Name Billy Etbauer | ||
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Billy Etbauer riding Cool Alley for 93 points
Counting His Blessings
Billy Etbauer (born January 15, 1963) is an American ProRodeo Hall of Fame rodeo cowboy who is retired from competition. Etbauer competed on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) circuit along with his two brothers, Robert and Dan. He won the PRCA World Saddle Bronc Championship five times.
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Background
He was born in Huron, South Dakota, on January 15, 1963, and now lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. Etbauer is the middle son of three boys who were all first class saddle bronc riders. Etbauer traveled and competed with his brothers Robert, Dan, and friend, Craig Latham. Latham was often referred to as "the fourth Etbauer." The Etbauers traveled together as a team and shared their resources.
He married his wife Hollie on April 2, 1994. She had a scholarship at Oklahoma State University for track and field. They have three children. His son Kord was born 1997, son Treg born 2002, and daughter Jacie born 1999. Hollie homeschooled all of them. He and his wife raise quarter horses in Oklahoma.
Career
In 1989, in his second year as a professional on the PRCA, he qualified for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). He qualified for the NFR 21 consecutive years. He won an NFR-record 51 rounds.
He is known for winning the 10th round of the NFR at least 10 times. In 2005, he was a guest on the Late Show with David Letterman and spoke about the NFR. In 1992 he won $101,531 in 10 days at the finals. As of 2007 he had $2.7 million in PRCA earnings alone.
He earned more than $1 million in his second championship season. He made a 93-point ride on Kesler Championship Rodeo's Cool Alley in 2003, which was an NFR record at the time. He tied his own record on the same horse a year later. That record-tying ride brought him the last of his five championship buckles. He was 41 years old at the time. He had just become the oldest roughstock world champion.
Like Trevor Brazile, Etbauer has transcended the $3 million mark in earnings. He was the first to reach that mark in a solo event. He finished his career with $3,015,377 in final earnings. His saddle bronc championships number five total in his career. He is only surpassed by Casey Tibbs and Dan Mortensen. He won the World Saddle Bronc Championship in 1992, 1996, 1999, 2000, and 2004. His brother Robert won the championship in 1990 and 1991.
As a team, the three brothers and their friend are responsible for 52 NFR qualifications. This includes ten for Dan and nine for Latham. The Etbauers are the only trio of brothers to qualify for the NFR in the same roughstock event. Also, they qualified for it eight times. This trio of brothers dominated the 1990s. All three brothers were inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame. The ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado, inducted Etbauer in 2012. His brother Robert is also a ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee.