Historical article · 2017. The events and results below belong to that period. Editorial review: November 1, 2026.
Ben Bates's career connected professional rodeo with film and television stunt work. The archived remembrance recorded NFR steer wrestling qualifications in 1968 and 1970 and a later association with screen work, including doubling for James Arness.
Those are distinct parts of the same life. His rodeo results belong in the competition record, while his screen credits need to be considered through the productions in which he worked.
A broader view of a rodeo career
Not every important rodeo story is a championship story. Contestants can carry their skills into training, entertainment, ranching and other work beyond the arena. A brief historical profile can acknowledge that range without turning a few credits into an invented biography.
Bates died in 2017; the original WatchNFR post revisited his life ahead of the 2022 finals. The 2017 death and the 2022 retrospective are separate dates in that chronology. For readers researching earlier NFR generations, Don Mayo's career offers another period-specific account. Official rodeo archives are the starting point for confirming qualifications and competition results.
For a different season, see more rodeo stories and guides. Historical results above should be read with their original year.
Sources and official information
Image: original AI-generated thematic illustration for WatchNFR. It does not depict the named athlete or the reported historical event.
