Clinton Cessna
Clinton Cessna grew up on a farm in Beans Cove in southern Bedford County.
From the time that he watched his older brother Howard ride bulls, Clinton caught “rodeo fever”.
At the age of 14, he attended a rodeo school that was run by Jimmy Myers, a former world champion. Myers said that the Cessna brothers were two of the best young bull riders that ever attended his clinics. He said that Howard was “rawhide tough” and that Clinton was a “natural.”
Clinton and Howard teamed up to go on the “Rodeo Road.” They left the farm on weekends to hit every rodeo that they could possibly get to, so that they could return home on late Sunday night or early Monday morning to get back to a tough week of farm work. They would be tired and sore, but they hopefully had a few more dollars in their jeans and definitely had a deeper desire to pursue their dreams the following weekends.
Clinton qualified for the high school finals in Pueblo, Colorado, and after he graduated from Flintstone High School, he went on to win the American Rodeo Finals. The young “toro twister” won the American Professional Rodeo Association (APRA) Championship seven of the 10 times that he qualified for the finals.
Here are a few of the titles that Clinton won in his amazing rodeo career:
- North American Rodeo Finals Championship in El Paso, Texas, in 1993
- IPRA (International Pro Rodeo Association) World Champion in Oklahoma City in 1996
- Match of Champions winner in New Mexico in 1997
- UBR (United Bull Riders) Champion in 1998-99
- Longhorn Finals Champion in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999
- In 1999-2000, he won three trophy saddles and qualified for the PBR (Professional Bull Riders Association) Bud Light Cup Tour
He advanced to the PBR finals in 2000 in Las Vegas, where he finished 24th out of the top 45 bull riders in the world including the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and Australia.
He and Howard, along with several other riders, formed the United Bull Riders (UBR). The Cessna brothers were not only contestants, but they were also part-time stock contractors. Clinton was also a two-time UBR champion.
Currently, Clinton, his wife Susie, and his son Zane live in a house that they built on their family farm near Clearville.
Over the last decade, Clinton has been a clinician at rodeo schools in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, teaching aspiring young stars the finer points of what some American sportswriters call “the most dangerous sport in America.”
Howard serves as one of the top judges on the rodeo circuit.
With all of the accolades and honors bestowed on him, Bedford County is honored to have a true “King of the Cowboys” right here at a farm nestled alongside Evitts Mountain.
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Clinton Cessna grew up on a farm in Beans Cove in southern Bedford County.
From the time that he watched his older brother Howard ride bulls, Clinton caught “rodeo fever”.
At the age of 14, he attended a rodeo school that was run by Jimmy Myers, a former world champion. Myers said that the Cessna brothers were two of the best young bull riders that ever attended his clinics. He said that Howard was “rawhide tough” and that Clinton was a “natural.”
Clinton and Howard teamed up to go on the “Rodeo Road.” They left the farm on weekends to hit every rodeo that they could possibly get to, so that they could return home on late Sunday night or early Monday morning to get back to a tough week of farm work. They would be tired and sore, but they hopefully had a few more dollars in their jeans and definitely had a deeper desire to pursue their dreams the following weekends.
Clinton qualified for the high school finals in Pueblo, Colorado, and after he graduated from Flintstone High School, he went on to win the American Rodeo Finals. The young “toro twister” won the American Professional Rodeo Association (APRA) Championship seven of the 10 times that he qualified for the finals.
Here are a few of the titles that Clinton won in his amazing rodeo career:
- North American Rodeo Finals Championship in El Paso, Texas, in 1993
- IPRA (International Pro Rodeo Association) World Champion in Oklahoma City in 1996
- Match of Champions winner in New Mexico in 1997
- UBR (United Bull Riders) Champion in 1998-99
- Longhorn Finals Champion in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1999
- In 1999-2000, he won three trophy saddles and qualified for the PBR (Professional Bull Riders Association) Bud Light Cup Tour
He advanced to the PBR finals in 2000 in Las Vegas, where he finished 24th out of the top 45 bull riders in the world including the United States, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and Australia.
He and Howard, along with several other riders, formed the United Bull Riders (UBR). The Cessna brothers were not only contestants, but they were also part-time stock contractors. Clinton was also a two-time UBR champion.
Currently, Clinton, his wife Susie, and his son Zane live in a house that they built on their family farm near Clearville.
Over the last decade, Clinton has been a clinician at rodeo schools in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, teaching aspiring young stars the finer points of what some American sportswriters call “the most dangerous sport in America.”
Howard serves as one of the top judges on the rodeo circuit.
With all of the accolades and honors bestowed on him, Bedford County is honored to have a true “King of the Cowboys” right here at a farm nestled alongside Evitts Mountain.
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Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame
Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Class of 2018