Albert Flinn enters his fifth season as the Eastern New Mexico University rodeo coach, after joining the athletic ataff in June, 2008. Over the last four seasons, Flinn has guided numerous competitors to the College National Finals Rodeo, including the duo of Chance Kiehne and Michael Trujillo, who won the national title in team roping at the 2010 CNFR.
Flinn brings his 20-years of experience in rodeo to ENMU 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.
His 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.
Prior to his graduation from ENMU, Flinn became the first NIRA regional secretary from the Southwest region and later spent three years as the general manager of the LX Rodeo Company, owned by Hugh Cooper of Santa Rosa, N.M. He has been an avid supporter of 4-H, high school and college rodeo, including serving a six-year term as an adult director for the Mew Mexico 4-H rodeo program and the last eight years as a supporter of the Eastern New Mexico University rodeo program.
Albert and his wife, Jenny have one son, Cooper. Cooper has competed in rodeo since he was nine years old and earned his masters degree from the University of Tennessee-Martin.