# Charlie Sampson

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**Charles Osgood Sampson** (born July 2, 1957) is an American former professional [rodeo](/source/Rodeo) [cowboy](/source/Cowboy) who specialized in [bull riding](/source/Bull_riding). He was the 1982 [Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association](/source/Professional_Rodeo_Cowboys_Association) (PRCA) World Champion bull rider.[1] He is the first [African-American](/source/African_Americans) [cowboy](/source/Cowboy) to win a world championship in professional [rodeo](/source/Rodeo). He was inducted into the [ProRodeo Hall of Fame](/source/ProRodeo_Hall_of_Fame) in 1996.

## Early life

Charlie Sampson was born in [Los Angeles, California](/source/Los_Angeles,_California), on July 2, 1957. To avoid the violence that surrounded him as a boy, he took a job at a riding stables near [Gardena, California](/source/Gardena,_California). There he sparked an interest in horses and rodeo. He was a fan of the famous African-American bull rider, [Myrtis Dightman](/source/Myrtis_Dightman), who was known as the "Jackie Robinson of Rodeo".[2]

## Career

Sampson stands 5 feet, 4 inches tall. He was a ground breaking rodeo [cowboy](/source/Cowboy). He was the first African American to win a world title in the PRCA.[3] In 1983, there were only six black members of the PRCA. Sampson was competing on a national level. Sampson very rarely mentioned race as an issue, even though he was competing in a sport dominated by white competitors. Sampson once said in *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*, "I haven't encountered discrimination as much as ignorance. Some people still don't realize that something like a quarter of all the cowboys back in the old West were black."[4] Currently he works at "Rimrock Dude Ranch" in Cody, Wyoming.

## Injuries

He is known for his many injuries as well. Sampson's left calf has 17 pins and two metal plates. In the *New York Times Magazine*, Sampson noted, "In 1983, a bull jerked me down and cracked my skull--I broke every bone in my face except my nose. I broke my ankle, my leg, my sternum, my wrist. In '88, I had an ear ripped off when a bull ran over me and his foot caught my hat."[5] The 1983 ordeal was when his face was shattered at the 1983 PRCA Presidential Command Performance Rodeo in [Landover, Maryland](/source/Landover,_Maryland), with then-U.S. President [Ronald Reagan](/source/Ronald_Reagan) witnessing the wreck. Sampson's PRCA career lasted almost 20 years, with 11 [National Finals Rodeo](/source/National_Finals_Rodeo) (NFR) trips.

## Retirement

Sampson retired after the [National Circuit Finals Rodeo](/source/NFR_Open) in [Pocatello, Idaho](/source/Pocatello,_Idaho), in 1994.[6] He spent his retirement doing ads for companies like [Wrangler Jeans](/source/Wrangler_Jeans) and [Timex](/source/Timex_Group). In 1996, he was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.[6]

## Wins and awards

- PRCA World Champion bull rider, 1982[1]
- PRCA Sierra Circuit bull riding champion, 1984[6]
- [Calgary Stampede](/source/Calgary_Stampede) bull riding champion, 1985[7]
- PRCA Turquoise Circuit bull riding champion, 1985–86 and 1993[6]
- Copenhagen/Skoal bull riding champion, 1992
- 2-time bull riding champion at [Pendleton Round-Up](/source/Pendleton_Round-Up)
- 2-time [Grand National Rodeo](/source/Grand_National_Rodeo) (Cow Palace) champion
- 2-time bull riding champion at [California Rodeo Salinas](/source/California_Rodeo_Salinas)
- 3-time champion of [George Paul Memorial Bull Riding](/source/George_Paul_Memorial_Bull_Riding) in [Del Rio, Texas](/source/Del_Rio,_Texas)[8]
- Rodeo Superstars Champion bull rider

## Honors

- 1996 [ProRodeo Hall of Fame](/source/ProRodeo_Hall_of_Fame)[6]
- 2003 [National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame](/source/National_Multicultural_Western_Heritage_Museum)[9]
- 2004 [PBR Ring of Honor](/source/Professional_Bull_Riders:_Heroes_and_Legends#Ring_of_Honor)[10]
- 2008 [Rodeo Hall of Fame](/source/Rodeo_Hall_of_Fame) of the [National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum](/source/National_Cowboy_%26_Western_Heritage_Museum)[11]
- 2009 [Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame](/source/Ellensburg_Rodeo_Hall_of_Fame)[12]
- 2019 [Bull Riding Hall of Fame](/source/Bull_Riding_Hall_of_Fame)[13]

## Personal life

Sampson attended [Central Arizona College](/source/Central_Arizona_College). He married Marilyn Casmon in 1984. Casmon hailed from [Big Spring, Texas](/source/Big_Spring,_Texas). The Sampsons had two sons: Laurence Charles who was born in 1984, and Daniel Carl who was born in 1988. They made their home in [Aurora, Colorado](/source/Aurora,_Colorado).[14]

## References

1. Tumlin, Tim (December 13, 1982). ["Two-Event Californian Wins Rodeo Title"](https://www.newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-dec-13-1982-4685244/). *Farmington Daily Times*. Associated Press. p. 4B. Retrieved March 6, 2016.

1. Wallace, Christian (June 22, 2018). ["The Jackie Robinson of Rodeo"](https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/black-cowboy-the-jackie-robinson-of-rodeo/). *Texas Monthly*. Retrieved August 1, 2018.

1. Carr, Steve (1984-07-06). ["Sampson doesn't dwell on accident; it's history"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QqEKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tkwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6587,1305067). *The Courier*. Retrieved September 8, 2010.

1. Ravo, Nick (1993-04-29). ["In the Chute with: Charles Sampson; 8-Second Workweek Has Its Ups and Downs"](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/29/garden/in-the-chute-with-charles-sampson-8-second-workweek-has-its-ups-and-downs.html?pagewanted=all). *The New York Times*. Retrieved March 6, 2016.

1. Coplon, Jeff (April 12, 1992). "Riding Ugly". *The New York Times Magazine*. p. 61.

1. ["Charles Sampson"](https://www.prorodeohalloffame.com/inductees/bull-riding/charles-sampson/). ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 8, 2010.

1. ["Rodeo Champions"](https://www.calgarystampede.com/rodeo/past-champions). *Calgary Stampede*. Retrieved June 15, 2024.

1. ["Charles Sampson"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180731030534/http://www.georgepaulmemorialbullriding.com/bullriders.htm). *George Paul Memorial Bullriding Del Rio Texas*. www.georgepaulmemorialbullriding.com. Archived from [the original](http://www.georgepaulmemorialbullriding.com/bullriders.htm) on July 31, 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2018.

1. ["National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame - Charles Sampson"](https://nmwhm.org/hall-of-fame-inductees/). Retrieved 20 May 2017.

1. ["PBR Ring of Honor"](https://pbr.com/heroes-legends#ring). *Professional Bull Riders*. Retrieved August 18, 2023.

1. ["Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductees"](https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/rodeo-hall-of-fame/5336/). *National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum*. Retrieved May 20, 2017.

1. ["Charles Sampson | Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame"](https://ellensburgrodeohalloffame.org/inductees/). *erhof.com*. Retrieved May 20, 2017.

1. ["Bull Riding Hall of Fame inductees"](https://thebullridinghof.com/pages/inductee-list). *Bull Riding Hall of Fame*. Retrieved August 19, 2023.

1. ["Sampson, Charles 1957"](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/sampson-charles-1957). *Encyclopedia.com*. www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved March 28, 2019.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Charlie Sampson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Sampson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Sampson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.