Who wants to be a Millionaire Cowboy?!
Duarte becomes 84th millionaire cowboy; ranks fifth among bull riders
Veteran bull rider Myron Duarte became the 84th PRCA cowboy to surpass $1 million in career earnings Feb. 28 when he picked up a $330 check for finishing eighth in the average at La Fiesta de los Vaqueros in Tucson, Ariz.
An eight-time qualifier for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, Duarte ($1,000,210) ranks fifth in career bull riding earnings behind Tuff Hedeman ($1,243,648), B.J. Schumacher ($1,195,350), Cody Hancock ($1,129,826) and Ted Nuce ($1,128,590).
Ty Murray and Jesse Bail, the only other bull riders to have more than $1 million in career earnings, are all-around hands who are well ahead of the bull-riding specialists on the list because they consistently banked checks in other roughstock events.
Murray earned more than $500,000 in each of the three events, led by his $727,591 in bull riding. At the end of 2009, Bail had $770,488 as a bull rider and $794,350 as a saddle bronc rider.
Proctor/Long big winners at George Strait Team Roping Classic
Longtime partners Coleman Proctor and Jake Long beat 468 other teams at the March 12-13 George Strait Team Roping Classic in San Antonio with a time of 14.93 seconds on three head and each won $79,815 cash along with a truck, horse trailer, saddle, buckle, Resistol roping bag and Wrangler jacket.
“I don’t know when this is going to sink in, but it’s pretty incredible,” Long said. “Coleman and I have been friends since we were knee-high to a grasshopper, and to do this together is probably the most special thing that has ever happened to us.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Proctor said. “We’ve been to this roping for so many years, and we’ve dreamed about this for so long.”
Brothers Riley and Brady Minor, of Ellensburg, Wash., finished second and banked $31,926 each.
Total awards at this 28th annual event reached nearly $700,000, including prize money of $478,500.
Canadian Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame inducts seven
The Canadian Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame will add seven inductees to its ranks in ceremonies this October in Calgary, Alberta – Floyd Peters, Phil Doan, Gordon Doan, Everett Vold, Clayton Hines, Edith Malesh, and Harvey Northcott’s Canadian champion saddle bronc horse Wyatt Earp.
Peters, of Cardston, Alberta, won the Canadian steer decorating championship in 1945 and three consecutive Canadian tie-down roping championships from 1945 to 1947. He is one of only two cowboys to win a Canadian championship in both of those timed events, along with 1993 CPRHF inductee Kenny McLean.
ProRodeo Livestock video available for free
A 20-minute video, titled ProRodeo Livestock, is available free of charge to rodeo enthusiasts through the PRCA Industry Outreach Department in Colorado Springs, Colo. The educational video covers rodeo history, livestock care, PRCA stock contractors’ born-to-buck breeding program and PRCA rules that govern the safety of animals in competition.
PRCA stock contractors Dona Vold Larsen (Triple V Rodeo Company) and Jim Korkow (Korkow Rodeos) speak in the video, and several cowboys talk about the athletic ability of bucking horses and bulls and also discuss rodeo equipment.
Three-time and reigning World Champion Bareback Rider Bobby Mote, 2006 World Champion Bull Rider B.J. Schumacher and 19-time Wrangler NFR saddle bronc qualifier Rod Hay are among the cowboys featured in the video.
Representatives of rodeo committees, rodeo clubs, Western youth groups and other organizations wishing to get a copy of the free video may call PRCA Industry Outreach Director Cindy Schonholtz at 719.593.8840 or e-mail requests to animalwelfare@prorodeo.com.
