Tucker, Harley

Harley Tucker knew a good bucking horse when he saw one. His son said he had a knack for finding them. Tucker always made sure his stock was well cared for and had the best of everything, even if that meant he was the one hauling them over 75,000 miles a season to rodeos. Tucker originally joined the Cowboys Turtle Association, but soon after it changed its name to the Rodeo Cowboys Association. His gold card carried #28. His first foray into the rodeo business was in 1945 when he and Ben Peal put a string of spoiled saddle horses up against a group of would-be cowboys. The next year, Tucker helped start the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo in his hometown of Joseph, Oregon. The Harley Tucker Rodeo Company soon became known for its colorful and fast-paced rodeos. His rodeo string grew to over 200 bucking horses, 40 bucking bulls, 40 dogging steers, 150 cows and calves, and 12 matching white parade horses. He hauled his stock to 20-25 rodeos a season. One time he chose to drive his horses on foot through the mountain pass instead of hauling them by truck. This dedication to his stock was rewarded when 17 of his bucking animals were chosen for the first National Finals Rodeo in 1959. Tucker was a major supporter of college rodeos across the Northwest. Many times he would supply stock for free to ensure a good rodeo for the next generation of cowboys and cowgirls. While working a rodeo in Vancouver, Washington, Tucker suffered a massive heart attack. His wife and son fulfilled the contracts for the rest of the year and then sold the business. “Harley will be remembered for years to come as one of the most likable men of his profession and sincerely missed by his many, many rodeo friends,” wrote Geneal Posey for the Rodeo Sports News. Tucker was inducted into the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Rodeo Hall of Fame 1997, the Pendleton Round-Up Hall of Fame 1981, the St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1999, and in the inaugural class of the Chief Joseph Days Hall of Fame in 2021. His legacy lives on with the Harley Tucker Rodeo Series Award. This award is given to the cowboy who wins the most in the four Northwest Rodeos – Eastern Oregon Livestock Show in Union, the St. Paul Rodeo in St. Paul, the Elgin Stampede in Elgin, and the Chief Joseph Days in Joseph. Tucker was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame with the Class of 2025.