Billy Etbauer

Etbauer was born in Huron, South Dakota, on January 15, 1963, and now lives in Edmond, Oklahoma.[1] He is the middle son of three boys who were all first class saddle bronc riders.[2] He traveled, shared resources, and competed with his brothers Robert, Dan, and friend, Craig Latham.[3] Latham was often referred to as "the fourth Etbauer".[3] His brother Robert won the PRCA saddle bronc riding world championship in 1990 and 1991.[3]

He married his wife Hollie on April 2, 1994, and had three children, homeschooled by Hollie. He and his wife raise quarter horses in Oklahoma.[1]

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, winning 51 rounds – a record for that forum.[2]

He is known for winning the 10th round of the NFR at least 9 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.[1]

He won the World Saddle Bronc Riding Championship five times.[1] 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 (1992, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2004), a record surpassed only by Casey Tibbs and Dan Mortensen. He was 41 years old at the time, making him the "oldest roughstock world champion".[2] Cool Alley was named the PRCA 2001 Bareback Bronc of the Year and the 2004 Saddle Bronc of the Year.[4]

Like Trevor Brazile, Etbauer has transcended the $3 million mark in earnings. He was the first to reach that mark in one event. He finished his career with $3,015,377 in final earnings.[2]

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 "dominated" the 1990s: they are the only trio of brothers "to qualify for the NFR in the same roughstock event in the same year – and they did it eight times". All three brothers were inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame.[5] The ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado, inducted Etbauer in 2012.[2] His brother Robert is also a ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee.[3]

• 2020 Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame[6]
• 2015 South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame[7][8]
• 2013 Rodeo Hall of Fame of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum[5][9]
• 2012 ProRodeo Hall of Fame[2]

• 2020 Media Guide | PRCA Awards (PDF). Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Retrieved August 25, 2021.

• PRCA Online - ProRodeo Cowboy Biographies - Billy Etbauer

Videos

• Billy Etbauer vs Cool Alley - 04 National Finals Rodeo, Round 10 (93 points)
• Billy & Robert Etbauer - 2012 ProRodeo Hall of Fame Inductees Official PRCA Video