Carl “Sonny” Worrell, one of the top timed-event hands of his generation, died Jan. 28 at his home in Stonewall, Okla. He was 76.
Worrell was the PRCA steer roping champion in 1978 and qualified for 14 National Finals during his career – five times making it to the National Finals Rodeo as a tie-down roper and nine times to the National Finals Steer Roping.
He made it to both Finals in the same year in 1960, 1961 and 1963.
In the years after his retirement, he was honored with inductions into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days Hall of Fame, Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame in Dodge City and Ak-Sar-Ben Hall of Fame in Omaha.
His rodeo career began at the age of 11 when he finished third in the tie-down roping at a rodeo in Erie, Kan., riding a horse he raised.
When he was 15, Worrell won the tie-down roping in Mound City, Kan. He began his professional career while attending Oklahoma State University in 1955.
It was there that he met the daughter of legendary steer roper Everett Shaw, Mary Sue Shaw of Stonewall, Okla., and in 1957 the couple was married in Stillwater.
Worrell competed in tie-down roping and steer wrestling, and later in steer roping, and was the first Kansan to qualify for the National Finals, in 1960.
In 1970, a leg injury at the Houston Astrodome ended his competition in tie-down roping and steer wrestling, but he continued in steer roping for another decade.
Worrell won money 23 times in 28 appearances at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo.
He is survived by his wife, Mary; their three children, Neil, Beverly and Kelly; and two grandchildren who are rodeo contestants, Cacee Sue Taulman and Colby Worrell. Services were held Jan. 31 at Stonewall First Baptist Church.