Last Friday, the Sixx Shooter Gallery in Fort Sumner honored a quartet of legends, which included current Eastern New Mexico University Rodeo Coach Albert Flinn. The gallery annually honors regional personalities for Billy the Kid Legend Day.
The selection caught Flinn by surprise. “It came up all of the sudden,” Flinn said. “Sixx Shooter picks local legends to honor every July 14. They select the candidates and the committee votes.”
Flinn became ENMU’s rodeo coach in 2008 and produced consecutive regional championship teams in 2015 and 2016. Over his nine seasons at the helm of the program, he also guided Eastern’s competitors to four national championships, the first coming in team roping by Chance Kiehne and Michael Trujillo at the 2010 College National Finals Rodeo.
His return to Eastern came four decades after leading the squad to a runner-up finish at the national finals in 1967-68 and a regional championship in 1964-65 as a participant.
Flinn’s career in rodeo began in 1959 as a member of New Mexico’s National high school championship team, turning in a second place finish in the bull riding. Flinn also qualified for the short go in two events in 1960 at the National High School Rodeo Finals. He was the American Junior Rodeo Association champion bareback and bull rider in 1961 and joined the Rodeo Cowboy Association in 1963.
The first stint at ENMU began in the fall of 1964 for Flinn, and his performance helped lead Eastern to its first National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Southwest Regional championship in 1965, with the team qualifying for NIRA finals in 1966 and 1968. In the 1968 season, Flinn helped the team to a runner-up finish at the NIRA national finals.
Albert and his wife, Jenny have currently reside in Portales. They have one son, Cooper and a grandson, Treston.
