| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Tony Mendes |
| Born | August 10, 1977 Reno, Nevada |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) (2019) |
| Weight | 170 lb (77 kg) (2019) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Rodeo |
| Event | Bull riding |
| Turned pro | 1996 |
| Retired | 2015 |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Highest world ranking | 1996 PRCA Bull Riding Rookie of the Year |
Tony Mendes (born August 10, 1977) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding.
Mendes was born in Reno, Nevada, on August 10, 1977. [1] He continued to live in Reno and then in Jensen, Utah. He is the younger brother of Scott Mendes, who was the 1997 PRCA World Champion bull rider, and a co-founder of the PBR. Tony started riding at age three on top of a sheep. Over the years, he progressed from sheep to calves and steers, before climbing on his first bull at age 14. [2] [1] Tony was recorded to be 5' 10", and 170 pounds during competition. [1]
Tony was the 1996 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Bull Riding Rookie of the Year, [3] as well as the 1996 PRCA Wilderness Circuit Champion bull rider. He competed in said organization in 1996, 1998 to 1999, 2008 to 2009, 2011 and 2012. [1] He also competed in the Bull Riders Only (BRO), Professional Bull Riders (PBR), and Championship Bull Riding (CBR) circuits. He qualified for his first PBR World Finals in 1999 and recorded a 93.5 score atop the 1900-pound Clayton's Pet of Double J Rodeo Palace in the short-go. He was often referred to as the "Wild Man" because of the energy he displayed. [2]
Tony qualified for the PRCA's National Finals Rodeo twice (1998 & 1999) [1] and the PBR World Finals eight times (1999 to 2005, 2007). [2] His brother Scott also qualified for the PBR World Finals in 1994 and 2001, the latter case marking the only time that both brothers qualified for a world championship event together. Tony also qualified for the CBR World Finals in 2012.
Tony's last professional bull-riding out was at the PBR Velocity Tour event in Portland, Oregon, on February 28, 2015. [4]
On January 2, 2008, Tony was featured on the CBS game show Power of 10 . He was defeated without winning any money. He was featured in Bullrider, a documentary by Josh Aronson. Mendes is married to Abby, with whom he has two children. [1] The Mendes' reside in Fruita, Colorado, as of 2019.