Mending Rodeo Cowboys

Mending Rodeo Cowboys

Before Dr. J. Pat Evans, 75, introduced sports medicine to the world of rodeo 25 years ago, competitors often were left to their own devices.

"A guy would injure his knee and ask a buddy what he did for his knee injury," Evans says. "If the pain was too great, the remedy was two six-packs."

Today, rodeo cowboys receive the same medical care as other professional athletes, thanks in no small part to Evans, who co-founded the Justin Sportsmedicine Team in the early 1980s. The team includes a staff of 16 and a nationwide network of 2,000 volunteer athletic trainers, physical therapists, massage therapists and doctors. The endeavor is aided by three mobile medical centers that travel to 150 rodeos annually to provide free medical services, ranging from icing bruised shoulders and taping up cracked ribs, to treating more serious injuries.

Evans, of Dallas, Texas, first noticed a need for medical care at rodeos in 1979. At the time, he had a private sports medicine practice and was team physician for the Dallas Cowboys football team. Walt Garrison, a running back and rodeo cowboy, asked Evans to provide medical care at a Fort Worth, Texas, rodeo. Evans agreed and enlisted the help of Don Andrews, then head athletic trainer for a professional hockey team.

It was at that rodeo that Evans had an idea. "I commented to Don, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to give rodeo cowboys the same continuity of medical care that other pro athletes have?’" Evans recalls.

Andrews and champion bull rider Donny Gay proposed the idea to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, and the late John Justin, then president of Justin Boot Co., offered to sponsor a medical team.

In the first year, Evans and Andrews were the team, covering 11 rodeos. "Our first rodeo was the 1980 National Finals in Oklahoma City," says Evans, who also served as the team doctor for the Dallas Mavericks basketball team from 1980 to 1992. "We worked on a couple of guys, and after a few days, word got out that we could really help. We’ve been busy ever since."

Andrews credits Evans’ personable manner with helping to get the program off the ground. "He befriended the rodeo athlete," says Andrews, now executive director of the Justin Sportsmedicine Team. "It wasn’t just a medical relationship. A cowboy would get hurt in California and call Evans at 2 a.m. to ask what he should do."

Evans’ approach went a long way toward mending the rift that once persisted between rodeo competitors and medical professions. "A rodeo cowboy would be injured, he’d go to the emergency room," Andrews says, "and the doctor would ask how he got hurt. He’d explain, and the doctor would say, ‘Don’t do that anymore.’ So cowboys stopped going to the ER. What we did was compromise. We listened to what their needs were. We’d tell them their condition normally takes eight weeks to heal, but do everything we tell you and you’ll be riding in four weeks."

Dan Mortensen, holder of six saddle bronc world titles, says he owes a lot to the medical team and Evans, who still volunteers at several rodeos a year. "They’ve extended the career spans of so many people, it’s just amazing," Mortensen says. "The fact that I haven’t had more major injuries is because of what I’ve learned about taking care of myself. Anytime Doc Evans is at a rodeo I track him down and chat with him. He cares about people, and he’s a very inspirational person. You sit and have a conversation with him and come away feeling better about yourself."

It’s not just the cowboys who think highly of Evans, who was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colo., last year. Sports medicine volunteers also are impressed.

"Doc has created an atmosphere that makes sports medicine pros like me want to get involved," says Benny Vaughn, a certified athletic trainer, massage therapist, and strength and conditioning specialist from Fort Worth. "He inspires us all to go the extra step."

To learn more about the Justin Sportsmedicine Team, visit www.justinboots.com and click on "sportsmedicine."

Leanna Skarnulis is a freelance writer in Austin, Texas.

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