built character and a strong sense of responsibility. Andrews’ father not only raised horses and cattle, he was also a farmer.
“My father loved agriculture. He grew cotton, soy and wheat. As a child I worked in the fields and collected crops. I had to go out and do my chores, “Andrews said.” It didn’t matter if you walked in at 4am, got up at 5am and went to work. ”
Agriculture was a natural choice for Andrews. And he has learned to bear the good with the bad.
“The calves on the farm took what we called worms. We should go out and tie the calves and then give them some medicine, ”Andrews explained. “We took medicine with us and it was really bad. When we were done with the calves, we would. I still remember how much I smelled after handling those calves, ”Andrews added with a laugh.
“As kids, our job was to ride stallions,” Andrews continued, moving on to his favorite jobs. “Usually about 8 or 10 stallions have to be ridden. We would ride the stallions, make them good and then sell them. And then we’ll start over with another group “.
Andrews learned the breed from his father, B.D. “Women” Andrews. And he also learned to rodeo. “Burr” Andrews founded the Andrews Rodeo Company and was a stock supplier to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) in the 1940s and 1950s. Andrews rodeoed with his father and learned the trade by being involved in the day-to-day operations.
BD “Burr” Andrews was a second generation rodeo. He founded the Andrews Rodeo Company in the 1940s and was a highly respected stock supplier to the PRCA. “Burr” Andrews was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2006.
“My father was a contractor of AKKP. He traveled mainly eastward to Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. I traveled with him until I went to school in Texas,” Andrews said.
When Andrews was traveling with his father, rodeos were much different than they are today. The events were not the well-oiled shows they are today. And the events were organized much more informally than the modern competition.
“When my father was a builder, almost all the children came every day. And my dad competed in bulldogging, “Andrews told us about the rodeo in the ’40s and ’50s.” My dad had 12 or 14 bulls that he took to the rodeo. I run 50 now. And the bulls were Brahma bulls at that time. They have more hooks than bumps, and by the time the rider fell, the race was on,” Andrews told us, reminiscing.
Andrews went to college in the late 1960s. Although he was in school, he continued to rodeo.
“I rode barefoot and chased bulls in college. It was in front of the rodeo teams, so I did it myself on the way to school,” Andrews said. “I loved shooting bulls. And I thought I could ride barefoot. But I soon realized that naked was not for me… I ended up spending more time under the horse than outside”.
