Bob Wiley
The Porterville Recorder
Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux announced that retired Tulare County Sheriff Bob Wiley passed away on August 19 at the age of 87.
Wiley served as the county’s sheriff from 1967 to 1991 and the Bob Wiley Detention Facility north of Visalia in named in his honor.
Boudreaux stated he contacted his wife, Sonja to express his sympathy and placed TCSO Honor Guards to stand by him at the funeral home.
Wiley graduated from Kingsburg High School where he was a standout in football and track. He competed in both sports with Rafer Johnson at Kingsburg. Johnson went on to win the decathlon gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome.
Wiley went on to play football at Porterville College. In one game against Reedley College, Wiley gained 279 yards on his way to being named to the Little All-America team.
It was at PC where Wiley began doing what he was also known for beside being Tulare County’s sheriff and that’s competing in rodeo. Wiley began competing in calf roping, now known as tie-down roping.
While he was at PC he worked as an extra help deputy and as a rodeo cowboy to support his family.
In May 1965 he was well-known in the Porterville area, working as an extra-help deputy at the Porterville substation. He also made a name for himself in calf roping, competing across the state, the country and Canada.
He competed in the Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming and the Calgary Stampede in Canada. He qualified the National Finals Rodeo five times and was the reserve world champion in 1963 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena behind eight-time world champion Dean Oliver.
When he retired as sheriff in 1991 he continued to compete in a few senior rodeos and also taught boys and girls how to rope.
He went on to beat long-time incumbent Sandy Robinson in an election and began his 24-year run as sheriff in 1967. After Wiley retired in 1991, the newest jail which had opening in 1987 was named in his honor.
Wiley also served as president of the California State Sheriffs’ Association, the same office Boudreaux now holds.
Wiley was also the subject of a column written by Pulitzer Prize-winning sports columnist Red Smith for the New York Times in 1972. The syndicated column which appeared nationwide covered Wiley’s experience in rodeo while competing at the Woodlake Rodeo while serving as sheriff at the same time.
Under Wiley TCSO had an inmate farm that produced corn and onions along with raising swine and having a livestock farm. His department was also one of the first to have K-9 units, having up to 10 dogs.
In the past Wiley stated two of the department’s units he was most proud of was the narcotics units and the search and rescue operation. Trained local volunteers long assisted in the search and rescue operation, including the Tulare County Sheriff’s Posse, which began in 1940.
Wiley is survived by his wife of 65 years, Sonja, and their three children, Andrea Hudson (Brad) of Riverside, Acia Bolen of Visalia, and Robert Wiley of Tulare.
Boudreaux stated he has spoken with the Wiley family, and they ask for privacy during this time.