story by Larry Burgess,
NIRA Alumni, Inc. Vice President
Charles Alexander Winters, better known to his friends and family as Charley, was born on March 6, 1941 in Weed, NM. His family moved frequently and Charley attended thirteen different schools before his family bought and began operating a farming/ranching operation just outside Aztec, NM. That’s where Charley learned to rope and ride. He attended Aztec high school and began rodeoing there in FFA and 4H rodeos, riding bareback broncs, bulls and calf roping. He also starred on the wrestling team.
After high school graduation, Charley planned on attending Adams State College on a wrestling scholarship until he discovered he was too light for even the lowest college wrestling weight class. He worked on a drilling rig for a year or so until he filled out and gained enough weight, then did attend Adams State for a year. That year was enough to convince him rodeo was his sport and not wrestling, so he worked at various jobs, serving as a guide for hunters and fishermen, pipeline work, carpentry and other construction work. During this time he competed in amateur rodeos, specializing in bareback bronc and bull riding. He filled his permit and joined the RCA professional circuit in 1965.
Charley’s college rodeo career began when he was given a scholarship to Casper College in December of 1968. He was on the rodeo team and served as President of the Rodeo Club. From Casper, Charley transferred to Southern Colorado State University where he majored in Industrial Arts, specifically workplace safety. During his time in college rodeo, Charley qualified for the college national finals rodeo three times (in both bareback and bull riding), won the Central Rocky Mountain Region bull riding once, served as the NIRA Regional Student Director for two years and while at Casper College was in the Who’s Who of American Jr. Colleges academically.
After college, Charley worked at a variety of jobs. He was a construction superintendent, taught at Lamar College teaching art, building construction and welding and helped coach the rodeo team, served on the Colorado Racing Commission, taught classes for the Navajo Construction Industry Training Program and was the apprenticeship coordinator for carpenters and mill wrights for northern New Mexico. He served in the New Mexico Legislative House representing the northwest New Mexico district three and co-chaired a committee on New Mexico workers compensation insurance reorganization. After his legislative stint, Charley had an adventuresome job in Alaska installing fall-proof climbing equipment on FAA sites. Eventually, he returned to New Mexico and was named the Bureau Chief of Worker’s Compensation for the state. He served in that capacity for 20 years prior to retiring.
Charley continued to rodeo professionally until the 1970’s. It was at the Lamar, Colorado rodeo that he decided the time had come to give up rodeo competition. He determined that if he won the bull riding there, he would end his rodeo career and go out a winner, which he did.
Although retired, Charley is anything but idle. He makes custom knives, spurs and bits, collects, trades and exhibits antique firearms, sculpts bronze western figures and carves and welds facsimile Native American ceremonial pipes. He is an avid hunter and fisherman and enjoys a good round of golf.
Charley and Sherry Steinmiller were married in 1967. They have two children, Bruce and Keleigh and four grandchildren. Charley and Sherry joined the NIRAA as a team in 2017 and are a welcome addition to our college rodeo alumni family.
