Chadron State College Athletics

At least until bullriders Will Farrell and Dustin Elliott won national championships earlier this decade, Sam Perkins was king of the Chadron State cowboys. He qualified for the National College Finals Rodeo three straight years while attending CSC. He was the Great Plains Region bullriding champion as a sophomore in 1973, was second on the saddle broncs in ’74 and won the bareback title as a senior in ’75.
In addition, he was runner-up all-around cowboy in the region as a sophomore and a senior and was third as a junior. After graduating, he was among the 15 qualifiers for the PRCA National Finals in bareback riding six times. In 1979, when he finished second in the standings, he became just the third bareback rider to earn more than $50,000 in the event. No cowboy ever rode barebacks better than Sam rode them the last half of the ’79 season, when he was first in the event at 32 rodeos.
A graduate of Oelrichs, S.D., High School, Perkins has been a horse trainer in Texas the past 20 years.