story by Don Reichert
San Antonio cowboy, Larry O’Neill, was the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association co-champion in the bareback riding in 1959. Rodeoing for the University of Texas at Austin, Texas, he won the Southern Region bareback riding and earned enough points at the College National Finals Rodeo in Klamath Falls, Oregon to be awarded the co-championship honor.
O’Neill was born in 1937 and grew up on a ranch near Hermosa, South Dakota, south of Rapid City. Larry said, “When I was just a ‘punkin’ kid I worked for Chuck Jacobs sweeping out his leather shop in Rapid City.” Larry’s rodeoing began in high school, competing in bareback riding, bull riding and steer wrestling. In 1956-57 he was part of a group of fourteen South Dakota cowboys who attended Sul Ross State College at Alpine, Texas. Larry did not make the rodeo team as a freshman, but was an active member of the rodeo club and also competed in track at Sul Ross where he was elected Freshman Representative.
Deciding to pursue a degree in Architecture rather than Industrial Arts, he attended the School of Mines and Technology at Rapid City, South Dakota in 1957-58. At the School of Mines, O’Neill competed as an individual in college rodeos in Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Idaho, and South Dakota. Rumor that the University of Texas was going to offer rodeo scholarships got Larry to enroll in 1958 and go south again to pursue his architecture degree. No scholarships became available and U.T. had no rodeo club or team, so again Larry competed as an individual in the bareback riding. After winning the region and NIRA Co-Championship in 1959, Larry said, “The intense five year architecture curriculum precluded any additional rodeoing.” He graduated in 1963 with a degree in Architecture and went on to work in Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. In 1969 he started his own architecture business, specializing in designing schools and churches.
A great memory from his first college rodeo at Texas A and I at Kingsville, Texas was his bareback horse that was crashing around in the chute. “Everybody from South Dakota had been on a bunch of crazy horses and big, rank horses like Ernie Tooke’s horses and I was just waiting for him to settle down a little before I called for him. Like a typical stock contractor, he came out there and started mouthing about it. It really upset me and made me more aggressive and I really spurred that horse hard. It was a lesson to me and to the stock contractor. I remember thinking that guy doesn’t even know what real broncs are.”
O’Neill competed in western South Dakota rodeos in the summers. In 1957 -1959, he won or placed high in the bareback riding, bull riding and steer wrestling at St. Onge, Sturgis, and Hot Springs.
Larry and his wife Liz bought the first of two ranches north of San Antonio in 1971 where they raise cattle and horses. Their three daughters competed in AQHA and 4-H horse shows and other youth events when they were growing up. He also traveled some to Montana to watch his nephews compete in rodeos and help out on his brother’s ranch near Miles City. When one of his nephews was competing at the CNFR in Boseman, Montana, Larry attended his first National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Alumni, Inc. reunion. He has served on the board of directors and was president for 3 years. In the early 2000’s he initiated reunions of the South Dakota group of cowboys who college rodeoed in Texas in the 1950’s. O’Neill said, “I urge other rodeo teams from former years to get together during the week of the CNFR. Everyone has a great time renewing friendships, meeting new friends, and exchanging stories of college rodeo days.”
After retiring from his architecture business in 2005, he spent a lot of time showing cutting horses all around Texas. In addition to Larry tending their cattle and horses, the O’Neill’s attend many of their seven grandchildren’s school and sports events.
The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Alumni (NIRAA) will celebrate its 28th anniversary by honoring all the NIRA National Champions, Championship Teams, top finishers, Faculty and Student Presidents for the years ending in “9” at the Annual Reunion June 14-15 during the 2019 College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in Casper, Wyoming.
Recently when Larry was asked if he would be attending he said, “Yes I am. That’s my year!”
