ProRodeo Sports News - Feb. 17, 2023

PRORODEO COWBOYS

BY BRADY RENCK Special to ProRodeo Sports News C ody Webster has spent his professional career saving cowboys from bulls. Turns out, he needed a bull to save his life. Practice bull helps bullfighter Cody Webster realize he had cancer Lease on Life Hailey Rae photo Bullfighter Cody Webster jumps in to protect a rider during the 2023 San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. Webster had surgery for testicular cancer after the Wrangler NFR in December and was back fighting bulls in February in San Antonio. of practice. And it was during a workout at his Oklahoma pen that Webster’s life changed. He got stuck in a bad spot, flipped into the air, his body smashed around enough to require medical attention. He thought he was OK, but while prepping in the gym as part of his recovery from the

Webster ranks as one of the greatest bullfighters of all time. He has won three straight PRCA Bullfighter of the Year awards. His resume is bloated with appearances at the biggest events, including 10 times at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. He has fashioned his career through nerves of titanium and the ability to harness adrenaline when every rational thought – taking on ornery two ton bulls – is telling the body to fill with fear. It requires resolve and hours

accident lingering pain left him uneasy. “It was a bad wreck. Then I got checked out and I found out I had testicular cancer,” Webster explained. “I needed surgery. If not for the injury, I don’t get tested. God works in mysterious ways. I am so thankful.” For Webster, the diagnosis came with connections that remain impossible to ignore. Webster runs his own bull school, coaching

ProRodeo Sports News 2/17/2023

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