CANADIAN PROFESSIONAL RODEO HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES LEGENDARY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS FOR 2009
May 11, 2009

The Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame (CPRHF) has announced this year’s Legends, and will be tipping their hats to Allan Thorpe, Don Edge, and Dave Shields Sr. These cowboys are set to receive the CPRHF’s Legendary Achievement Awards in three separate formal presentations later this year.

The CPRHF, which originally formed in 1979, first started the Legends category in 2004. According to the CPRHF, the award serves to honour those cowboys and cowgirls who do not qualify for induction into the Hall of Fame, but who have made a huge contribution to rodeo and the western way of life.

“Legends are those who have made a name for themselves in the rodeo arena. They are competitors in a rodeo event but have never won a Canadian Title for that event,” says Judi Wilson, a member of the CPRHF Board of Directors.

“The Legends are chosen by the Board of Directors, but are not necessarily nominated,” she explains of how the Legends are chosen “Some nominations that come in for induction are moved to the Legendary Achievement Award category because they do not fulfill the criteria for induction.

“The Legends this year competed in the arena in different events but were known by their peers and the fans as very competitive,” Wilson adds. “However, they never won a title, but did win a lot of rodeos in their careers.”

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Dave Shields is being honoured with his Legendary Achievement Award at the 93rd Hand Hills Lake Stampede on May 31, which is only fitting, considering his first rodeo was as an eight-year-old at nearby Big Stone, Alta., and he had one of his earliest victories in Hand Hills, winning the boys steer riding event there in 1972. He also bested the competition in the bareback riding event at the small Alberta community near Drumheller in 1982, 1983, 1987, 1990, and 1993.

Shields, who worked as a rancher, auctioneer and manufacturer of bucking machines, was well-known for using practically any and every mode of transportation to get to a bareback riding event, occasionally arriving by motorcycle, plane, or even hang glider. But the 1987 Cowboy of the Year was even better known for qualifying for the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) in 1979, his first year as a pro, and consecutively for nine more years, from 1982 to 1990.
               
He has stayed active in the sport through working with rodeo committees in an advisory capacity, and he’s taken part in rodeo promotions all across the country. An instructor and co-founder of Ridin’ High Rodeo School, Shields also spends his time sharing the techniques of his trade and, of course, cheering on his son, Davey Shields Jr., a bareback riding contender in his own right.

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Allan Thorpe was born July 16, 1944 in Athabasca, Alta. His first foray into competition was at an amateur rodeo in Thorhild, Alta. and, by 1962, he had contested in his first CPRA rodeo out at Lacombe, Alta.

He was a one-event cowboy, concentrating his efforts in the bareback riding event. Although he was one of the nation’s most consistent performers, he was shut out from ever winning a championship. He did, however, finish in the top five in his event eight years in a row, from 1968 to 1975, and again in 1978.

Thorpe was the 1974 Bareback Director on the Canadian Rodeo Cowboys Association (CRCA) board of directors, and can still be spotted taking part in rodeos from the other side of the chutes.

Thorpe will receive his award at the 49th annual Daines Ranch Rodeo in Innisfail, Alta. on June 14.

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Don Edge was born Feb. 12, 1929 and was raised on his parent’s Bar 50 Ranch near Cochrane, Alta. He spent many years guiding trail rides in the Rocky Mountains for Brewsters Mountain Pack Trains, a tour company based in Banff, Alta. with provincial roots dating back to the 1880s. He sometimes trained polo horses in the southern U.S. during winters.

Edge was also an active participant at many rodeos, competing in steer decorating, wild cow milking and the wild horse race. He also occasionally worked as an outrider for a chuckwagon outfit.

His focus eventually fell to ranching, but that didn’t stop him from keeping a grip on his rodeo roots. Edge kicked off his affiliation with the Calgary Stampede as a volunteer in 1964, becoming a shareholder in 1970. He worked in the Stampede infield performing a number of tasks, including calculating scores for the roughstock events and releasing livestock for the timed events.

He became a Gold Card Life Member of the CPRA in 1974, and was one of the founding members of the Canadian Rodeo Historical Association (CRHA) in 1979, the organization responsible for establishing the CPRHF.

Edge passed away April 2, 2007 at the age of 78. His award will be presented to his wife Dorothy at the Airdrie Pro Rodeo on July 1.