The daughter of Tad Lucas, Mitzi was born into rodeo. She learned to ride before she could walk, and made her debut at six, filling in for her injured mother in a trick riding act. A daring rider, she routinely turned down offers from Hollywood while performing in rodeos from coast to coast for twenty years. Retiring from rodeo, Mitzi served on the board of the Rodeo Historical Society, establishing the Tad Lucas Award to recognize outstanding women in rodeo.