Rough Ryder Knives takes it name from the group of men who volunteered to follow Teddy Roosevelt. In 1898, 23,000 men volunteered to ride with Teddy Roosevelt, but he hand picked only 2,000. The men hailed from every corner of the country. They were Princeton football players, full-blooded Pawnee Indians, trail-wise cowboys, aristocratic Englishmen, polo players, and even Rhodes Scholars. They came from every state and social class. Those men became one of the best fighting forces in history. They became his Rough Riders.