You know him as the famous RODEOHOUSTON ® barrelman. Dressed in his colorful get-up garnished with staple bibs and signature green hat, Leon Coffee’s legacy has been three decades in the making! Coffee was named RODEOHOUSTON’s 2025 Hall of Fame Inductee for his everlasting impact on the 20-plus day event.
It’s easy to know him for making the dangerous job look easy – and dare we say fun – but have you ever thought about what makes Coffee, Leon Coffee!? When he’s not in the barrel, Coffee’s life is rich and wholesome by way of family and all his favorite must-haves, superstitions and dreams.
We sat down with him in a fast-paced, ‘Beyond the Barrel’ interview to bring you all the things you haven’t heard before:
Question: When you’re not at a rodeo, what is your favorite Hobby?
Coffee: My favorite hobby is hunting and training horses. I love to train them to fit somebody. Hunting is just something I’ve always loved, but I don’t have a whole lot of chances to do it.
Question: How did you meet your wife, Terri?
Coffee: I went to the college finals in Casper. She was the security there, and I didn’t know her from Adam. I drove up there at two or three o’clock in the morning and I’m cruising through. I walked up there, and I didn’t know where Tom Jones was, the head of the rodeo. I walked up and said, “Ma’am, do you know where I can find Tom Jones?” And she looked at me and made a joke that I didn’t understand, and I was totally lost. And I went, “What?” And I had to think about it for a second. She had grown weary of college kids running around late into the night, so she was giving me a hard time. She didn’t have a clue who I was. So, we get to the time of the performance, and she is setting up security at all the gates around the arena, she brings this guard over to where we are and put him at the gate, and I’m standing there working on my barrel. She looks down and goes, “Oh no, not you!!” I looked up and said, “Oh, there you are!” I got to messing with her during the performance so bad that I felt bad about it. I asked her to lunch, and she finally went out with me, and the rest is history.
Question: Were you named after anybody in your family?
Coffee: I was named after my granddad, Luke. My dad’s name was Luke Jr., and my dad named me Luke Leon.
Question: What’s your favorite movie and why?
Coffee: I’ll have to say Jericho because I was in it. It was an old time Western movie, and I played a preacher. It was produced by a company called Black Night Production and they wanted everyone in it to be affiliated with the United States Military. We did a really good job on the movie and took it to the Houston Film Festival, and we won first.
Question: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Coffee: I’d probably say the Alpine Mountains. And on a spread that I could ride and walk and be outside.
Question: Do you have any superstitions for rodeos?
Coffee: Once I start a rodeo, I cannot wash my overalls, my bibs! I Febreze them for sure but every time I washed my bibs, I got hooked at the next performance.
Question: If you weren’t a barrel-man, what would you be doing?
Coffee: I love to rope calves, but I’ve never been good at it. I can rope. I can team rope. My dad wanted me to rope so bad, it was unreal. And I was the family’s little outlaw, and I didn’t like doing what I was told, so I started riding bulls. And because I rode bucking horses, my granddad put me on all the colts. And so, I got to riding bucking horses at a very young age.
Question: How do you like to spend your birthdays?
Coffee: My twin sisters’ birthday is October 10 and mine is October 11, so our celebrations were always together until I was in my mid-twenties.
Question: What’s your favorite food?
Coffee: I’m a steak and potatoes kind of guy. Anything that has red meat in it.
As the agile barrel-man he is, we sat him down for a swift game of rapid-fire questions!
Coffee or tea? Coffee
Cowboy hat or baseball cap? Cap, because I can pull it down.
Boots or tennis shoes? I love boots but I can’t wear them anymore so tennis shoes it is.
Barbecue or chili? Barbecue
Country music or Classic Rock? Country
In 2024, Coffee rolled his barrel out for the last time at RODEOHOUSTON marking the end of an era, but not his rodeo legacy. In 2025, Coffee will trade the arena floor for the fan zone and stands, bringing his legendary charm and wit to entertain guests in new ways. His infectious spirit and larger-than-life personality will continue to be a hallmark of the event, ensuring that Coffee remains an integral part of the RODEOHOUSTON experience.
As the sole inductee for the second class of the RODEOHOUSTON Hall of Fame, Coffee will be honored during the 2025 Rodeo.
The 2025 Rodeo is scheduled for March 4 – March 23.