ProRodeo sporst News - October 15, 2021

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Saddle bronc rider Craig Latham

BY THE NUMBERS 8 The number of bull riding world titles won by Don Gay, which is a PRCA record. Jim Shoulders is second on the list with seven, followed by 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier Sage Kimzey with six. 19 The number of cowboys who are scheduled to make their NFR debuts at the 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Dec. 2-11 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

competes during the

1995 National Finals Rodeo. Latham finished in the top five of the world standings six times and was second

in the NFR average in 1993 and 1998.

Dan Hubbell photo

Wrangler NFR saddle bronc rider Craig Latham passes away at 54

Craig Latham, a nine-time National Finals Rodeo qualifying saddle bronc rider, passed away Oct. 8 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 54. “Craig was just great,” legendary saddle bronc rider Billy Etbauer said. “He had as much try as anybody and he was the greatest traveling partner you could ever have. There is not enough good you could say about him. He would just grit his teeth and get it done.” Latham traveled with his best friends – brothers and ProRodeo Hall of Famers – Robert, Billy, and Dan Etbauer – and was commonly referred to as the “fourth brother.” They rode all over the United States and Canada, with Billy winning five saddle bronc riding world championships and Robert claiming two more. Latham qualified for the NFR in 1989-90, and 1992-98. He finished in the top five of the world standings six times and was a career-best second in 1993. He also placed a personal-best second in the NFR average in 1993 and 1998. Latham, who joined the PRCA in October of 1987, earned $947,834 during his rodeo career.

“He was just genuinely a good man,” said Lori Latham, Craig’s wife of 31 years. “He just wanted the best for everybody and to help as many people as he could.” In 2011, Latham was diagnosed with multiple myeloma/plasmacytoma, which threatened to take his life, but surgery removed the cancer. A year later, the cancer returned, forcing the gritty cowboy to suffer through six weeks of radiation treatments. He was in chemo the rest of his life. Following his rodeo career, Latham was named coach of Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, where he coached from 2003-15. He led the team to national championships in 2004 and 2013, and team members to countless individual national crowns. The Lathams celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary on Valentine’s Day 2021. They have two daughters: Chaney, 30 and Sadie, 24. Chaney is married to PRCA saddle bronc rider Tyrel Larsen. They have two children, sons, Charlie, 5 and Waylon, 1. Craig Latham grew up in Kaycee, Wyo., while Lori is from South Dakota. They met while both were competing for the OPSU rodeo team.

1984 The year the only father- son-daughter combination qualified to compete at the National Finals

Rodeo. It was team ropers, father, Dick Yates, son, J.D. and barrel racer/ daughter Kelly Yates.

ProRodeo Sports News 10/15/2021

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