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He and some friends had decided to begin a rodeo club at the school, and assignments were dutifully given out.
“They pointed at me and said, ‘You’re going to be the rodeo clown,’” Fisher said.
He gave it a try and 46 years later, he has turned that job into a lifelong career and will become a member of the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame during induction ceremonies March 27-28 in Belton.
“I’m being given the award because I outlasted everybody else and I’m still alive and relatively healthy, but there are many greater rodeo clowns than I’ve ever been,” he said.
Fisher grew up around cattle on his parents’ dairy farm in Barker, eventually learning how to ride bulls. Before the rodeo club, though, he had never thought of becoming a rodeo clown.
“I considered myself an amateur comedian and I seemed to always be cracking jokes to be cute and make people laugh,” said Fisher, a former Sealy resident. “I guess everybody recognized that and thought maybe if they would just put me out in the arena and give me a good dose of real life with bulls, I’d straighten up.”
But Fisher cleaned up, instead, proving so successful as an entertainer that he began working in professional rodeos from then on.
First, he had to master a wide range of skills for the job. Fisher picked up fast, learning how to be not only a clown, but also a bullfighter, barrel man and animal trainer.
“I enjoy the adrenaline rush when you save a bull rider who’s about to get run over or hurt seriously, and you can do something about it to help save them,” he said.
And that involves strategy. Fisher worked by the philosophy of always letting the bull win, “because you’re out there to be funny.”
“At a real rodeo where you’re entertaining the crowd, you don’t always have to go out and outdo the bull,” he said. “The bull needs to win, at least in the public’s eye. It should always be kept on a lighter, more comic aspect.”
He takes pride in his ability to work well with animals and enjoys the work so much he decided to embark on a new career as the owner of Ralph Fisher’s Photo Animals. The company rents out tame animals for events, such as corporate parties, and sets up photo opportunities with different animals, such as longhorns.
“Me having an animal background as a kid helped it all just fit together,” Fisher said.
Although he is mostly retired as a rodeo clown now, with the odd gig here and there, he still enjoys the opportunity his business gives him to see new places.
“I enjoy traveling, getting to meet new people and getting to work with animals - that’s what I really love,” Fisher said. “Not too many people get to do what they like for a living.”
His education helped him get where he is today, he said. Born in Sugarland, he graduated from Katy High School. After attending Blinn Junior College, he graduated from Sam Houston State University with a Bachelor of Science and a Master’s of Education. For seven years after college, he taught school, working with students who had learning disabilities.
Then he got back in the animal business, and at one point in his life, spent a couple of years in Sealy, working as a landscaper for Ranch Country Homes.
“Education played a role in my rodeoing,” he said. “It allowed me to use my skills in keeping accurate records and in different aspects of the business like (determining) how much money I’m making or whether or not you should go back to that place.”
He still maintains close ties to Sealy and Cat Spring, staying in touch with friends and family who live in the area.
He never could have made it without the support and encouragement of them and his wife, Sandra; children, Todd, Kimberley, Brice and Dusty; and six grandchildren.
“My family has always been real close and a big part of my business,” he said. “I’m really proud of them.”
His biggest supporter, though, is God.
“Anything that I have accomplished and all my strength comes from the good Lord,” Fisher said. “I rely on my faith and trust in the Lord to take care of me. I always have, and I know he’s helped me in being safe all these years.”
Fisher is being inducted as part of the rodeo personnel category, along with Bob Romer and David Merrill.
Other 2009 inductees and honorees include:
Rodeo committee: West Texas Fair and Rodeo - Abilene.
Johnny Boren Award: Alvin Davis.
Western Heritage Award: David Dewhurst.
Rodeo couple: Rosemary and R.L. Bland.
Stock contractor: Sloan Williams.
Deceased: Steve Bland, Jack Burkholder, Beverly Steiner and Jackie Worthington.
Contestants: Guy Allen, Dave Brock, Bob Logue, Chuck Logue, Tommy Puryear, Rusty Riddle and Jim Sharp.
Women: J.J. Hampton and Nelda Patton.
Trailblazers: Bert Bounds, Marvin Cantrell, Spicer Gripp, Melton Grunwald, William “Bill” Hogg, Ralph Mitchell and Lloyd Woodley.
For more information about the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame, visit the organization’s Web site at www.trchf.com.
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