Liddon Cowden died January 1 in Las Vegas. The exact cause of death is not yet known, though some of Cowden’s oldest and closest friends say the California cowboy had been hospitalized in recent times after suffering a stroke. By all accounts, the 1990 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Team Roping Rookie of the Year—back before heading and heeling rookies were recognized separately—lived life on the wild side. But his best buddies swear there was no better friend than this three-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo header, who just rode away without warning at 54.
Born the son of late fellow NFR header Sonny Cowden and his wife, Donna, on October 27, 1970 in Merced, California, Liddon had two brothers, Scott and Ace, and a sister, Mindy. Liddon also is survived by four sons, Mason, Chase, Colt and Lane. When Colt became a dad the other day, Liddon also became a grandpa for the first time.
Liddon heeled for Daniel Green at the 1989 National High School Finals Rodeo, then headed at his first NFR that next year as a PRCA rookie in 1990. Liddon headed for Walt Rodman at his first Finals that year, and they won Round 2.
“That year at the high school finals was when Liddon found out he was a header,” remembers Wes Goodrich; Liddon and Goody followed in their fathers’ footsteps as team ropers and friends, as Sonny Cowden and Ron Goodrich were also always close. “Jason Hershberger mounted Liddon on his head horse at the jackpots there at the high school finals, and Liddon put on a show. Then that next year, Liddon was heading for Walt Rodman at the NFR.”
Liddon roped at his second NFR in 1993 with his cousin Cody Cowden. They buddied with the late Mike Boothe and Brent Lockett that year, and after placing in three rounds the team of Cowden and Cowden finished second in the NFR average.
Liddon headed for Lockett at his third and last NFR in 1996. The boyhood buddies won Round 3, placed in four others and finished seventh in the 10-steer average. Liddon had his career-best finish that year at seventh on the heading side.
A couple other career highlights of Liddon’s included winning the Pendleton Round-Up twice with Lockett, in 1996 and 2002 (Lockett also won it in 1998 with Chance Kelton). Boothe roped with Lockett at the 1993 and ’94 NFRs before dying after a nasty fall on the Pendleton grass in 1995. Liddon and Brent stood up and spoke at Mike’s funeral, then turned around and won the rodeo that took his life in their fallen friend’s honor the following fall.
Liddon and cousin Cody won the Dodge City Roundup back-to-back in 1992 and ’93. Liddon also won George Aros’s big roping in Tubac, Arizona one year heading for Tommye Flenniken.
“I’ve known Liddon my whole life,” Lockett said. “Liddon loved to rope more than anything. That’s all he ever wanted to do. The first time I ever went to Liddon’s house, he was just a little kid and had six or seven Shetland ponies tied to the fence with little saddles on them. Some of them had metal horns, like you’d see at pony rides.
“Big Lid was just a kid, but he rode outside ponies for people and sometimes traded the riding for hay or whatever else he needed. Sonny ranched, and kept little old 300-pound Anguses around there for Liddon to rope on those ponies.”
“I remember Liddon bringing up cattle at Chowchilla (Stampede, which was a huge eight-steer roping back in the day; all the big dogs were there) on his favorite pony, Hog Head,” added Goodrich, who heeled for Liddon some over the years and had a good spring placing with him at places like Red Bluff and Clovis in 1999. “He brought steers up all day long, and roped them every trip back up the arena.
“Liddon and I were together since we were born. I roped with him at his first junior rodeo in Merced, when Liddon was maybe 8.”
Liddon didn’t live the longest life, but he did live it up. It’s a well-documented public fact that he tried to outrun the law more than once horseback. His brother Ace wrote a song about some of Liddon’s escapades he calls “The Legend of Big Lid,” and it’s all true. But those closest to him truly loved him just the same.
“Big Lid was one of my best friends,” Lockett said. “I haven’t seen him much here lately, but we traveled a lot of miles together over the years. In 1996, Liddon and I went to 100 rodeos and made the NFR. Neither one of us had a driver’s license, and we’d both lost our Cs on our PRCA cards for bouncing a check, which meant we had to pay our entry fees in cash for a year.
“Back then, that meant we had to wire our fees using Western Union to the PRCA office by the second business day after a rodeo was over, which was usually Tuesday. So first off, we had to win something. Next, we had to find a place to cash our checks without an ID. Then we had to find a Western Union office. That was all a struggle some weeks, but we made it.”
Liddon and Brent were never in those 1996 world standings until September that year.
“We had to win when that fall rolled around,” Lockett remembers. “Sure enough, we went to Puyallup (Washington) and won it. We went to Lewiston (Idaho) and won it. We went to Othello (Washington) and won it. Then we won Pendleton, and went home to California and won Barstow after that.
“That scenario happened to us twice. After I broke my leg so bad at the Cow Palace in 2000, I started roping with Liddon in July of 2002. I had a shot late in the year to make the Finals. We had to win Pendleton to make the tour finale in Dallas, and we did. In Dallas, we were 3.7 in the semis to split it with Wade (Wheatley) and Kyle (Lockett, Brent’s little brother). In the finals, Wade and Kyle won it in 4.7, and we were 5 flat for to win second.
“If we’d flip-flopped in the finals, I’d have made the Finals that year (Brent qualified for six NFRs, and got to rope at five of them due to that wreck at the Cow Palace). Liddon rode my dad’s (Jim) horse Small Change at Dallas, and Wade rode his great horse Biscuit. Those two head horses were brothers by Gilbert Reynolds’ stud Frosty Top, that Jim (Wheatley, Wade’s dad) used to rodeo on. Kyle heeled on his roan Heel Horse of the Year, Dinero, that came from Tanner Bryson, and I rode my white horse Blue that I got from Cody (Cowden). Blue, Dinero and my horse Paint that I won Pendleton on twice are buried out behind my house.”
The first time Brent Lockett was ever 4 on a team roping steer, it was behind Liddon Cowden at Larsen’s Arena in Ceres, California. Brent was 5 for the first time after being 4, and it was again heeling for Liddon. That semifinals run behind Liddon in Dallas was the first 3-second run of Brent’s career.
“Liddon was always all about roping,” Brent said. “When I lived with him, we worked on ranches. He never stopped talking about roping. He loved it more than anything. If I could say something to Liddon right now, I’d just tell him I cherish everything we’ve been through and wouldn’t change it for anything.”
“God love him, Liddon was one of a kind,” Goodrich said. “Big Lid was definitely rated R. He rode his ponies to school, and would always rather ride a horse than drive. In fact, he got arrested for riding a horse down the interstate in LA one time. He did movie work for Disney as a kid, and not only rode horses in it, but swam with the dolphins, too.
“Liddon watched HP Evetts reach, and learned to simulate it. Liddon had a natural head swing, and when Speed Williams came along some people said they had similar styles. Liddon could swing it over the gates and reach.
“Yes, Liddon was wild. But he was also the kind of guy who’d give you the shirt off his back and spend his last dime on a buddy. Liddon lived life his way. He didn’t ever have a driver’s license or a bank account. But we had a blast. He was good hearted. He was just Big Lid.”
