Birth place or City of origin: | Red Lodge |
State of origin: | MT |
Last known City: | |
Last known State: | |
Start/Birth date: | 1920 |
Death/End date: | 1965 |
Born near Red Lodge, MT, in 1920. He developed tremendous arm and shoulder muscles while working the mines in his early teens, that later assisted him in ultimately becoming one of the best all-around cowboys the rodeo sport has ever known. He regularly competed in saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bulldogging and calf roping while earning the crown as All-Around World Champion three times (1945, ‘50 and ‘53) along with numerous individual titles. During his illustrious career, many claimed that Linderman was the greatest rodeo cowboy that ever lived, earning him the moniker “The King” by his fellow competitors. Bill was the epitome of what a cowboy should look like and perform -- tall, handsome and strong. His arena exploits were characterized by fierce determination, a trait, which may explain his many injuries. After his retirement, Bill embraced the RCA (Rodeo Cowboys Assoc) with all the fervor, pride and determination that he had exhibited as a contestant. Bill lived for rodeo and died for rodeo – perishing in a plane crash on his way to the Northwest Washington Fair at Puyallup when his United Airlines flight crashed at Salt Lake City airport in 1965.