This List of Professional Bull Riders Champions provides lists of all the world champion title winners, including one livestock award which are won during the PBR World Finals event in Las Vegas, Nevada. There are the World Champion bull riders, World Finals event champions, World Champion Bulls, and Rookie of the Year, for example. Also listed are the winners of various awards that are given out at the PBR World Finals. The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional bull riding organization based in Pueblo, Colorado, United States. In the U.S., PBR events have been televised on CBS and CBS Sports Network since 2012, streamed on the PBR RidePass channel on Pluto TV since 2021, and steamed on Paramount+ plus since 2022.[3][4][5] Since 2023, PBR events have also been televised on TUDN and streamed on Vix; both for Spanish-speaking viewers in the United States, Mexico, and most of Latin America.[6]
More than 500 bull riders from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia and other countries hold PBR memberships.[7][8] This article lists all the various champions and awards that have been bestowed since the founding of the PBR in 1992.
World Champion Bull
Source:[9][2]
• Bodacious was also the 1994–1995 PRCA Bucking Bull of the Year. When Sweet Pro's Bruiser won the PRCA Bucking Bull of the Year award for 2017, he and Bodacious became the only bulls to win both the PRCA and PBR titles. Each bull won their two titles in the same year. Bodacious won both of his titles in 1995, while Sweet Pro's Bruiser won both of his titles in 2017.[13]
•• There was actually a tie between Sweet Pro's Bruiser, Sweet Pro's Long John and Pearl Harbor, which was resolved by taking the sum of the bull's best eight outs for the season. That is done according to the PBR rules as the first way to resolve a tiebreaker.[14]
Other awards
The PBR has some secondary awards, in addition to the World Championship, given out annually, some named after bull riders fatally injured during competition.[28]
The Rookie of the Year award goes to the rookie (first full year of Premier Series competition) bull rider who wins the most points of all first-year competitors.
The Stock Contractor of the Year award goes to the stock contractor who has supplied the best bulls to Premier Series events. This award is given based on a vote among the top PBR bull riders.[28]
The Bull of the World Finals award goes to the bull who scores the highest points combining all his outs during the PBR World Finals.
The Lane Frost/Brent Thurman Award is for the highest-scoring single ride at the World Finals. It is named for Lane Frost, the 1987 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) World Champion bull rider who was fatally injured at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo on July 30, 1989; and Brent Thurman, a rising star in pro bull riding and co-founder of the PBR who was seriously injured at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas on December 11, 1994, and died six days later.
The Glen Keeley Award is for the Canadian bull rider who earns the most points throughout the entire Premier Series season. It is named for Glen Keeley, the 1989 Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) champion bull rider who died of injuries sustained at the PBR Bud Light Cup Series' Ty Murray Invitational on March 24, 2000, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The Mason Lowe Award is for the highest-scoring single ride during the regular season of the Premier Series. Mason Lowe was an American bull rider who died of his injuries after being stepped on by a bull on January 15, 2019, during a PBR Velocity Tour event held in conjunction with the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado.[29]
The Team Series MVP of the Year is awarded to the individual rider who earned the most points during the regular season of the PBR's U.S. Team Series.
The Team Series Fan Favorite Bull is awarded to the best performing bull during the regular season of the PBR's U.S. Team Series and is decided by fans who voted online.
The PBR also has recognition awards in the Heroes and Legends Celebration. Some of these like the Ring of Honor and the Brand of Honor are the equivalent of a Hall of Fame recognition.[30] In 2019 and 2020, the Mason Lowe Award was presented in the arena during the PBR World Finals, but it became a part of the Heroes and Legends Celebration in 2021. However, by 2022, it was now awarded during the opening gala the day before the beginning of the PBR World Finals. From 2011 through 2019, and again in 2021, the Heroes and Legends Celebration took place just before the start of the PBR World Finals. However, as of 2022, said ceremony is no longer a part of the PBR World Finals. Beginning in 2023, it will be held at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in September during the week of Freedom Fest, the annual PBR Team Series event in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Stock Contractor of the Year
- 2023 – Blake Sharp
- 2022 – Chad Berger, Clay Struve and D&H Cattle Company
- 2021 – Chad Berger and Clay Struve
- 2020 – Chad Berger and Clay Struve
- 2019 – Chad Berger and Clay Struve
- 2018 – Chad Berger and Clay Struve
- 2017 – Chad Berger and Clay Struve
- 2016 – Chad Berger and Clay Struve
- 2015 – Chad Berger and Clay Struve
- 2014 – Chad Berger and Clay Struve
- 2013 – Jeff Robinson
- 2012 – Jeff Robinson
- 2011 – Jeff Robinson
- 2010 – Jeff Robinson
- 2009 – Chad Berger and Clay Struve
- 2008 – Chad Berger and Clay Struve
- 2007 – Chad Berger and Larry Ryken
- 2006 – Page & Teague Bucking Bulls
- 2005 – D&H Cattle Company
- 2004 – D&H Cattle Company
- 2003 – D&H Cattle Company
- 2002 – D&H Cattle Company
- 2001 – D&H Cattle Company
- 2000 – Herrington Cattle Company
- 1999 – Terry Williams
- 1998 – Terry Williams
- 1997 – Terry Williams
- 1996 – Terry Williams
- 1995 – Terry Williams
Source:[31]
Lane Frost/Brent Thurman Award recipients
- 2023
Andrew Alvidrez (91.5 points on Red Mosquito)
- 2022
Mauricio Moreira (94.25 points on Jive Turkey)
- 2021 Jose Vitor Leme (98.75 points on Woopaa)
- 2020 Jose Vitor Leme (95.75 points on Woopaa)
- 2019 Rubens Barbosa (95.75 points on Chiseled)
- 2018 Marco Eguchi (94 points on Spotted Demon)
- 2017 Jose Vitor Leme (94.5 points on Magic Train)
- 2016 Cooper Davis (91 points on Catfish John)
- 2015 J.B. Mauney (92.75 points on Bruiser)
- 2014 J.B. Mauney (94 points on Percolator)
- 2013 J.B. Mauney (93.75 points on Smackdown)
- 2012 Austin Meier (90.75 points on Shepherd Hills Trapper) [tie]
- 2012 Chris Shivers (90.75 on Shepherd Hills Sod Buster) [tie]
- 2011 Robson Palermo (93.25 points on King of Hearts)
- 2010 Valdiron de Oliveira (91.5 points on Spit Fire)
- 2009 J.B. Mauney (93.75 points on Black Pearl)
- 2008 J.B. Mauney (93.75 points on Crosswired)
- 2007 J.B. Mauney (92.75 points on Copperhead Slinger)
- 2006 Adriano Morães (93 points on Here’s Your Sign) [tie]
- 2006 Dustin Hall (93 points on Here’s Your Sign) [tie]
- 2005 Cody Whitney (94.75 points on Little Yellow Jacket)
- 2004 Mike Lee (93.75 points on Mossy Oak Mudslinger) [tie]
- 2004 Michael Gaffney (93.75 points on Little Yellow Jacket) [tie]
- 2003 Jody Newberry (94.5 points on Little Yellow Jacket)
- 2002 Cory McFadden (95 points on Little Yellow Jacket)
- 2001 Chris Shivers (96.5 points on Dillinger)
- 2000 Ednei Caminhas (94.5 points on Dillinger)
- 1999 Terry Don West (96 points on Promise Land) [tie]
- 1999 Chris Shivers (96 points on Trick or Treat) [tie]
- 1998 Cody Custer (95.5 points on Red Wolf)
- 1997
Troy Dunn (95 points on Red Wolf)
- 1996 Adriano Morães (93.5 points on Shotgun Red)
Source:[32]
Glen Keeley Award recipients
- 2023 – Nick Tetz
- 2022 – Griffin Smeltzer
- 2021 – Dakota Buttar
- 2020 – Dakota Buttar
- 2019 – Dakota Buttar
- 2018 – Dakota Buttar
- 2017 – Dakota Buttar
- 2016 – Tanner Byrne
- 2015 – Tanner Byrne
- 2014 – Tanner Byrne
- 2013 – Aaron Roy
- 2012 – Chad Besplug
- 2011 – Aaron Roy
- 2010 – Aaron Roy
- 2009 – Aaron Roy
- 2008 – Aaron Roy
- 2007 – Scott Schiffner
- 2006 – Jesse Torkelson
- 2005 – Matt Roy
- 2004 – Rob Bell
- 2003 – Rob Bell
- 2002 – Reuben Geleynse
- 2001 – B.J. Kramps
- 2000 – B.J. Kramps
Source:[33]
Mason Lowe Award recipients
U.S. Team Series General Manager of the Year
- 2022 Tina Battock (Team:
Nashville Stampede)
U.S. Team Series Coach of the Year
Discontinued awards
High Money Bull of the Regular Season
Awarded to the bull who earned the most money for the bull riders in the regular season. Discontinued after 2013.
- 2013 – Prince Albert
- 2012 – Bad Moon
- 2011 – Gunpowder & Lead
- 2010 – Segs The Juice
- 2009 – Fully Loaded
- 2008 – Cat Man Do
- 2007 – Evil Forces
- 2006 – Chief
- 2005 – Mossy Oak Mudslinger
- 2004 – Bo Howdy
- 2003 – Maximus
- 2002 – Promise Land
- 2001 – Promise Land
- 2000 – Moody Blues
- 1999 – Gusto
- 1998 – Promise Land
- 1997 – Shotgun Red
- 1996 – High Voltage
- 1995 – Baby Face
Source:[34]
Golden Barrel Awards
The Golden Barrel Award recipients were decided by fans who voted online. The categories were based on moments that occurred during the Premier Series regular season. The Best Celebration award was for the rider who gave the best celebration after completing a successful qualified ride; the Best Winning Ride award was for the rider who gave the best ride of the regular season; the Best Save award was for the bullfighter who put out the best save of a rider from a bull; the 7 Seconds of Agony award was for the rider who gave the best seven-second ride; and the Best Breakthrough Performance award was for the rider who gave the best comeback performance after recently going through some professional setbacks. The final category was added in 2022. 2021 and 2022 were the only years in which these awards were given out.
2022
- Best Celebration: Stetson Lawrence
- Best Winning Ride: João Ricardo Vieira
- Best Save: Frank Newsom
- 7 Seconds of Agony: Daylon Swearingen
- Best Breakthrough Performance: Daylon Swearingen
2021
- Best Celebration: Ezekiel Mitchell
- Best Winning Ride: Jose Vitor Leme
- Best Save: Cody Webster
- 7 Seconds of Agony: Keyshawn Whitehorse
Heroes and Legends Celebration
This article presents a list of major champions and honors won by Professional Bull Riders. The Heroes and Legends Celebrations have their own article which lists the Ring of Honor, Sharon Shoulders Award, Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award, Brand of Honor, and Ty Murray Top Hand Award.
Canada
Mexico
