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Legends
A Blast from the Past q q q q q q q q by Sugar Kuhn with JW Hart and Mack Altizer
In the American Bucking Bull’s nostalgic series Blast from the Past, veterans of the sport share short notes from the past about capable contractors, prestigious venues, bad buckers and some of the most accomplished riders who pursued them. In this Blast from the Past, retired PBR bull rider and commentator JW Hart and Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame 2011 Stock Contractor Inductee Mack Altizer remember iconic bovine 50 Smokeless Hammertime.
q Besides the crafty catch phrase “Expect the Unexpected,” veteran bull riders and bull men generally remember some key things about Bad Company Rodeo and its front-man Mack Altizer. For starters, Altizer is legendary for being the first to rear back and take a stab at producing stand-alone, rock-and-roll bull ridings, still unmatched in the wild and edgy department. Altizer’s also legendary when it comes to compiling a pack of the most notorious, big-time buckers to be tested by riders and, just as important, by the grueling grind of the road. One of the smartest concepts the Southwest Texan cultivated was an idea similar to “walk-on” music played in stadiums for professional athletes. Each Bad Company hump and hide boasted more than a brand. They boasted a trendy handle inspired by adrenaline pounding music that blared during each match-up at Bad Company rodeos and bull ridings. Initially people thought this concept from the handy horseman and consummate cowboy was completely nuts—but so were the fans for what Altizer was serving up when it came to entertainment. As it turned out, the heavy-hitting, loud rock music also suited the riders and provided a pre-ride adrenaline rush. Besides the amped up production and crazed fans, riders could count on Altizer’s bovines to be the real deal and were pretty much guaranteed to pluck a bonafide bucker out of the hat. If that same guy took home nothing but applause it was from a legit buck off. On the flip side, if a rider managed to be straddling a Bad Company beast after eight, he’d likely be licking his finger and counting his greenbacks from the adventure. One of the most remembered Bad Company bull’s that fit the festivities on the Altizer agenda was Smokeless Hammertime—a black bovine with a rack of horns as bad as he was. The enormous horns ultimately became the bull’s signature trademark that preceded him in 216 career outs. Of those outs, only 13 were qualified –helping the bull leave as big a mark on the world of bull riding as Altizer himself. “The best thing about Hammertime and the way he bucked is that when a guy started to ride him he had another gear,” shared Altizer. “As soon as that guy looked like he was starting a ride, Hammertime would feel him and just grab that other gear—and he’d also go either way, too.” PBR veteran JW Hart is among the multitude of riders that Hammertime notched his belt on. Since Hart is the ironman of bull riders it seems only appropriate that he comment about this iron-bull. “I got on him in Albuquerque in 2002,” said Hart. “He was a little, bitty ,black bull with a great big set of horns. Those great big horns and how he bucked made him seem a lot bigger than he was to a bull rider and actually when he roped up he wasn’t that big. I knew my style wasn’t gonna work on him but I just figured I would nod and try to go to spurring. “ He turned back so fast and so close. I probably rode him for about 5 seconds or so before he threw me right out the back. Hammertime was a juicy little son-of-a-buck and if you know Mack Altizer at all—you know he’d dang sure use a bull. Hammertime ate more than his share of diesel smoke during his career and he never backed down a bit. He bucked every time.” Altizer of Del Rio, Texas and Chad Beavers of Goldthwaite, Texas purchased Hammertime together at a NFR sale from Brad Brettin. “He was young when we bought him out there in Las Vegas at the NFR Sale,” shared Altizer. “We didn’t know a lot about him except what Ronnie (Roach) and Brad (Brettin) had told me. They said he was a good one—and that was more
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The American Bucking Bull q Jan/Feb 2011