William "Bill" Pickett (b.1870-d.1932) was a black man and rodeo star credited with being the first person to engage in bull dogging. Pickett was also the first African-American rodeo athlete to be inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame. The Bill Pickett Rodeo, begun in 1984, was started as a way to honor the black rodeo athletes currently competing in the field. I recently attended the 2015 Bill Pickett Rodeo as it made its stop in Maryland and that's when I met a cowboy with a sunflower in his hand and a slow smile that crept across his face like the sun rising in the morning - ok, maybe I spent way too much time with the broncos, but what a day!
