Remembering Cleo Hearn: Visionary Behind Cowboys of Color Rodeo Dies at 86
Cleo Hearn, who was known for creating the Cowboys of Color Rodeo, has died at the age of 86. Here’s what you need to know about his life and legacy.
Cleo Hearn, a legend in the Texas rodeo community, died on November 9 at the age of 86. He will be remembered, among many other things, as a pioneer. He was the first African American to receive a college rodeo scholarship, and in 1970, he became the first African American to win the tie-down (calf) roping competition held at a major rodeo.
In 1971, Hearn went on to produce a “Black Rodeo,” the first of what would inevitably become many, in Harlem, New York for 10,000 kids. The rodeo featured 100 Black cowboys from his home state of Oklahoma and from Texas. The annual event became known as the “Texas Black Rodeo” until 1995, when Hearn decided to change it to the “Cowboys of Color Rodeo” to create a more welcoming, inclusive atmosphere.
With the name shift came the intention of celebrating and highlighting not only African American cowboys, but those from Hispanic, Native, and European American backgrounds as well. Hearn understood that these groups were often erased from the history of the American West, and he wanted to remind others “that the story of the cowboy has never belonged to just one people.”
Prior to his rodeo career, Hearn served in the US Army after being drafted in 1961. During his military service, he was selected as one of the first eight African Americans to serve in President John F. Kennedy’s Presidential Honor Guard. He carried this sense of pride and leadership into everything he did—outside of the rodeo, Hearn was a teacher and mentor to young riders and gave them the respect, kindness, and opportunities they deserved but were not always given.
In an Instagram post addressing the news of his death, the Oklahoma Cowboys described Hearn best, saying, “His skill, determination, and grace in the arena opened doors that had long been closed to riders of color.” Below, we’ll take a closer look at how Hearn was able to do that for countless cowboys and cowgirls over the decades.
Cleo Hearn’s legacy and honors
Cleo Hearn first moved to Texas for his management trainee job with the Ford Motor Company. He remained with Ford for 33 years as a Southwestern Zone Manager before his retirement. During that time, he also tirelessly worked on the Cowboys of Color Rodeo Tour which featured 200 culturally diverse riders competing at events across Texas and Oklahoma. The tour features traditional competition elements in addition to cultural and historic entertainment, such as Escaramuzas, Buffalo Soldiers, Native American Drummers and Dancers, and Charros.
To celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2010, Hearn brought his Cowboys of Color Rodeo to the Fort Worth Stock Show. According to the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Fort Worth rodeo still sells out first every single year. The next performance at the historic venue is scheduled for January 19, 2026. With Hearn’s passing, it’s sure to be an emotional occasion, and one that will no doubt pay homage to the man who created it and who gave so much to so many.
Hearn officially retired from rodeo competitions in 2017, though he maintained a commitment to the Cowboys of Color Rodeo Tour until 2020, when he retired from that as well. His sons, Wendell, Eldon, Robby, and Harlan, took over organizational duties from him upon his retirement. When he became an Inductee for the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Rodeo Hall of fame in 2022, he said, “Rodeo will always be a part of my life. If I ever become too old to rope, I’ll continue spreading the message of the forgotten cowboy, the need for understanding other cultures, and working together to build dreams, everywhere I can.”
His additional honors included being an inductee of the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame, the Frontier Times Museum, and the Forth Worth Stockyards’s Texas Trail of Fame. He won NFR’s 2016 Lane Frost Award and was a 2023 honoree of the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. That same year, the city of Lancaster officially declared May 10 as “Cleo Hearn Day.” He had been living in Lancaster with his second wife, Wanda Henderson Hearn, at the time of his death.
His services will be held in Dallas
On November 20, a wake for Cleo Hearn will be held at Dallas’s Evergreen “Peggy Jo Mayse” Chapel. The following day, November 21, there will be a celebration of life honoring Hearn at DeSoto’s Life Center United Methodist Church. The celebration is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
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