Top Bull Riders of all time
Bull Riding has a very simple set of rules that surround it and could be considered to be one of the most enjoyable 5-10 seconds in sports. The objective of a rider is to stay on the bull for 8 seconds once it has been released into the ring. The only rule for the rider is that only one hand may be placed on the rope or bull at any time.
The G.O.A.T of Bull Riding
Gaining popularity in the nineteenth century, Bull Riding started as a competition among cowboys to determine who was the toughest rider. Starting on small ranches and moving to wild west shows and finally going on its own, bull riding has become the rodeos’ most popular event to date. In this article, we’re going to show you the top bull riders of all time.
1. Lane Frost
Lane Frost was an American professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding and competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He was the 1987 PRCA World Champion bull rider and a 1990 ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee.
He was the only rider to score qualified rides on the 1987 PRCA Bucking Bull of the Year and 1990 ProRodeo Hall of Fame bull, Red Rock. He died in the arena at the 1989 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo as a result of injuries sustained when the bull Takin’ Care of Business struck him after the ride.
2. J.B. Mauney
J.B Mauney’s career came from riding in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), winning the world championship for the said organization in 2013 and 2015. Since 2021, he has competed full-time in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He also competed briefly in the now-defunct Championship Bull Riding (CBR) tour.
Mauney is considered one of the greatest bull riders of his generation. Known for taking the path less traveled, he is noted for picking the rankest bull in the pen when given the choice. He follows his creed, “If you are going to be the best, you’ve got to ride the best”.
3. Tuff Hedeman
Richard Neale “Tuff” Hedeman is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in bull riding. He won the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) bull riding world championship three times (1986, 1989, and 1991), as well as the 1995 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) world championship. He also won the 1993 world championship for the now-defunct Bull Riders Only (BRO) organization. He is also one of the co-founders of the PBR.
Hedeman is a ProRodeo Hall of Fame, PBR Ring of Honor, Bull Riding Hall of Fame, and Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee. He is known for having been one of the rodeo icons of Lane Frost’s closest friends. Hedeman and the infamous bucking bull Bodacious had a few historic clashes. He later served as the President of the PBR and then the President and Ambassador of Championship Bull Riding (CBR). In 2018, he formed his own bull riding organization: the Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding Tour (THBRT).
4. Chris Shivers
Chris Chivers competed on the Professional Bull Riders tour. He turned pro in 1997 and earned the title of PBR World Champion in 2000 and 2003.
5. Ty Murray
Ty Monroe Murray is an American nine-time World Champion professional rodeo cowboy. He was one of the top rodeo contestants in the world from the late 1980s to the early 2000s. He is an inductee of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the all-around category. He is one of the co-founders and a board adviser of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), and a color commentator on events for the PBR’s elite tour, the Unleash the Beast Series (UTB).
6. Don Gay
Donald (“Don” or “Donnie”) Gay is an American eight-time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) world champion bull rider. His father, Neal Gay, was a well-known rodeo competitor and rodeo producer. Don was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979; his father was inducted in 1993, becoming the only father and son to receive that honor. In 2015, Don was inducted into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame. Don retired from a professional rodeo in 1989.
7. Jess Lockwood
Jess Lockwood competes in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) tour. He joined the PBR in 2015 and was named Rookie of the Year in 2016. On November 5, 2017, he became the youngest PBR World Champion. He won his second PBR world championship on November 10, 2019. He also became the youngest bull rider to win two PBR world championships.
8. Juston McBride
In his career, he competed on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) tour. He is a two-time PBR World Champion (2005 and 2007), has a record of 32 career wins and was the first professional bull rider to earn more than $5 million in the course of his career. McBride was inducted into the Class of 2020 in the Bull Riding Hall of Fame in August.
He is a country music singer and is also one of the color commentators for the PBR’s Unleash the Beast Series telecasts on CBS Sports Network.
9. Terry Don West
Terry Don West is the only Bull Rider in history to ever achieve as many titles across a broad spectrum of associations, as well as a 7-year break between his PRCA titles; and he did it over a mind-boggling 21-year career, from 1984 to 2005. Terry Don West only missed one year of competition during his impressive 21-year career; and that was in 1997, to take the time to recover from knee surgery.
Terry Don West set a new record in 2003 for bull riders, earning over $211,000 in one season. Terry Don West was one of a handful of riders to ever cover the infamous “Bodacious” – and he did it not just once – but twice.
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