Murray, Ty

Ty Murray’s childhood goal was to be the best cowboy ever and to be the first cowboy to beat the record of six world all-around titles set by Larry Mahan and matched by Tom Ferguson. His path to roughstock greatness began at age 2, riding calves. He progressed through Little Britches, the High School Rodeo Association and the Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Early on he competed in all events, but discovered his true ability lay with saddle broncs, bareback horses and bulls. Murray’s dominance on the professional circuit began in 1988 when he won bareback riding and overall Rookie-of-the-Year awards. The next year he took home his first all-around world champion buckle. En route to seven all-around titles and two bull riding championships, Murray, born Oct. 11, 1969, in Phoenix, Ariz., rewrote the record books: most money won in a year, $297,896, in 1993; most money won at one rodeo, $124,821 at the 1993 National Finals Rodeo; and one of the highest scored bareback rides, 92 points on Flying 5 Rodeo’s Bordertown in San Francisco in 1991. The dominant cowboy in his era, Murray is recognized by his peers as a great all-around champion, who made his mark through perseverance, hard work and a positive attitude. He was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2000.