Louisiana Rodeo Fans Mourn the Passing of ‘Mr Rodeo’

Next January when the Mid-Winter Fair & Rodeo makes its annual stop in Lafayette Louisiana it just won't be the same. Sure, there will be tough cowboys, rank bulls, beautifully talented and skilled barrel racers, and of course, all of the pomp and pageantry you'd expect with a rodeo.

But as a lifelong fan of the sport I know for me, and tens of thousands of rodeo fans like me there will be something amiss. We probably won't notice the " empty space" until after the traditional grand entry. I know for me it will sink in when the announcer asks us to remove our hats and stand for prayer and the National Anthem. That's because the voice that comes over the speakers will not be that of Mr. Rodeo, Mike Mathis.

If you've ever had the pleasure of meeting someone who did a job they were born to do then you know why me and so many rodeo fans appreciated the talent and skill of Mike Mathis. His big booming voice would echo through the rafters of Lafayette's Blackham Coliseum as he introduced the next competitor. That same voice would help set up the antics of our great rodeo clowns and bullfighters too.

Now, imagine keeping a rodeo on time, cracking jokes with a clown, avoiding angry bulls, and entertaining a crowd all from the back of a horse. I think there is no other place Mike Mathis would have rather been. He was such a natural and he truly loved "the rodeo".

By "the rodeo" I mean Mike loved "the bulls, the blood, the dust, the mud", (Thank you Garth) and it showed in every smile and every syllable. Mike was a rodeo man. He fought hard to make sure the cowboys and cowgirls were appreciated. He worked hard to make sure only the best livestock was brought in for each show. He worked hard, at having a good time too.

So, yes the show, the rodeo, will go on. But if you see more than a few misty-eyed cowboys at Blackham Coliseum or your hometown rodeo arena over the next few months it won't be because of the dust in the air. It will be because our friend, Mr Rodeo isn't there.

Rest in Peace, Mike. Tell Lecile Harris we said hello. And if you happen to run across Donnie Gay's incredible bull Mac the Knife in some pasture in Heaven, tell him hello for me too. I bet the angels still can't ride him for an eight-count.