# Bull Riding Hall of Fame

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 as of 2017, 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

| Inductee | Birthdate | Deathdate | Induction Category |
| Don Gay | September 8, 1953 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Jim Shoulders | May 13, 1928 | June 20, 2007 | Bull Rider |
| Warren G. Brown | January 18, 1921 | March 20, 1987 | Bull Rider |
| Harry Tompkins | October 5, 1927 | June 29, 2018 | Bull Rider |
| George Paul | March 3, 1947 | July 30, 1970 | Bull Rider |
| Larry Mahan | November 21, 1943 | May 7, 2023 | Bull Rider |
| Skipper Voss | March 15, 1944 | Living | Bull Fighter |
| Wick Peth | April 15, 1930 | December 27, 2019 | Bull Fighter |
| George Paul Memorial Bull Riding | N/A | N/A | Legend |
| Mesquite Rodeo - Neal Gay | June 25, 1926 | August 11, 2022 | Legend |
| V-61 | Circa 1962 | 1974 | Bull |
Source:

### 2016 Inductees

| Inductee | Birthdate | Deathdate | Induction Category |
| Myrtis Dightman | May 7, 1935 | Living | Bull Rider |
| John Quintana | December 3, 1947 | March 25, 2013 | Bull Rider |
| Gary Leffew | September 23, 1944 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Jim "Razor" Sharp | October 6, 1965 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Terry Don West | October 7, 1965 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Jack Wiseman | November 5, 1943 | December 1, 2015 | Bull Rider |
| Tuff Hedeman | March 2, 1963 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Kajun Kidd (D. J. Gaudin) | October 28, 1929 | June 11, 2015 | Bull Fighter |
| Harry Vold | January 29, 1924 | March 13, 2017 | Legend |
| Steiner Rodeo Co. | N/A | N/A | Legend |
| Tornado | 1957 | 1972 | Bull |
Source:

### 2017 Inductees

| Inductee | Birthdate | Deathdate | Induction Category |
| Denny Flynn | April 21, 1951 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Bill Kornell | March 13, 1944 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Dick Griffith | September 13, 1913 | August 10, 1984 | Bull Rider |
| Chris Shivers | December 30, 1978 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Randy Magers | May 5, 1945 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Lane Frost | October 12, 1963 | July 30, 1989 | Bull Rider |
| Rob Smets | September 11, 1959 | Living | Bull Fighter |
| Clem McSpadden | November 9, 1925 | July 7, 2008 | Legend |
| Bob Tallman | October 25, 1947 | Living | Legend |
| Bodacious | 1988 | May 16, 2000 | Bull |
Source:

### 2018 Inductees

| Inductee | Birthdate | Deathdate | Induction Category |
| Ronnie Rossen | July 7, 1937 | August 16, 1991 | Bull Rider |
| Ty Murray | October 11, 1969 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Glen Bird | November 10, 1945 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Wacey Cathey | June 29, 1953 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Jerome Davis | August 10, 1972 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Ted Nuce | January 19, 1961 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Bob Wegner | March 10, 1934 | March 30, 2014 | Bull Rider |
| Miles Hare | August 17, 1955 | Living | Bull Fighter |
| Ferrell Butler | October 16, 1936 | Living | Legend |
| Cotton Rosser - Flying U Rodeo | August 5, 1928 | June 22, 2022 | Legend |
| Oscar | | 1983 | Bull |
Source:

### 2019 Inductees

| Inductee | Birthdate | Deathdate | Induction Category |
| Butch Kirby | April 24, 1955 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Charlie Sampson | July 2, 1957 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Bobby Steiner | November 27, 1951 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Jerome Robinson | October 16, 1947 | January 9, 2022 | Bull Rider |
| Ken Roberts | January 22, 1918 | September 13, 1975 | Bull Rider |
| Bobby Berger | June 22, 1945 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Cody Custer | August 30, 1965 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Leon Coffee | October 11, 1954 | Living | Bull Fighter |
| Beutler Rodeo Company | N/A | N/A | Legend |
| Jerry Gustafson | | Living | Legend |
| Old Spec | 1953 | | Bull |
Source:

### 2020 Inductees

| Inductee | Birthdate | Deathdate | Induction Category |
| Bobby DelVecchio | March 20, 1957 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Justin McBride | August 7, 1979 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Marvin Paul Shoulders | February 27, 1951 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Doug Brown | March 8, 1946 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Sandy Kirby | April 8, 1949 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Smokey Snyder | June 1, 1908 | October 24, 1965 | Bull Rider |
| Adriano Morães | April 20, 1970 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Joe Baumgartner | September 9, 1966 | Living | Bull Fighter |
| Lecile Harris | November 6, 1936 | February 12, 2020 | Legend |
| Hadley Barrett | September 18, 1929 | March 2, 2017 | Legend |
| Bushwacker | June 1, 2006 | July 2, 2024 | Bull |
Source:

### 2021 Inductees

| Inductee | Birthdate | Deathdate | Induction Category |
| Michael Gaffney | July 4, 1969 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Ben Jordan | November 30, 1931 | March 19, 2022 | Bull Rider |
| Mike White | September 26, 1976 | Living | Bull Rider |
| John Clark | June 18, 1936 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Duane Howard | August 2, 1933 | October 1, 2015 | Bull Rider |
| Phil Lyne | January 18, 1947 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Willie Thomas | January 30, 1930 | April 24, 2020 | Bull Rider |
| Clint Branger | April 7, 1964 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Quail Dobbs | August 27, 1941 | January 15, 2014 | Bull Fighter |
| Bad Company Rodeo | | | Legend |
| Red Rock | 1976 | June 8, 1994 | Bull |
Source:

### 2022 Inductees

| Inductee | Birthdate | Deathdate | Induction Category |
| J.W. Harris | July 14, 1986 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Guilherme Marchi | July 22, 1982 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Cody Hart | April 20, 1978 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Ed LeTourneau | September 18, 1935 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Scott Mendes | July 4, 1969 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Troy Dunn | May 8, 1967 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Matt Austin | September 3, 1982 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Billy Minick | January 10, 1939 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Rex Dunn | December 31, 1955 | October 8, 2012 | Bull Fighter |
| Bryan McDonald | October 10 | Living | Legend |
| Little Yellow Jacket | August 20, 1996 | September 19, 2011 | Bull |
Source:

### 2023 Inductees

| Inductee | Birthdate | Deathdate | Induction Category |
| Cody Snyder | March 28, 1963 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Rickey Lindsey | September 16, 1960 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Dickey Cox | July 12, 1939 | March 20, 2015 | Bull Rider |
| Kenny Wilcox | 1954 | Living | Bull Rider |
| John "Stormy" Gloor | July 16, 1952 | November 16, 2019 | Bull Rider |
| Ronnie Bowman | 1941 | Living | Bull Rider |
| R.C. Bales | 1930 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Rick Chatman | May 1, 1956 | March 25, 2014 | Bull Fighter |
| Cody Lambert | December 2, 1961 | Living | Legend |
| Bernis Johnson | September 19, 1932 | October 27, 2022 | Legend |
| Cowtown | 1978 | 1993 | Bull |
Source:

### 2024 Inductees

| Inductee | Birthdate | Deathdate | Induction Category |
| Johnie Schneider | 1904 | April 4, 1982 | Bull Rider |
| J.B. Mauney | January 9, 1987 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Pete Gay | March 2, 1952 | Living | Bull Rider |
| J.W. Hart | March 28, 1975 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Gene Lyda | June 20, 1947 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Kody Lostroh | September 18, 1985 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Ricky Bolin | November 24, 1958 | Living | Bull Rider |
| Frank Newsom | October 28 | Living | Bull Fighter |
| Roy Carter | November 25, 1961 | Living | Legend |
| Chad Berger | August 16 | Living | Legend |
| Bruiser | March 2, 2011 | May 17, 2022 | Bull |
Source: