Ben Johnson Memorial Award
Bill Smith was born in the long-time rodeo town of Cody, Wyoming, in 1941. Known around the sport as “Cody” Bill Smith, he joined the PRCA in 1961 and specialized in saddle-bronc riding for nearly 20 years. Along the way, he became one of the most knowledgeable and talented contenders in his chosen event.
During his heyday, Smith qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in 13 of 14 consecutive years and captured the saddle-bronc riding championship three times. During 1972 and 1973, he served as director of the PRCA’s Saddle-Bronc Riding Committee. He capped his competitive career in 1979 by winning the Copenhagen/Skoal Rodeo Superstars Championship in saddle- bronc riding along with a purse of $18,500 (then the largest first-place payoff in the sport).
Upon leaving competitive rodeo, Bill Smith produced the nightly PRCA rodeo in North Platte, Nebraska, for a number of years and developed a string of bucking horses. In recent years he has operated The Wyoming Quarter Horse Ranch in Thermopolis.
