Jake McClure

Roy Leonard "Jake" McClure (1900 or 1903 – July 19, 1940

Biography Jake McClure was born in 1900

In 1931, McClure got first prize in calf roping a rodeo at the Madison Square Garden rodeo. He became the all-around champion in a Phoenix rodeo in 1937, won in Houston in 1939, and won again at Madison Square Garden that same year. McClure twice won first place in calf roping for RCA. In 1935, he averaged 20.3 seconds, and in 1936 he averaged 16.2 seconds. In 1940, McClure did not compete in any rodeos because of injuries. His appendix had ruptured in 1939 and he narrowly survived. Not long before McClure's death, both his favorite horses Legs and Silver died, the former dropping dead while grazing and the latter being struck by a car.

Legacy McClure was one of the first five inductees of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum's Hall of Great Westerners. Fellow inductee and friend Will Rogers, who once hosted Cheyenne Frontier Days when McClure was competing,

Lea County Fair and Rodeo is held annually in the Jake McClure Arena.