He’s not clowning around

Dec. 3, 2024

By Kristen Prater

PARIS — For TxDOT’s Kody Gray, moonlighting as a clown is no laughing matter.

Gray spends his days as an assistant supervisor for TxDOT in Red River County. But in his free time he stares down some of rodeo’s rowdiest bulls.

Gray began his rodeo clown career in 2017, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Floyd McGuire, who wowed rodeo fans in the 1980s and 1990s.

Now it’s Gray’s turn to entertain crowds by diving into barrels to distract 2,000-pound onery bulls who don’t take too kindly to cowboys on their backs.

“The bulls don’t bother me. It’s the legs or the horns that come into the barrel that you worry about,” Gray said. “Sometimes when the bull hits the barrel it feels like you’re getting hit by a truck. But the adrenaline is pumping so it is a thrill.”

Performing for crowds — and ensuring the safety of the cowboys he works with — has come naturally for the 32-year-old.

Gray loved going to rodeos as a kid, and watching his grandfather entertain the crowd with a comedy car act. He knew then that one day he would carry on his grandfather’s legacy.

As a young child, Gray would dress up as a rodeo clown and dream of the day that he would be the one to amuse rodeo fans between rides. And when he brought his grandfather’s act out of retirement, he also dusted off the old clown car his grandfather made years ago. — the Yellow Rose of Texas.

In 2023, Gray reached the major leagues of rodeo clown status when he received his Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association permit, allowing him to perform at professional rodeos.

“I enjoy meeting new people at the rodeos that I go to,” he said. “At almost every rodeo someone walks up to me and tells me that they remember that old yellow car from when they were kids, and now they enjoy bringing their kids to watch it.”

After high school graduation, Gray’s family encouraged him to consider a career with TxDOT. He quickly realized that TxDOT was a great place to work and pursue his passions on the job and at the rodeo.

When he isn’t clowning around, Gray enjoys spending time with his wife and kids. Whether with his work family or rodeo family, Gray always gives it 100%, makes safety his priority and has a Texas-sized good time.