15 Greatest Bull Riders Of All Time Ranked
Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to buck off the rider. It is considered one of the most dangerous sports in the world, with riders risking serious injury or even death.
The rider must stay on top of the bull for eight seconds with the use of one hand gripped on a bull rope tied behind the bull’s forelegs to receive a score.
Not only that but the game has its roots in Mexican contests of equestrian, ranching, and bullfighting skills, now collectively known as charreada.
Over the years, many riders have made a name for themselves in this sport. The following list ranks the top 15 bull riders of all time based on their achievements and contributions to the sport.
1. Adriano Moraes
Adriano Moraes was one of the leading bull riders in the world from the mid-1990s to the 2000s, with two titles at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) and three Professional Bull Riders (PBR) world titles to his credit.
Moraes began his career at small rodeos throughout Brazil, eventually becoming a regular winner on that circuit.
After winning Brazilian national titles in 1992 and 1993, he moved to the United States in 1994 and began riding on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), Bull Riders Only (BRO), and Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuits.
2. Ty Murray
Ty Murray was one of the top rodeo contestants in the world from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, with seven Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) All-Around World Championships and two PRCA Bull Riding World Championships to his credit.
Murray began his career as a bull rider at small rodeos throughout the United States and eventually became a regular winner on that circuit.
Furthermore, he joined the PRCA at the age of 18 and quickly emerged as a major star, winning the All-Around World Championship title seven times.
3. Tuff Hedeman
Tuff Hedeman won the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) bull riding world championship three times (1986, 1989, and 1991), as well as the 1995 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) world championship.
Hedeman is also one of the co-founders of the PBR and is known for having been one of rodeo icons Lane Frost’s closest friends.
In 2018, he formed his bull riding organization: the Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding Tour. Tuff later served as the President of the PBR and then the President and Ambassador of Championship Bull Riding (CBR).
4. J.B. Mauney
J.B. Mauney rode in both the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) and Championship Bull Riding (CBR) circuits at the beginning of his career before deciding to ride full-time in the PBR in early 2006.
Mauney won the PBR Rookie of the Year title that same year and was a top contestant in said organization for several years; eventually winning the PBR World championship in 2013 and 2015.
During the last few years of his career, he competed full-time in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).
5. Chris LeDoux
Chris LeDoux was an American country music singer-songwriter, bronze sculptor, and Hall of Fame rodeo champion.
LeDoux was known for his songs about cowboys and rodeo life, and he was also a successful rodeo rider himself. He won the World Championship in bareback riding in 1976.
Moreover, one of his most famous songs is 'Bull Rider,' which is about a rodeo rider who is determined to win despite the risks involved.
6. Chris Shivers
Chris Shivers turned pro in 1997 and competed on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He won the PBR world championship in 2000 and 2003.
Shivers is known for being the first rider to win two consecutive PBR World Championships in 2001 and 2002.
Furthermore, he has recorded the following history-making firsts: the first PBR bull rider to win more than $300,000 in prize money in one year (1998).
The first PBR bull rider to reach the $1 million mark (2001), the $2 million mark (2003) and the $3 million mark (2006); the first PBR bull rider to register 13 90-point rides in one season (1998).
7. Jim Sharp
Jim Sharp won the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) World Champion Bull Rider title twice in 1988 and 1991 1.
Sharp was the first bull rider in PRCA’s National Finals Rodeo history to successfully ride each of his 10 bulls during the champion-crowning event.
Furthermore, he rode professionally for nearly 20 years and was a co-founder of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). He is considered among the most talented bull riders in history.
8. Justin McBride
Justin McBride competed on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit and won the PBR World Championship twice in 2005 and 2007.
McBride holds the record for the most career PBR Premier Series event wins, with 32 wins.
Not only that but he was also the first professional bull rider to earn more than $5 million in the course of his career.
After retiring from bull riding, he became a color commentator for the PBR’s Premier Series telecasts on CBS Sports Network.
9. Silvano Alves
Silvano Alves is widely considered one of the greatest bull riders of all time, having won three PBR World Championships in 2011, 2012 and 2014.
Alvesis also the second-highest all-time money-earner in the sport, with over $6.6 million in earnings.
Furthermore, he has set several records in his career, including the longest consecutive ride streak on the premier series in PBR history at 24 rides between 2014 and 2015.
In 2023, he became only the fourth rider in history to complete an astounding 500 qualified rides.
10. Lane Frost
Lane Frost was the 1987 PRCA World Champion bull rider. He was also the only rider ever to score a qualified ride on Red Rock, the 1987 PRCA Bucking Bull of the Year.
Frost sustained fatal injuries at the 1989 Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo when the bull Takin’ Care of Business struck Frost with his right horn.
Moreover, he joined the PRCA and began rodeoing full-time after graduating from high school in 1982. He qualified for his first National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 1984.
11. Guilherme Marchi
Guilherme Marchi rode the first few years of his professional career in Brazil before moving to the United States.
Marchi debuted late in the Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) season that year, qualifying for his first-ever PBR World Finals and finishing 41st in the world.
After finishing in the runner-up position for the PBR World Championship in three consecutive years, he won his world title in 2008.
He would go on to qualify for the World Finals all 15 years of his PBR career (2004 through 2018). In 2023, Marchi was ranked number 14 on the list of the top 30 bull riders in PBR history.
12. Bonner Bolton
Bonner Bolton won the world championship for the now-defunct Championship Bull Riding (CBR) organization in 2007. He also placed fourth at the PBR World Finals in 2015.
His bull riding career was cut short by a neck injury sustained during a dismount from a bull he had just finished making an 8-second ride on at a PBR Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) event in January 2016.
Moreover, he sustained a break to his C-2 vertebra and was temporarily paralyzed, but made a full recovery.
13. Larry Mahan
Larry Mahan was an American professional rodeo cowboy who won six all-around world championships and two bull riding world championships in the Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit at the National Finals Rodeo.
Mahan began competing in professional rodeo at the age of 14 and won the title of World All-Around Champion for five consecutive years from 1966 to 1970, and a sixth time in 1973.
Furthermore, he was the subject of the documentary The Great American Cowboy, which won the 1974 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film.
14. Jim Shoulders
Jim Shoulders won a total of 16 World Championships in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) circuit which was the most of any performer at that time.
Shoulders won the World All-Around Champion Cowboy Championships five times (1949, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959), the World Bull Rider Championships twice (1951, 1954-1959), and the World Bareback Bronc Rider Championships twice (1950, 1956-1958).
He was the first competitor to win all three events (bareback bronc, bull riding, and all-around) at the National Finals Rodeo.
Not only that but he was also a successful rancher and owned several bucking bulls, including Tornado, who threw 200 riders over 14 years.
15. Don Gay
Don Gay is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding.
Gay won eight Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) bull riding world championships, a record as of 2022.
He was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979; Neal was inducted in 1993, becoming the only father and son to receive that honor. In 2015, he was inducted into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame.
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