Ty Murray is the most accomplished Roughstock Athlete in the history of the sport of rodeo with a record-setting seven All-Around World Championships. His single-minded dedication has led to not only riding to the top of his field, but also helping to steadily build the mainstream popularity of rodeo.
In the fifth-grade when asked “If you could do anything in your life, what would it be? He said, “I want to beat Larry Mahan’s record,” referring to the six All-Around World Championships of the rodeo legend who inspired him. Before turning eighteen, Murray grabbed three titles in 1987: All-Around and Bareback in the National High School Rodeo Association, and Senior Men’s All-Around in National Little Britches Rodeo Association.
“The Kid” greeted his 18th birthday by joining the PRCA. At the same time, Murray competed in the NIRA while attending Odessa College in Texas. As a professional Murray won the PRCA’s Overall and Bareback Rookie of the Year titles in 1988, subsequently qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo in bareback and saddle bronc riding. At 20, he became the youngest rider ever to win the PRCA All-Around World Championship, also the first to win both the PRCA All-Around and NIRA Men’s titles the same year. In 1990, Murray broke the $200,000 season’s earnings record; three years later, at the age of 23, he became the youngest millionaire in rodeo history.
Ty Murray realized his lifelong ambition on December 13, 1998, when he earned a record-breaking seventh All-Around World Championship title. A month later, his hero Larry Mahan gave Murray his trophy buckle. Murray was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2000.
Murray was also a trailblazer behind the scenes. In 1992, he became a founding member/director/advisor of the PBR, which sought mainstream attention for “America’s original extreme sport.” Today, 24 years after its launch, the PBR is still the fastest growing sport in America attracting over 600 million viewers worldwide. Still involved in the sport, Ty works as an on air commentator for the broadcast on CBS.
Dedication is the trait that sticks with Murray, who says, “I have loved the cowboy life – everything about it – since the day I was born. There’s no feeling on this Earth like making great rides on great animals. But I want people to remember me as a great cowboy, not just a great bull or bronc rider.”
