11/30/2025
Gary speaks...
A Memorable Story
I've never related to y'all that I was a "Professional BullFighter" (Rodeo). I had fought Bulls since I was 14 years old. The caliber of the Bulls I fought when I was young was unfathomable! I was then fighting Bulls that could perform on the "Professional Circuit". My Dad, Bobby Green, was a " Co-Producer" at the time. He and Charlie Thompson owned "CWT Rodeo Co." Charlie Thompson owned the bigger part.
Charlie and Dad went to the big Bull Sale at Ardmore, OK. They purchased some really "Rank" (Tuff To Ride) Bulls. I had not gone to the Sale with them. They backed the Trailer up to the unloading chute. Both Charlie and Dad got out of the Truck with big grins on their faces. This was not a good thing knowing both of them. They unloaded the Bulls they had purchased. They were some really amazing animals! Among them was a Bull named "Widow Maker" . He was Brindle with a White Face and horns as big as "Baseball Bats" on each side of his head, which I discovered during our long relationship, that he knew how to use proficiently! This Bull developed an intense "Hate" for me right from the very beginning! However, I was able to work him well and always foil his efforts to hook (gore) Bull Riders, which made him "Hate" me even more! He recognized me by sight and sound, and would find me wherever I was in the arena and try his best to hook me! It took him "5" years, but in the end, he finally got me!
He had come out of the "Bucking Chute" and I grabbed ahold of his head and turned him back (Made Him Spin) to the left, which was his favorite direction to turn back. A Bull Rider had drawn him to ride that had no business getting on a Bull of the caliber! Needless to say, he was bucked off quickly right in front of "Widow Maker"! I was right there! I hollered his name and grabbed both of his horns to draw his attention off the Bull Rider. This was all going really well, as it usually did with him; however, the Bull Rider was so close in between "Widow Maker" and I, that I couldn't move without risking the Bull Rider getting stepped on. I was kind of "Frozen" in place with each hand full of really big, long horns that belonged to a really mean Bull. "Widow Maker" sensed my dilemma and took advantage of the situation! His horns were each 2'-06", or more, on each side of his head and 4" in circumference! The left horn was straight and the right horn had a little curve on the end. He hit me in the right side of my face with his left horn, breaking my jaw! I basically fell like a falling tree to my left. My body got about 6" away from the ground and "Widow Maker" put that curve on the end of his right horn underneath my neck and pitched me out about 60'-0 from the scene of the incident! "Widow Maker" was done! Mission accomplished! So. He just walked out of the arena! I was surrounded by Medics and concerned Friends! I was miraculously conscious. My Dad rode up on his Horse. He looked down at me with a big smile on his face and said, "The ole S.O.B. finally got you, didn't he!", laughed and rode off! That is something I'll never forget! It's the life of a Bullfighter! The funny thing is, from that day forward, "Widow Maker" had no interest in me at all! It was over between us! :-(
I hope y'all enjoy my story. It was an event that happened in my life that I will never forget! I will always remember "Widow Maker" and cherish the times we had. I definitely will remember my Dad's lack of concern for my well-being, which everybody found amazingly funny! My Dad is gone now, but I will always remember that incident between us! You might think it cruel and cold-hearted, but it wasn't. It was actually my rite of passage! My Dad let me know he respected me as a BullFighter, which meant the World to me!
*Gary Green is housed on Texas death row, Polunsky Unit.
