PENDLETON — Long-time Round-Up barrel man Flint Rasmussen will return for the Centennial Round-Up thanks to the cooperation of current barrel man Keith Isley and the Professional Bull Riders. Rasmussen will team up for the first time with Isley during Wednesday’s rodeo.Before signing his exclusive PBR contract, Rasmussen had been named PRCA Clown of the Year for eight consecutive years and won the Coors Man in the Can honors seven times. Isley is following in Rasmussen’s footsteps. At the 2009 PRCA convention, he was named Barrel Man of the Year, Clown of the Year and Coors Man in the Can.

“Since Flint retired from doing Round-Up in 2005, we’ve always talked about him returning in some capacity for 2010,” Round-Up Vice President Dennis Hunt said. “Flint has made a lot of friends in Pendleton over the years, but because of his PBR contract, we really didn’t know what he would be allowed to do.”

Hunt said PBR had no objection to Rasmussen making this one-time appearance before he travels to the next PRB event in Springfield, Mo. The Round-Up vice president then asked Isley about adding Rasmussen to the bill.

“As one would expect, Keith is excited about the two of them working together at Wednesday’s Round-Up,” he said. “Neither they nor I know exactly what the day will bring. I do know that Flint wants to sing his song, ‘I really love that Pendleton Round-Up.’ I’ve got a feeling that once he gets here, he and Keith will have some funny stuff put together.”

Photo by Don Cresswell, provided by The East Oregonian