Roy Madden was born and raised in the heart of cowboy country in Holdenville, OK. He joined the USAF in 1967 and served 4 years in Personnel and Finance at Little Rock AFB, AR. He regularly competed in open rodeos around the area in SB, TDR and TR.
After leaving the Air Force, Roy became the Recreation Manager and later Stable Manager for MCB 29 Palms, CA. It was in this role that he became involved in military rodeo when he was building equine recreation programs for the base. He developed a base rodeo team, secured funding and directed construction of a covered multi-purpose riding arena. To ensure that the rodeo team had the support they needed, he worked with the command structure to obtain rodeo equipment, bleachers, bucking stock, timed event stock, and a bucking machine that helped the team train. Roy was responsible for the first rodeo on the base and worked with other installations to initiate rodeo programs on their bases. He was also instrumental in getting TAD orders for the team to attend practices and rodeos.
Roy was one of the co-founders of the Military Rodeo Association (MRA) and helped write a standardized rule book, built membership and established a system for qualifying for the military finals rodeo. He has actively competed in PRCA, open rodeos, and the National Police Rodeo Association winning their TR title in 1983.
After retiring from federal service in 2002, Roy moved to Henryetta, OK where he operates a small ranch operation and works as the Economic Development Director for the Chamber of Commerce. He has been active as a singer/songwriter and enjoys performing cowboy music wherever he can. Roy has stayed involved in the local Henryetta rodeos and building a monument for 16-time World Champion Jim Shoulders.
Born: 1947 in Holdenville, OK - Died: 2021 in Henryetta, OK
