From the time he was three years old, Rusty Allen knew that he wanted to ride bucking horses. He officially started his rodeo career in the ninth grade when he joined the Utah State High School Rodeo association, competing in bareback and bull riding, calf and team roping. He won the Utah State High School bull riding championship and qualified for the National High School Rodeo finals his freshman year.
The following summer, Rusty traded a custom-made youth saddle to Lewis Field for his first bronc saddle. Lewis gave him some basic instruction, his dad taught him how to get off using a pickup man, he attended a Ty Murray school, and entered the saddle bronc riding at the high school rodeos that fall. Rusty won two state bronc riding championships and qualified for the National High School Rodeo Finals the following three years. Rusty worked both ends of the arena, also qualifying for the finals in steer wrestling and team roping. Â He served as the UHSRA student president his senior year. During his high school years he also competed in the Rocky Mountain Rodeo Association rodeos winning two year-end saddle bronc riding championships.
In 1993 Rusty bought his Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association permit and began attending Weber State University on a rodeo scholarship, majoring in mechanical engineering. For the next four years he led the Weber State’s men’s team in points and qualified for the College National Finals in the saddle bronc riding, bull riding, calf roping, and steer wrestling. During that time travel to PRCA rodeos was limited to summer but he went to all the rodeos he could make.
Once college graduation and a mechanical engineering degree was secured, Rusty set out to attain his life-long goal of making the National Finals Rodeo. While being a “full-time†professional rodeo cowboy Rusty also held down a full-time job in a family business where he managed employees, drove semis, and maintaining equipment.
The year 2004 was magical. Rusty won some great rodeos, made amazing rides, and qualified for his first NFR. He placed in six of ten rounds, and left Vegas with a couple of broken ribs and an amazing smile. Four more NFR qualifications came consecutively in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008; adream come true for any cowboy! The following three years Rusty suffered injuries finishing 16th, 17thand 18th in the World Standings
Rusty was elected and served as the PRCA saddle bronc director from 2012 – 2015, working diligently to make improvements for bronc riders and rodeo overall. One responsibility of this director position was selecting the stock and setting the nightly pens at the NFR. This involved watching the stock perform at the various rodeos throughout the year to ensure the best horses were selected and that every NFR performance was as fair as possible.
Following the 2015 NFR, after much soul searching, Rusty told his friends and parents that he thought it was time to retire from rodeo, utilize his engineering degree, and move on to a new career. In January 2016 he began working for Trebor International, as a mechanical engineer.
Rusty is still involved in and has a great love for the sport of rodeo. Being born into a three-generation rodeo family, he has carried on the family love and legacy and passed that passion on to his two daughters, Ashley and Sienna. Ashley competed in all the girls rodeo events while in Jr. High, High School, and College. She has continued as an avid barrel racer. Sienna is currently competing in high school rodeos in barrel racing and breakaway roping and planning a college rodeo career.
Rusty currently serves as an advisor to the UHSRA Â Board of Directors for the rough stock events. His primary concern is the education and safety of the participants. He recently teamed up with a past NFR bareback rider and bull rider to instruct a school for the high school rough stock competitors. He spends his off-work time with family and friends team roping, snow and water skiing, hiking, and anything else that creates a challenge and adventure.