Mahan, "Larry" (Lawrence)
Rodeo
b. Nov. 21, 1943, Salem, OR
Mahan got involved in rodeo when he was a youngster in Oregon. He won his first prize, $6 and a belt buckle, when he was twelve. In 1962, he was the Arizona high school all-around champion and he joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association the following year.
Nicknamed "Bull" because of his strength and because his best event is bull riding, Mahan won the national finals all-around championship a record five consecutive times, from 1966 through 1970. After being hampered by injuries in 1971 and 1972, he won a record sixth title again in 1973.
He was also national bull riding champion in 1965 and 1967, when he became the first cowboy ever to reach the finals in three different events, finishing third in saddle bronc riding and fifth in bareback riding. He set a record with $51,996 in winnings that year; he broke the record with $64,447 in 1973.
Of his specialty, Mahan has said, "On a horse you can sometimes make a mistake and pick up in time to save yourself, but a bull usually won't give you a second chance." He retired from competition in 1979. Mahan now breeds horses and cattle and works as a rodeo broadcaster.