HOUSTON – One has achieved legend status and the other has been tasked with filling his shoes.
Leon Coffee and John Harrison are famous rodeo clowns, but behind the makeup are two men who seriously love what they do.
For more than three decades Leon Coffee was right in the middle of the action, a legendary rodeo clown and barrel man known for protecting cowboys and entertaining crowds. Now, only for the second time he has taken a step back. He is no longer in the barrel, rather spending time in the stands with the fans who still love him dearly.
“It’s a whole different world because I’ve always been in the middle of the action,’ Coffee said. “It’s a little tough to not be doing what I’ve done for over 50 years. And that’s just an adjustment I’ve got to make.”
Coffee says the decision didn’t come easy. But after years of putting his body on the line, he knew it was time, even if walking away from the spotlight is not in his nature.
“You know, father time has never been outrun. I gave him a race but I did not outrun him,” Coffee said laughing. “It’s still the fact that I love my sport. I love my business, I love this way of life so much that I’m not going to quit.”
While he may no longer be inside the arena barrel, Coffee’s presence is still felt across NRG Stadium, especially by the man who stepped into the role.
John Harrison was personally chosen by Leon Coffee to carry on the tradition, a responsibility he doesn’t take lightly.
“I remember exactly where I was when Leon called me,” said Harrison. “I was in a drive-thru at McDonald’s in Indianapolis. He called me, I pulled out of the drive-thru. I couldn’t believe it.”
Harrison said there’s no replacing a legend, only honoring what came before.
“Everybody’s like, ‘You got big shoes to fill.’ There’s no fillin’ Leon’s shoes, this is completely different,” Harrison said. “To roll that barrel in, and be there for the cowboys now, that he thought I could do the job, that means the world.”
Back in the stands, Coffee now watches something he helped build, a show that still amazes him after all these years.
“This is a huge, huge production,” he said. “Just to know the logistics of how they run all this and the expertise that they run it with and the people that’s involved with this.”
And while the role may have changed, the passion hasn’t.
“I feel like I’ve done my job, but it ain’t over yet. I’m not out there in the trenches, but everybody needs a little backup every now and then.”
Leon Coffee actually performs in the barrel at several smaller rodeos each year, but he says his heart will always be with RodeoHouston.