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Good Old Cowboy

The man behind 50 years of Innisfail rodeos was recently honoured for his work further from home.
A03-Local-Jack-Daines
Jack Daines

The man behind 50 years of Innisfail rodeos was recently honoured for his work further from home.

Jack Daines, 74, has been attending the National Finals Rodeo for 40 years and he was back in Las Vegas earlier this month at the Cowboy Reunion celebration when his name was called as recipient of the Good Old Cowboy Award.

“I was shocked,” said Daines, who has been involved in almost every aspect of rodeo since his days of bronc and bull riding as a young man.

“It was a big honour for me. All those other cowboys in the room were champion cowboys.”

Daines was the first Canadian to win the seven-year-old award, which he proudly points out was won by another old cowboy, six-time National Finals Rodeo bronc rider Bill Feddersen, last year.

The Cowboy Reunion is a non-profit organization organized by three ProRodeo Hall of Famers that brings together cowboys and cowgirls to celebrate rodeo. It also donates thousands to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund, the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and other groups.

Daines was honoured for all the work he has done over the years for the organization, including the many events he has auctioneered.

The family name has been associated with the National Finals Rodeo for decades. Brother Ivan and son Dwayne have both been contestants in the 40 years Jack has been attending the event.

It is only the latest among many rodeo honours for Jack. He is in the Canadian Pro Rodeo and Alberta Sports Halls of Fame, and the 1990 recipient of the Professional Rodeo Committee Man of the Year. He is also recognized on Innisfail’s Wall of Fame, received the Mayor’s Recognition Award and walked away with the 2009 Pioneer Award at the Calgary Stampede.

In Innisfail, what started out as a practice area became the site of a rodeo that has now gone on for a half-century. The $75 prizes of its earliest year have now given away to $15,000 prizes. This year’s rodeo had $241,000 and 241,000 rodeo points up for grabs.

Daines was also honoured closer to home recently with the Innisfail Rotary Club’s Paul Harris Award. He is only the second non-Rotarian to be honoured with the award, which reflects his work in the community.

The award is named after the Rotary founder and has been handed out since 1957.

pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com