Old-timers’ luncheon brings back fond memories of Prescott rodeo for former bull rider

Former pro bull rider Charlie Underwood of Carefree, third from left, stands beside his wife, Ginger, and grandson, Jordan, as well as former bull rider Tom Cox of Mayer, outside the Freeman Building before the final performance of the 2018 Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo July 4 at the Rodeo Grounds. They attended the rodeo’s annual old-timers’ luncheon, which honors cowboys who competed decades ago at the “World’s Oldest Rodeo.” (Doug Cook/Courier)

PRESCOTT — As Charlie Underwood drove 87 miles from Carefree to the Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo early Wednesday morning, July 4, flashbacks of competing here as a professional bull rider decades ago rushed into his head.

He recalled the punishment he endured from ornery bucking bulls in the arena. He remembered the fatigue he suffered from while traveling across Arizona and the West as a pro from 1973-81. And yet it was the relationships he forged in rodeo that he could replay most vividly.

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