The First Bulldogger

• Original (Oil) - 24" x 60" - $54,000 SOLD
• Giclee Print (Signed) - $6,000
• Giclee Print - $4,000
• Poster Print - $100

SELECT VARIANT BELOW

William "Bill" Pickett was one of the first great rodeo cowboys and is credited with inventing the sport of bulldogging (the skill of grabbing cattle by the horns, biting their lower lips, and wrestling them to the ground). He figured if a bulldog could do this to stop a runaway steer, why couldn't he?

One of 13 children, Pickett was the son of a former slave, and attended school through the fifth grade before he began to work at ranching. He soon began demonstrating his stunts at county fairs, eventually joining the 101 Ranch Wild West Show. Sometimes banned from rodeos because of his black and Native American heritage, Pickett never let anything keep him down, gaining prowess and esteem with his ingenuity and steadfastness.

In 1971, he became the first African American honoree to be named in the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, beloved for his death-defying feats of courage and skill and his fierce bravery and dedication.