Bugbee awarded Pickup Man of the Year

As some of you remember on the night of Aug. 20, 2020 at the

Guymon Pioneer Days Classic Event Championship, Rex Bugbee was tragically killed in a pickup man accident. Here is a little flashback to what happened on that terrible evening. Top-notch pickup man Rex Bugbee and Shawn “too tall” Calhoun entered the stage to go help a saddle bronc rider. It would have been a routine situation until Rex Bugbee, Shawn

“too tall” Calhoun, and their horses collided. Bugbee was knocked out and life flighted to Lubbock, Texas, to the head trauma unit, where the doctors discovered he had seven broken ribs, a broken shoulder blade, collapsed lungs, multiple broken bones on his face and head,

and several brain bleeds. After the horrific wreck, tons of rodeo fan and people in the rodeo industry took to Facebook asking for prayers and talking about how great of a man, and pickup man, Bugbee was. After Bugbee passed on Aug. 25, 2020, Wacey Munsell said it best in his Facebook post: “Great man, great pickup man, and a great cowboy. If there were anyone to

look up too as a cowboy’s cowboy, he was the guy.” Everyone that knows anything about the sport of rodeo knew Rex Bugbee. Robbie Hodges said. “Never knew one person that didn’t like him… Anybody that doesn’t strive to be the quality of cowboy this guy was every time the boots went on and the saddle got slung up on that horse, you’re wasting your time. This

guy was the best friend this sport had.” Then, at the National Finals Rodeo, Bugbee’s family got a surprise; he was awarded with the “2020 PRCA Pickup Man of the Year” award. Bugbee’s wife Teri said, “I would much rather Rex be here to accept it in person but that didn’t happen. Rex would have been really proud that he was nominated by his peers.”