Billy Etbauer

Last updated
Billy Etbauer
Personal information
Full nameBilly Etbauer
Born (1963-01-15) January 15, 1963 (age 59)
Huron, South Dakota, United States
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) (2017)
Weight140 lb (64 kg) (2017)
Sport
Sport Rodeo
Event(s) Saddle bronc riding
Turned pro1988
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking5x PRCA Saddle Bronc Riding World Champion

Billy Etbauer (born January 15, 1963) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in saddle bronc riding. He competed on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) circuit along with his two brothers, Robert and Dan. He won the PRCA saddle bronc riding world championship five times.

Contents

Background

Etbauer was born in Huron, South Dakota, on January 15, 1963, and now lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. [1] He is the middle son of three boys who were all first class saddle bronc riders. [2] He traveled, shared resources, and competed with his brothers Robert, Dan, and friend, Craig Latham. [3] Latham was often referred to as "the fourth Etbauer". [3] His brother Robert won the PRCA saddle bronc riding world championship in 1990 and 1991. [3]

He married his wife Hollie on April 2, 1994, and had three children, homeschooled by Hollie. He and his wife raise quarter horses in Oklahoma. [1]

Career

In 1989, in his second year as a professional on the PRCA, he qualified for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). He qualified for the NFR 21 consecutive years, winning 51 rounds – a record for that forum. [2]

He is known for winning the 10th round of the NFR at least 9 times.[ citation needed ] In 2005, he was a guest on the Late Show with David Letterman and spoke about the NFR. In 1992 he won $101,531 in 10 days at the finals. As of 2007 he had $2.7 million in PRCA earnings alone. [1]

He won the World Saddle Bronc Riding Championship five times. [1] He earned more than $1 million in his second championship season. He made a 93-point ride on Kesler Championship Rodeo's Cool Alley in 2003, which was an NFR record at the time. He tied his own record on the same horse a year later. That record-tying ride brought him the last of his five championship buckles (1992, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2004), a record surpassed only by Casey Tibbs and Dan Mortensen. He was 41 years old at the time, making him the "oldest roughstock world champion". [2] Cool Alley was named the PRCA 2001 Bareback Bronc of the Year and the 2004 Saddle Bronc of the Year. [4]

Like Trevor Brazile, Etbauer has transcended the $3 million mark in earnings. He was the first to reach that mark in one event. He finished his career with $3,015,377 in final earnings. [2]

As a team, the three brothers and their friend are responsible for 52 NFR qualifications. This includes ten for Dan and nine for Latham. The Etbauers "dominated" the 1990s: they are the only trio of brothers "to qualify for the NFR in the same roughstock event in the same year – and they did it eight times". All three brothers were inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame. [5] The ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado, inducted Etbauer in 2012. [2] His brother Robert is also a ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee. [3]

Honors

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "PRCA Online - ProRodeo Cowboy Biographies - Billy Etbauer". www.prorodeo.com. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Billy Etbauer - Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame". Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Robert Etbauer - Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame". Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  4. ↑ PRCA Awards, p. 5.
  5. 1 2 "Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductees - National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum". National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame Inductees". Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Billy Etbauer - South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame". www.sdshof.com. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  8. ↑ Basketball, Sports, Hall of Fame, South Dakota, Tennis, Track, Running, Football. "2015 South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame". 2015 South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  9. ↑ "News - Etbauer Brothers Among the 2013 Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductees". www.opsu.edu. Retrieved May 12, 2017.

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