The Bull Riding Hall of Fame, located at Cowtown Coliseum in the Fort Worth Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, is a hall of fame for the sport of bull riding. It is incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Texas, and created to "recognize, memorialize, and applaud the bull riders, bullfighters, bulls, stock contractors, events, and individuals who have made a historic contribution and attained stellar performance in the sport." Membership is open to fans worldwide.
The Bull Riding Hall of Fame intends to honor all of the bull riding champions. But the hall also has other goals to preserve the history of bull riding, housing "inductee exhibits, accomplishments, photos, videos, personal effects and much more". The Bull Riding Hall of Fame has four categories of induction: Bull Riders, Bull Fighters, Bulls, and Legends.
The inaugural class of inductions was in 2015. The hall opened its doors to the public in 2016.
History The founders created the Bull Riding Hall of Fame, Inc., "to recognize bull riders, bull fighters, bulls, organizations, competitive events, and stock contractors that have achieved the ultimate level of performance in the sport of bull riding." The organization's activities include historical presentation, visitor education, event hosting, and managing via multiple committees.
The founders were involved in overseeing the building of the foundation hall, and also maintaining the Bull Riding Hall of Fame museum at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth. Husband and wife team, Bill and Tammi Putnam, were co-founders and on the board of directors.
Organization
The Bull Riding Hall of Fame Museum is located at Cowtown Coliseum, Fort Worth Stockyards, Fort Worth, Texas.
One class of nominees is inducted into the hall each year. Inductees are selected by the nominations and votes of Members, which includes Inductees. Annual and Lifetime memberships along with Gold Rowel Partnerships are available for individuals, couples, companies and organizations. Sponsors can be an individual, couple, organization, or corporation.
From 2015 through 2019, the annual induction ceremony was held at Cowtown Coliseum. Since 2020, it has been held at Billy Bob's Texas.
List of Inductees
The Bull Riding Hall of Fame has inducted individuals from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA), and Professional Bull Riders (PBR).
The inductees, human and animal, are among the most notable individuals and organizations in the sport.
More than half of them are also inductees of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, including bullfighter Wick Peth. Others include PRCA bull rider Lane Frost, famous for his duel with Red Rock in the Challenge of the Champions.
From the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) there are several Ring of Honor holders from the Heroes and Legends Celebration which is the PBR equivalent of a Hall of Fame. Chris Shivers, a holder of several records in the PBR and a 2013 Ring of Honor holder. Another Ring of Honor holder is bull rider Tuff Hedeman, one of the riders who conquered Bodacious. Hedeman competed in the PRCA and the PBR. He is also in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.
Out of the three bulls that have been inducted , two of them are also in the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Tornado was inducted in 1979. Bodacious was inducted in 1999. Bodacious was the only bull to win the PRCA Bucking Bull of the Year and the PBR World Champion Bull titles in 1995, until Bruiser did it in 2017.
2015 Inaugural Inductees InducteeBirthdateDeathdateInduction CategoryDon GaySeptember 8, 1953Living Bull RiderJim ShouldersMay 13, 1928June 20, 2007Bull RiderWarren G. BrownJanuary 18, 1921March 20, 1987Bull RiderHarry TompkinsOctober 5, 1927June 29, 2018Bull RiderGeorge PaulMarch 3, 1947July 30, 1970Bull RiderLarry MahanNovember 21, 1943May 7, 2023 Bull RiderSkipper VossMarch 15, 1944LivingBull FighterWick PethApril 15, 1930December 27, 2019Bull FighterGeorge Paul Memorial Bull Riding N/AN/ALegendMesquite Rodeo - Neal GayJune 25, 1926August 11, 2022 LegendV-61Circa 19621974Bull Source:
2016 Inductees InducteeBirthdateDeathdateInduction CategoryMyrtis DightmanMay 7, 1935Living Bull RiderJohn QuintanaDecember 3, 1947March 25, 2013Bull RiderGary LeffewSeptember 23, 1944LivingBull RiderJim "Razor" SharpOctober 6, 1965LivingBull RiderTerry Don WestOctober 7, 1965LivingBull RiderJack WisemanNovember 5, 1943December 1, 2015Bull RiderTuff HedemanMarch 2, 1963LivingBull RiderKajun Kidd (D.J. Gaudin)October 28, 1929June 11, 2015Bull FighterHarry VoldJanuary 29, 1924March 13, 2017LegendSteiner Rodeo Co.N/AN/ALegendTornado19571972Bull Source:
2017 Inductees InducteeBirthdateDeathdateInduction CategoryDenny FlynnApril 21, 1951Living Bull RiderBill KornellMarch 13, 1944LivingBull RiderDick GriffithSeptember 13, 1913August 10, 1984Bull RiderChris ShiversDecember 30, 1978LivingBull RiderRandy MagersMay 5, 1945LivingBull RiderLane FrostOctober 12, 1963July 30, 1989Bull RiderRob SmetsSeptember 11, 1959LivingBull FighterClem McSpaddenNovember 9, 1925July 7, 2008LegendBob TallmanOctober 25, 1947LivingLegendBodacious1988May 16, 2000Bull Source:
2018 Inductees InducteeBirthdateDeathdateInduction Category Ronnie RossenJuly 7, 1937August 16, 1991 Bull RiderTy MurrayOctober 11, 1969LivingBull RiderGlen BirdNovember 10, 1945LivingBull RiderWacey CatheyJune 29, 1953LivingBull RiderJerome DavisAugust 10, 1972LivingBull RiderTed NuceJanuary 19, 1961LivingBull RiderBob WegnerMarch 10, 1934March 30, 2014Bull RiderMiles HareAugust 17, 1955LivingBull FighterFerrell ButlerOctober 16, 1936LivingLegendCotton Rosser - Flying U RodeoAugust 5, 1928June 22, 2022LegendOscar1983Bull Source:
2019 Inductees InducteeBirthdateDeathdateInduction CategoryButch KirbyApril 24, 1955LivingBull RiderCharlie SampsonJuly 2, 1957LivingBull RiderBobby SteinerNovember 27, 1951LivingBull RiderJerome RobinsonOctober 16, 1947January 9, 2022Bull RiderKen RobertsJanuary 22, 1918September 13, 1975Bull RiderBobby BergerJune 22, 1945LivingBull RiderCody CusterAugust 30, 1965LivingBull RiderLeon CoffeeOctober 11, 1954LivingBull FighterBeutler Rodeo CompanyN/AN/ALegendJerry GustafsonDecember 6, 1946September 1, 2025LegendOld Spec1953Bull Source:
2020 Inductees +InducteeBirthdateDeathdateInduction CategoryRefsBobby DelVecchioMarch 20, 1957LivingBull RiderJustin McBrideAugust 7, 1979LivingBull RiderMarvin Paul ShouldersFebruary 27, 1951LivingBull RiderDoug BrownMarch 8, 1946LivingBull RiderSandy KirbyApril 8, 1949LivingBull RiderSmokey SnyderJune 1, 1908October 24, 1965Bull RiderAdriano MorãesApril 20, 1970LivingBull RiderJoe BaumgartnerSeptember 9, 1966LivingBull FighterLecile HarrisNovember 6, 1936February 12, 2020LegendHadley BarrettSeptember 18, 1929March 2, 2017LegendBushwackerJune 1, 2006July 2, 2024Bull Source:
2021 Inductees +InducteeBirthdateDeathdateInduction CategoryRefsMichael GaffneyJuly 4, 1969LivingBull RiderBen JordanNovember 30, 1931March 19, 2022Bull RiderMike WhiteSeptember 26, 1976LivingBull RiderJohn ClarkJune 18, 1936June 8, 2025Bull RiderDuane HowardAugust 2, 1933October 1, 2015Bull RiderPhil LyneJanuary 18, 1947August 14, 2026Bull RiderWillie ThomasJanuary 30, 1930April 24, 2020Bull RiderClint BrangerApril 7, 1964LivingBull RiderQuail DobbsAugust 27, 1941January 15, 2014Bull FighterBad Company Rodeo LegendRed Rock1976June 8, 1994Bull Source:
2022 Inductees +InducteeBirthdateDeathdateInduction CategoryJ.W. HarrisJuly 14, 1986LivingBull RiderGuilherme MarchiJuly 22, 1982LivingBull RiderCody HartApril 20, 1978LivingBull RiderEd LeTourneauSeptember 18, 1935January 18, 2026Bull RiderScott MendesJuly 4, 1969LivingBull RiderTroy DunnMay 8, 1967LivingBull RiderMatt AustinSeptember 3, 1982LivingBull RiderBilly MinickJanuary 10, 1939LivingBull RiderRex DunnDecember 31, 1955October 8, 2012Bull FighterBryan McDonaldOctober 10LivingLegendLittle Yellow JacketAugust 20, 1996September 19, 2011Bull Source:
2023 Inductees InducteeBirthdateDeathdateInduction CategoryCody SnyderMarch 28, 1963 LivingBull RiderRicky LindseySeptember 30, 1960 November 12, 2025Bull RiderDickey CoxJuly 12, 1939March 20, 2015Bull RiderKenny Wilcox1954LivingBull RiderJohn "Stormy" GloorJuly 16, 1952November 16, 2019Bull RiderRonnie BowmanMay 9, 1941LivingBull RiderR.C. BalesJuly 10, 1930August 16, 2023Bull RiderRick ChatmanMay 1, 1956March 25, 2014Bull FighterCody LambertDecember 2, 1961LivingLegendBernis JohnsonSeptember 19, 1932October 27, 2022LegendCowtown19781993Bull Source:
2024 Inductees +InducteeBirthdateDeathdateInduction CategoryJohnie Schneider May 3, 1904April 4, 1982Bull RiderJ.B. MauneyJanuary 9, 1987LivingBull RiderPete GayMarch 2, 1952LivingBull RiderJ.W. Hart March 28, 1975LivingBull RiderGene LydaJune 20, 1947LivingBull RiderKody Lostroh September 18, 1985LivingBull RiderRicky Bolin November 24, 1958LivingBull RiderFrank Newsom October 28LivingBull FighterRoy Carter November 25, 1961LivingLegendChad Berger August 16, 1961LivingLegendBruiserMarch 2, 2011May 17, 2022Bull Source:
2025 Inductees +InducteeBirthdateDeathdateInduction CategoryAaron SemasSeptember 1, 1966LivingBull RiderBlue Stone May 26, 1978March 13, 2022Bull RiderBill Nelson1944LivingBull RiderGlen McIlvain August 18, 1960LivingBull RiderMike BandyLivingBull RiderSilvano AlvesNovember 23, 1987LivingBull RiderCody HancockJune 20, 1975LivingBull RiderSeth "Shorty" GorhamAugust 19, 1978LivingBull FighterDr. Tandy FreemanNovember 24, 1957LivingLegendFlint RasmussenJanuary 25, 1968LivingLegendPacific BellApril 1, 19811993Bull Source:
2026 Inductees +InducteeBirthdateDeathdateInduction CategoryOwen WashburnJuly 15, 1972LivingBull RiderJoe WimberlySeptember 16, 1961LivingBull RiderCody TeelJune 9, 1992LivingBull RiderMike LeeJune 11, 1983LivingBull RiderShane ProctorMarch 24, 1985LivingBull RiderWesley SilcoxMay 30, 1985LivingBull RiderEdnei Caminhas June 10, 1975LivingBull RiderJimmy AndersonSeptember 6, 1953December 5, 2008Bull FighterD&H Cattle CompanyLegendArdmore Jaycees Bull RidingLegendTigerCirca late 1960sBull Source:
See also Lists of rodeo performers List of ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees Professional Bull Riders Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association ProRodeo Hall of Fame National Rodeo Hall of Fame
References
External links Official website The Bull Riding Hall Fame Facebook Page The Bull Riding Hall of Fame Official YouTube video