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Howdy folks, it’s the first full week of October 2025, and welcome to This Week in The West.
I’m Seth Spillman, broadcasting from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
On this podcast, we share stories of the people and events that shaped the history, art and culture of the American West—and those still shaping it today.
Want to be the King of the Cowboys?
Start by taking after the bull riding skills … of your mom.
Today, we tell the tale of one of the greatest rodeo performers of all time. Ty Murray was born on October 11, 1969.
He was just a ranch kid from Arizona, but Murray was born with strong rodeo roots. Early generations of Murray’s family worked on the famed 101 Ranch in Ponca City, Oklahoma. His father, Butch, rodeoed and broke colts.
And his mother, Joy? She was just a two-time bull riding winner and an all-around champion at the National Little Britches Rodeo.
Ty Murray was on the back of a calf at just two years old. By nine, he was already tangling with bulls, one of which broke his jaw.
At 12 years old, he saved up his chore money and bought himself a mechanical bucking machine. He even joined a gymnastics team in high school to make himself a better cowboy—focusing on balance, agility, and flexibility.
When it was his turn to start competing at Little Britches, Ty had it in his mind to be the best of the best. He won the all-around title at the event, 30 years to the day that his mother had. He told folks that his goal in life was to beat Larry Mahan’s record of six all-around rodeo world champions.
And who should round the corner and spot Ty at one of those Little Britches events?
Larry Mahan himself.
It was Ty’s Luke Skywalker meets Yoda moment. The wizened legend of rodeo watched Ty compete and offered to train him. He’d learn at the feet of a Rodeo Hall of Famer.
And you know that old saying about how a student will someday surpass his master?
It happened fast.
In 1987, Ty was racking up all-around titles at the high school and national level. That same year, he turned 18 and immediately joined the PRCA.
In 1988, he was Rookie of the Year.
In 1989, he became the youngest cowboy ever to win the PRCA All-Around World Championship.
From 1989 to 1994, Ty strung together six consecutive all-around titles, tying Jim Shoulders’ legendary record. He’d add a seventh in 1998, surpassing his idol Larry Mahan and cementing himself as the greatest all-around cowboy in PRCA history.
It’s not that Ty didn’t have rivals. Both of the two- and four-legged variety.
Enter Bodacious, a massive, yellow-hided beast known as “The World’s Most Dangerous Bull.” He broke bones, shattered jaws, and ended careers. Most riders didn’t last more than a second on him.
Ty climbed aboard more than once. The results were usually the same: Bodacious launching him into the dirt. But Murray kept coming back.
“If you’re gonna be the best,” Ty once said, “you gotta ride the best—even if he’s trying to kill you.”
And then there was Red Wolf.
In 1999, at the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas, Murray drew Red Wolf, another legendary bull. Red Wolf was cagey, mean and notoriously difficult to ride. Ty nodded, the gate swung open, and for eight seconds the two battled.
Murray spurred with rhythm, holding on as Red Wolf spun and jumped, trying to throw him. When the buzzer sounded, the judges flashed 95.5 points, one of the highest scores of Murray’s career.
That ride remains one of the most iconic moments in bull riding history.
In 1992, Murray and a group of cowboys, including Cody Lambert and Tuff Hedeman, decided bull riding deserved its own stage. They pooled $1,000 each and founded Professional Bull Riders, Inc.—the PBR.
At first, it was a gamble. But the crowds came. Television followed, and soon arenas were selling out as bull riders became stars in their own right. Murray didn’t just compete in the PBR; he shaped it, turning bull riding into a global sport with millions of fans.
Through it all, Ty paid a steep price. By some counts, he broke more than a dozen bones and dislocated both shoulders multiple times.
Ty retired from professional competition in 2002, but his story didn’t end there.
He became a commentator for PBR broadcasts, bringing fans an insider’s perspective. His fame also carried him into pop culture: he married pop star Jewel, appeared on Walker, Texas Ranger, shot commercials with Burt Reynolds and even competed on Dancing with the Stars.
It was all about putting a spotlight on the sport he loved and building its foundation.
“I’m not saying (going on Dancing with the Stars) gained more fans,” he said, “but it put this sport in front of more people than this sport has ever had, and that’s a brick. That’s a big brick. That’s several bricks.”
Murray is a member of the National Rodeo Hall of Fame and the PBR’s Heroes & Legends, both of which have a home here at The Cowboy.
And with that, we’re finished with another All-Around of “This Week in the West.”
Our show is produced by Chase Spivey and written by Mike Koehler.
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Got a question or a suggestion? Drop us an email at podcast@thecowboy.org
We leave you today with the words from Ty Murray himself: “Courage, real courage, is no quick fix. It doesn’t come in a bottle or a pill. It comes from discipline, from taking everything life hands you and being your best, either because of it or in spite of it.”
Much obliged for listening, and remember, come Find Your West at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
