The National Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City finally admitted its first black member on Dec. 10, 1971, but the honor came 39 years too late for legendary Bill Pickett. Pickett's father was born into bondage in 1854 on the trail from South Carolina to Texas. After the Civil War and their emancipation, the family stayed in the hill country along the San Gabriel River. Willie M. Pickett came along in 1870 and after five years of schooling started earning his keep as a miniature ranch hand. Little Bill was barely 11, when he mastered the trick that changed his life.The observant youngster happened to notice that a bulldog could control the orneriest steer simply by chomping down on the creature's upper lip. A few days and several secret practice sessions later, Bill stupefied a corral of cowpunchers by pacifying a number of unruly calves in exactly the same way.
As a range-riding teenager, he gradually perfected the amazing technique and unwittingly invented a new rodeo event. Leaping from his horse "Spradley" onto a speeding steer, Bill would grab the animal by the horns, twist the head and sink his teeth into the critter's upper lip. With the beast completely in his power, he would bring it down while holding both hands high in the air. Moving to the Central Texas town of Taylor in 1888, Bill's first public performance was at the local fair, where the spectacular stunt predictably proved to be a real crowd pleaser....
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