The ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs inducted seven new members at their annual Induction Ceremony in July. Among those seven were Ree Heights, SD natives and professional rodeo legends, Robert and Billy Etbauer. You may wonder, "Why is this such a big deal?" These brothers have truly amazing accomplishments and the honor of induction into the Hall of Fame is well deserved. Through the 1990's, the three Etbauer brothers- Robert, Billy, and Dan, dominated the saddle bronc event. Robert and Billy won seven world titles over an eleven year span. Pooling their resources and traveling together, they thought of themselves as a team, along with what they called their "fourth brother", Craig Latham. They are the only set of three brothers to qualify in the same roughstock event in the same year. They did so not once, but EIGHT times. Dan is the only of three that has not yet been inducted to the Hall of Fame.
It is the individual accomplishments of the Etbauer brothers that is truly outstanding. Now residing in Oklahoma, South Dakota can still claim the brothers as their own. Of the three Etbauer brothers, Robert was the first of the Etbauer brothers to start his endeavor on the rodeo trail. He established himself a champion on the road starting with winning the PRCA Saddle Bronc Riding Rookie of the Year in 1985. He would make a trip to the National Finals Rodeo twelve times (1988-92, 1994-2000), winning back-to-back world championships in 1990-91. In addition to those gold buckles, he was also reserve world champion in 1992 to his brother, Billy.
Billy is the better-known of the brothers and is a rodeo icon of his generation. His first appearance at the NFR in 1989 kicked off his 21 consecutive year field record of doing so, winning an NFR-record 51 rounds and earning over $1 million years at one season-ending championship alone. Billy followed Trevor Brazille as the second cowboy to ever win more than $3 million career earnings. However, what sets him apart was the fact he won that in one single event. The oldest roughstock world champion in history, Etbauer won five buckles; just one short of the event record set by two other rodeo legends, Casey Tibbs, also a South Dakota cowboy, and Dan Mortenson.
2 comments:
How did Billy win that much in a single event? That's amazing! Why wasn't Dan inducted into the Hall of Fame with his brothers?
He was good at what he did! He's fun to watch. And in order to be inducted, you have to be nominated and then from there they are chosen. It sometimes takes years for people, even as legendary as the Etbauers, to be inducted, so I'm sure someday he will be. It takes a certain amount of earnings to be inducted. Only animals and people that are considered rodeo icons or legends have the opportunity, like the Hall of Fames for other sports.
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