Doak, George

George Doak and Junior Meek were destined to be together. Both started their bullfighting careers as a means of trading entry fees for the bull riding, although Doak also entered bareback riding while Meek chose steer wrestling and tie-down roping. Meek went on to compete in the National Finals Rodeo in steer wrestling, while earning a living as a bullfighter. As a bullfighter, he was the first to consistently jump bulls in the arena and his great athleticism made him a favorite with the bull riders. Doak, born May 18, 1937, in Fort Worth, Texas, started his professional career in Cowtown, N.J. One of the first televised rodeos, Cowtown also hosted what may have been the first clown training camp at a bull riding school. Doak twice fought bulls at the National Finals Rodeo (1971, 1977) and for many years worked the National High School Rodeo Finals and College National Finals. Doak and Meek, born April 4, 1936, in Cleburne, Texas, joined forces in 1963 to book rodeos as a team. This marked the first time two bullfighters worked as partners. The list of rodeos they worked, together and separately, reads like a “Who’s who” in the rodeo world: Fort Worth; Pendleton, Ore.; Kissimmee, Fla.; Phoenix; San Francisco; Cheyenne, Wyo.; and Denver. Although Doak and Meek developed funny props, clown acts and entertainment, they are remembered for their ability to protect the cowboy while making the event look like as easy as a day at the office. He was inducted into the ProRodel Hall of Fame in 2000.