Biography

Clarence Edward LeBlanc, born August 3, 1951, grew up in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. He began riding horses so early in his life that he can't remember his first time. Due to his father's influence, LeBlanc became one of the most influential men in modern Black cowboy history.

       As a young boy in the 1950s and 1960s, LeBlanc would travel with his father to weekend rodeos, often to see teams curated by Black organizers like his father, Roy LeBlanc, who was a calf roper, steer wrestler, bronc buster, and skillful welder. His father was instrumental in starting the Okmulgee County Rodeo, later named the Okmulgee Roy LeBlanc Invitational Rodeo. Clarence LeBlanc was immersed in the rodeo world and its competitive nature from a very young age, breaking horses with his brother Kenneth in their adolescent years. LeBlanc recognizes the immense privilege he had with his father's influence and access to equestrian resources – horses, saddles, trailers – especially for Black Americans in the mid-twentieth century. He witnessed the racial tension his father faced as a Black cowboy, but was not deterred from pursuing the sport professionally.

        In 1975, LeBlanc established himself as a bulldogging champion and began an award-winning career. He qualified for the International Finals Rodeo thirteen consecutive years and was the International Pro Rodeo Association's first Black world champion in 1978. In both 1983 and 1990, he was the IPRA World Steer Wrestling Champion, claiming the national title in 1984. In 1988 and 1989 he was the owner of the Steer Wrestling and Hazing Horses of the Year. He retired from competition in 2016.

        Today, LeBlanc is a full-time farmer, running a cattle company and tending to his livestock. He considers working the ranch his dream life and he is very proud to see rodeo culture continue to provide opportunities for future cowboys of color here in Oklahoma.

Chloè Flowers interviewed Clarence Edward LeBlanc for this exhibition in collaboration with Oklahoma Cowboys. 

More contemporary photographs of Clarence LeBlanc, courtesy of Jakian Parks (b. 2001).