ProRodeo Sports News - Dec. 20, 2019

PRCA ProRodeo photo by James Phifer

Sage Kimzey became the second cowboy to win six consecutive world titles and joined ProRodeo Hall of Famers Jim Shoulders and Don Gay as the only cowboys to win at least six bull riding world titles. PRCA ProRodeo photo by James Phifer

be the man I am without them.” Only two bull riders have as many world titles as Kimzey, and both of them are ProRodeo Hall of Famers: Jim Shoulders (1951, 1954-59) and Don Gay (1974-77, 1979-81, 1984). Kimzey is tied with Shoulders for the PRCA record for consecutive bull riding world championships and has his sights set on surpassing Gay’s eight world titles. “It’s hard to put into words, it is something that will take a long time for me to realize what it means,” Kimzey said. “I’m just riding bulls and having fun. I feel good about it (passing Gay’s record). It’s a tall mountain to climb, and I knew that when I set out to do it. To be one step closer feels great.” The Strong City, Okla., cowboy finished the 2019 season with a PRCA bull riding record $480,797, breaking his 2017 record of $436,479. Kimzey first made ProRodeo history by becoming the first cowboy in any event to win world titles in his first two years (2014 and 2015). He

continued to make history in 2016, winning his third consecutive world title while becoming the youngest cowboy to surpass the million-dollar mark in career earnings at 22 years, 3 months and 2 weeks. In 2018, Kimzey posted the best regular season in any event in PRCA history, earning $297,026. This season, over the summer, rodeo started to wear on Kimzey. “I like my chances every year,” Kimzey said. “There are bumps along the road, and I still had a good winter run mostly credited to RodeoHouston, but it was a bumpy road until August. “I was talking to Alexis (Bloomer) about it and didn’t want to think about rodeo at the end of July. But I went home for a day during Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days and she said, ‘You can fight through it or quit.’ It is an eye-opening deal with two choices, and I’m happy with the choice I made.” He entered the 2019Wrangler NFR with a $93,000 lead over second place. Kimzey won the world by a margin of $136,224.

ProRodeo Sports News 12/20/2019

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