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Jeremy Sparks (born May 31, 1977) is an American retired Rodeo Clown and Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association member, Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo Hall of Fame Bullfighter, [1] [2] [3] [4] and author of Go West - 10 Principles that Guided My Cowboy Journey.
Sparks was born in Helena, Arkansas to Elmer and Claudie Sparks. He has two brothers, Jeff and Jay Sparks. In 1989, his family moved from Marvell, Arkansas to Fountain Hill, Arkansas. [3] It was there he had a God-given dream to pursue rodeo bullfighting. While only 14 years old, he dedicated himself to pursuing the sport and was mentored by champion bullfighter Donny Sparks. Two months after graduating from Fountain Hill High, Jeremy received an electric shock while working on a farm, and his rodeo plans were temporarily derailed. While originally planning to attend McNeese State University on a rodeo scholarship, the accident forced him to withdraw and instead enroll at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. Sparks pledged Pi Kappa Alpha in the Spring 1996 semester. After three years of recovering from the electric shock, Jeremy returned to rodeo. Sparks joined the University of Arkansas-Monticello rodeo team where he completed in the team roping and tie down roping events of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. In addition he received Bachelors in Speech Communication and Rhetoric. [5] He served as a bullfighter at amateur and collegiate events and trained under World Champion Bullfighter Mike Matt.
In September 2000, while still a student at UAM, Jeremy applied for and received his membership to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. In May 2001, he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in communications. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States of America, Jeremy enlisted in the Air Force and went on to earn his commission in December 2001. In March 2002 he was invited by the South Korean Minister of Tourism to perform an exhibition bullfight at the famed Cheongdo International Bullfighting Festival in Cheongdo, South Korea. [3] Soon after his return, he was contracted by the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo to fight bulls at the 2002 event on Military Appreciation Day. He went on to establish a legacy at CFD, working the rodeo nine times and was a inducted into the Class of 2013 CFD Hall of Fame; the youngest person ever honored.
He is a 5-time bullfighter for the College National Finals Rodeo [6] in Casper, Wyoming and worked PRCA Circuit Final Rodeos [3] on both the East and West Coasts.
During his rodeo career, he was appointed Case 05-195 and represented the United States Air Force [4] as the only professional bullfighter endorsed by the Pentagon [3] in the history of the USAF. He was a Wrangler endorsee, an ad spokesman for Bresnan Communications, and featured by Mutual of Omaha in the 2010 Aha Moment TV commercial campaign.
In 2008, he appeared on Pressure Cook with Chef Ralph Pagano and later on the Power of 10 with Drew Carey.
Jeremy retired from professional rodeo in 2010. [2]
In 2016, Jeremy contracted with Elevate Publishing to publish his story, Go West descriping the 10 lessons that he learned in route to a CFD Hall of Fame career.
Jeremy is married to Jamie Jordan. He is the father of three boys and currently resides in NW Arkansas. [2]
Rodeo is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States, western Canada, and northern Mexico. Today, it is a sporting event that involves horses and other livestock, designed to test the skill and speed of the cowboys and cowgirls. American-style professional rodeos generally comprise the following events: tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, bull riding and barrel racing. The events are divided into two basic categories: the rough stock events and the timed events. Depending on sanctioning organization and region, other events such as breakaway roping, goat tying, and pole bending may also be a part of some rodeos. The "world's first public cowboy contest" was held on July 4, 1883, in Pecos, Texas, between cattle driver Trav Windham and roper Morg Livingston.
Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to buck off the rider.
A rodeo clown, bullfighter or rodeo protection athlete, is a rodeo performer who works in bull riding competitions. Originally, the rodeo clown was a single job combining "bullfighting" — the protection of riders thrust from the bull, as well as being an individual who provided comic relief. Today, the job is split into two separate ones: bullfighters who protect the riders from the bull, and entertainers (barrelmen) who provide comic humor. However, in some parts of the world and at some small rodeos, the jobs of bull rider protection and comic remain combined.
Christopher Lee LeDoux was an American country music singer-songwriter, bronze sculptor, and hall of fame rodeo champion. During his career, LeDoux recorded 36 albums, which have sold more than six million units in the United States as of January 2007. He was awarded two gold and one platinum album certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), was nominated for a Grammy Award, and was honored with the Academy of Country Music Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award. LeDoux is also the only person to participate and also perform at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Lane Clyde 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. He was also the only rider ever to score a qualified ride on Red Rock, the 1987 PRCA Bucking Bull of the Year.
Quail Dobbs was a famous rodeo clown and performer, inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2002.
The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) is the premier championship rodeo of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). It showcases the talents of the PRCA's top 15 money winners in the season for each event.
Cheyenne Frontier Days is an outdoor rodeo and western celebration in the United States, held annually since 1897 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It bills itself as the "World's Largest Outdoor Rodeo and Western Celebration." The event, claimed to be one of the largest of its kind in the world, draws nearly 200,000 annually. Lodging fills up quickly during the peak tourist season throughout southern and eastern Wyoming, into northern Colorado and western Nebraska. The celebration is held during the ten days centered about the last full week of July. In 2008, Cheyenne Frontier Days was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.
Robert Edward "Rob" Smets, known professionally as The Kamikaze Kid, is an American former professional rodeo bullfighter.
Larry Mahan was an American professional rodeo cowboy. He won six all-around world championships and two bull riding world championships in the Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit at the National Finals Rodeo.
James A. Shoulders was an American professional rodeo cowboy and rancher. He is commemorated at the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. At the time of his death, he was one of the most successful contestants in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), having won 16 World Championships, which was the most of any performer at that time. He was known as the 'Babe Ruth of rodeo'.
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, 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 and is known for having been one of rodeo icon Lane Frost's closest friends. He 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).
The Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum is located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States. The museum was founded in 1978. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, dedicated to interpreting, conserving and exhibiting the history and material culture of Cheyenne, Cheyenne Frontier Days, the State of Wyoming and the American West. The museum features the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame. Permanent exhibits include Western horse-drawn carriages and wagons, the history and memorabilia of Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo celebration, local history of Cheyenne, pioneer artifacts and clothing, and Western and folk art. The Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum is home to the "World’s Largest Outdoor Rodeo and Western Celebration" with its permanent exhibit on the history of Cheyenne Frontier Days.
Monty Henson, sometimes known as Hawkeye Henson, is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in saddle bronc riding. He competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), and won three PRCA saddle bronc riding world championships.
Jimmy D. "Jungle" Anderson was an American professional rodeo bullfighter.
Dan Collins Taylor was an American cowboy, rodeo performer, and promoter. In 2006, Taylor was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Taylor died on November 3, 2010, in Doole, Texas.
The Bull Riding Hall of Fame, located at Cowtown Coliseum in the Fort Worth Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, is a hall of fame for the sport of bull riding. It is incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Texas, and created to "recognize, memorialize, and applaud the bull riders, bullfighters, bulls, stock contractors, events, and individuals who have made a historic contribution and attained stellar performance in the sport." Membership is open to fans worldwide.
Phil Lyne is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who competed in the Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA)/Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He was the RCA Rookie of the Year in 1969. Two seasons later at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR), in 1971, he won the all-around cowboy world championship and the tie-down roping world championship. At the NFR in 1972, he repeated as the all-around world champion cowboy and added a second tie-down roping world championship. Lyne won his first and only steer roping world championship at the National Finals Steer Roping (NFSR) in 1990.
Guy Allen is an American ProRodeo Hall of Fame cowboy and an 18-time steer roping world champion. He competes in rodeos sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He won the world title for the steer roping event 18 times when competing at the National Finals Steer Roping (NFSR) and also won the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) Average title five times. He had won the title 11 times in a row when Buster Record broke his streak. Allen is also inducted into eight rodeo halls of fame.
Skipper Voss is an American former professional rodeo bullfighter.
