PRORODEO Sports News - July 11, 2025

MANAGER'S MESSAGE

SUMMER RUN HEATING UP; REVISITING 2000 HAPPENINGS IN PRORODEO

T he sport of PRORODEO is better than ever. The PRCA, a member ship-based organization, sanctioned 828 events in 2024, and paid out more than $76 million. As the 2025 season kicks into the full gear with lucrative rodeos conclud ing like the NFR Open (July 12) and the Calgary Stampede (July 13) – it should be another fantastic summer for cowboys as they go up and down the rodeo trail trying to cash checks and qualify for the coveted Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge, Dec. 4-13, in Las Vegas. It is crazy to think there is just over three months left in the PRCA regular season. It comes to an end on Sept. 30. To understand how good things are now in PRORODEO it always good to revisit the PRCA’s past to understand what cast of characters are part of the sanctioning body’s storied history that helped them get to this point. What better time to give the Hot Tub Time machine a whirl back to 2000. The year was full of memories - the world champs from 20 years ago were all-around cowboy Joe Beaver; bare back rider and recent PRORODEO Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Collins; steer wrestler Frank Thompson; team roping header Speed Williams; team roping heeler Rich Skelton; saddle bronc rider Billy Etbauer; tie-down roper Fred Whitfield; steer roper Guy Allen; barrel racer Kappy Allen; and bull rider Cody Hancock.

Some other happenings from that year were: • PRORODEO Hall of Fame bull Bodacious passing away on May 16. Bodacious passed away at his owner’s (Sammy Andrews) ranch in Addielou, Texas. Bodacious was considered by some to be the best bucking bull in the history of PRCA competition. He bucked off 127 of the 135 cow boys who got on his back. Bo, as he was known, was named the top bucking bull of the NFR in 1992, ’94 and ’95. During the final round of the 1995 NFR Andrews decided to retire Bodacious in the interest of safety. In the 2000 year-end edition of the PRORODEO Sports News it was also reported that Bodacious was the only PRCA bull to have his own line of merchandise - and an agent. The top Cowboy Christmas earners in 2000 were: • Australian Scott Johnston, a saddle bronc and bareback rider, earned $31,252 at seven rodeos during the week. • Tie-down roper Blair Burk was the top timed-event cowboy, earning $30,105 over the Fourth of July run.

• The 2000 PRODEO Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colo., was head lined by Ty Murray. At age 30, Murray, the most suc cessful all-around cowboy in the history of PRORODEO at the time, joined the sports elite enshrined in the PRORODEO Hall of Fame. Murray, winner of seven world all-around championships and two world bull riding titles, was one of six cowboys and a bucking horse inducted Aug. 12, 2000, into the PRORODEO Hall of Fame. • On Sept. 2, 2000, future PRODEO Hall of Famer all-around cowboy Cody Ohl surpassed the $1 million mark in career earnings at the Colora do State Fair Rodeo in Pueblo. Fast-forward to the present. Memories have already been banked for 2025 and countless more will be made before world champions are crowned Dec. 13 at the Thomas & Mack Center. It should be one heck of a ride.

TRACY RENCK Manager of Communications and Media

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