Decker qualified twice for NFR
Tater Decker was a longtime rodeo cowboy who qualified for the NFR twice. The
Oklahoman salutes Decker and others with Oklahoma ties who enjoyed the game day experience.
A farewell to people with Oklahoma ties who enjoyed the game day experience:
•Tater Decker, 92, of Talihina was a Hall of Fame rodeo cowboy. Decker’s career began in the 1940s; he competed in all events, although his favorites were steer wrestling and saddle bronc riding. Decker qualified for the 1959 and 1961 National Finals Rodeo in steer wrestling. He was No. 8 in the world rankings for that event in 1961.
One of his survivors is son Dirk Decker, who is a PRCA calf-roper, steer wrestler and team roper.
•Lavoy King, 86, of Midwest City was offered a scholarship to play basketball at Oklahoma A&M. He instead joined the Air Force, where he became a transmission specialist while stationed in Germany and Vietnam. King was an avid horseman and competed in several rodeos and equestrian events.
•James Steward, 78, of Durant. He excelled in high school sports, particularly in football for the Durant Lions. Steward was an All-State back in 1956 and received a scholarship to OU, then coached by Bud Wilkinson. Steward spent two seasons with the Sooners, then transferred to Southeastern State in Durant where he finished his college football career.
He was twice inducted into the Durant High School Hall of Fame, once for football and again for track. Steward was a member of the Lions’ Class A state champion track team in 1957 that edged Ada by just two points and third-place Stillwater by 10. He participated in the shot, high jump and relays. Steward was also a champion in the intermediate and senior divisions at the Oklahoma Junior Olympics.
He became a coach and worked with high school football and track teams in Texas.
•Connie Larkey Havel, 44, of Shattuck was a track standout at Gage High School in northwest Oklahoma. She was a cheerleader for the Tigers.
•James Williams, 67, of Tulsa. He starred in several sports at Clinton High School, but he was best known for playing fullback for state championship football teams in 1967 and 1968. Nicknamed “Beauty” for some of his quick, slick moves on the field, he was The Oklahoman’s All-State Back of the Year for the ‘68 season.
Williams signed with Oklahoma State but would eventually transfer to Cameron, where he finished his college football career. He attended training camps with the New York Jets and Washington Redskins. Williams wrapped up his football career with the old Oklahoma City Wranglers’ semi-pro team that played at Taft Stadium.
Williams never forgot his football roots, often driving from his Tulsa-area home to Clinton games on fall Friday nights.
“When you play football here, you join the family,” Williams told The Oklahoman several years ago. “To be a Red Tornado, that’s what every kid around here aspires to be.”
He retired from Goodyear Tire and Rubber in 2015.
•David Rhodes, 61, of Bristow. He coached high school football at Dewey, Bristow, Wagoner and Muldrow. Rhodes retired from education in 2013 and enjoyed time on the golf course. He pitched for the University of Arkansas baseball team in the late 1970s.
•Debbie Zellner Johnson, 64, of Oklahoma City held OU season football tickets for more than 20 years. She was an inaugural season-ticket holder for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The educator was the chief reader for the Oklahoma Scoring Service, which scores standardized tests such as the GED.
•Jack Morris, 91, of Alva was a successful calf roper and bulldogger on the rodeo circuit. The PRCA member spent 25 years competing in his home state as well as Nebraska, Kansas, New
Mexico and Texas.
•Glenn Beynon, 86, of Oklahoma City. The retired Air Force major lettered in golf at Slippery Rock State Teachers College in his native Pennsylvania. The Vietnam vet was an OU sports fan.
•Gene Myers, 76, of Oklahoma City. He was a basketball official when not working for Weatherford Oil and Gas. Myers died six days after his wife Patricia passed at age 75.
•Ron Hughes, 51, of Burns Flat. Hughes was a high school football coach before going into administration. Coaching stops included Merritt, Elk City, Sperry and his hometown of Chickasha.
He was superintendent of Burns Flat-Dill City Schools at the time of death. Hughes was a member of the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association appeals committee.
•John Adams, 89, of Healdton was a member of the Texas A&M football team during in the 1940s. The native Texan also served in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He worked for Mobil Oil.
•Frank Lewis, 78, of Ponca City. Lewis’ stepfather,
Blackie Bryant, raced cars in the Indianapolis area. Lewis was often hanging around the race car garage or the track. As an adult, he liked to go fishing and hunting but never outgrew his love of motor sports. Lewis was a big NASCAR fan.