Professional Bull Riders: Heroes and Legends

From 1996 to 2007, the PBR awarded the Ring of Honor in the arena during the World Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada. There was no Ring of Honor ceremony in 2008.

From to 2009 to 2010, the Ring of Honor ceremony was held at the Pueblo Convention Center in conjunction with Pueblo, Colorado’s Wild, Wild West Fest in May, which included a regular-season PBR Premier Series event in said city. The Sharon Shoulders Award was first awarded in 2010, and from there the subsequent awards came about over the years.

The PBR Heroes and Legends Celebration debuted in 2011 and was held at the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas the day before the first round of every annual PBR World Finals. There was no Heroes and Legends Celebration in 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions, but the ceremony returned in 2021.

The PBR World Finals will move to Fort Worth, Texas in 2022, as will the Heroes and Legends Celebration.

The PBR Ring of Honor is the equivalent of a Hall of Fame for bull riders.[3] The PBR created this award in 1996 to recognize those who have had a "significant and lasting contribution to the sport of professional bull riding".[3] Honorees may be PBR bull riders, but some PRCA bull riders have also been honored, for example, icon Lane Frost.[3] "It is both a physical ring and a fellowship of men."[3] This honor is bestowed upon "select bull riders whose contributions to the sport of bull riding last beyond their success in the competitive arena". The award is "symbolized by a custom-made, gold-and-diamond ring engraved with the honoree's name and the PBR logo". Recipients are honored with this award during a ceremony at the PBR World Finals near the end of the year.[3]

It was created in 1996 with the inaugural induction of ProRodeo Hall of Fame members Jim Shoulders and Ted Nuce.[4][5]

The PRCA, which sanctions traditional rodeo, has the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.[6] The Bull Riding Hall of Fame located in Fort Worth, Texas, is not associated with the PBR.[7]

This award recognizes women who have supported professional bull riding; "those whose work, partnership and faith have been as integral to the sport as the athletes themselves." These are bull rider wives who have shared the burdens of a bull rider in his life and in the sport and helped enable him to contribute to the sport. It is named for the wife of Jim Shoulders.[9] The PBR created his award in 2010 and honored inaugural inductee Tiffany Davis.[10][9]

This award is named after Jim Shoulders, who won 16 world titles and is recognized in his field as possibly the greatest western-sports athlete of all time. This award recognizes some of the many non-bull riders who have made a tangible contribution to the sport and whose efforts have built the PBR, including stock contractors, contract personnel, PBR employees, and more.[9] It was first awarded in 2011.[10][12][13]

First awarded in 2011 to Little Yellow Jacket, the Brand of Honor is awarded to a bull for superlative performance in the PBR. The PBR recognizes that "there are two great athletes in every ride". Brand of Honor bulls are elite athletes who have gone above and beyond in the sport. In 2016, Bushwacker was awarded the Brand of Honor.[15] This three-time World Champion bucking bull, now retired, is universally considered to be the best in bull riding history.[9][10]

First awarded in 2018 to Trevor Brazile, Lewis Feild, and Tom Ferguson, the Ty Murray Top Hand Award, is awarded to a rodeo athlete who is not eligible for the Ring of Honor Award. The award connects the PBR with its traditional past. Athletes are chosen who represent strong values and character who have made a significant mark on the sport. The award is named after 9 time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) World Champion and Ring of Honor awardee Ty Murray, a co-founder of the PBR and current television commentator.

First awarded in 2019, the Mason Lowe Award is for the highest-scoring single ride during the regular season of the PBR’s Unleash the Beast 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 at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado.[18] From 2019 to 2020, the award was presented in the arena during the PBR World Finals, but it became a part of the Heroes and Legends Celebration in 2021.

First awarded in 2021, the Golden Barrel Awards are the only category of the Heroes and Legends Celebration in which the recipients are decided by fans who voted online with the exception of the Toughest Cowboy Award, voted on by the riders on the Unleash the Beast Series (UTB). The categories are based on moments that occurred during the UTB regular season. The Best Celebration award is for the rider who gave the best celebration after completing a successful qualified ride, the Best Winning Ride award is for the rider who gave the best ride of the regular season, the Best Save award is for the bullfighter who put out the best save of a rider from a bull, the 7 Seconds of Agony award is for the rider who gave the best seven-second ride, and the Best Breakthrough Performance award is for the rider who gave the best performance by winning a UTB event after recently going through some professional setbacks. The final category was added in 2022.

Heroes and Legends lists the Ring of Honor, Sharon Shoulders Award, Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award, Brand of Honor, Ty Murray Top Hand Award, Mason Lowe Award, and Golden Barrel Awards. The List of Professional Bull Riders Champions article presents a list of major champions and honors won by Professional Bull Riders.

• Professional Bull Riders
• Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
• Canadian Professional Rodeo Association
• Rodeo Hall of Fame
• Bull Riding Hall of Fame
• ProRodeo Hall of Fame
• Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame
• List of Professional Bull Riders Champions
• List of ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees
• List of Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame inductees

• Official Site

This is a stand-alone list that meets list notability criteria. Please only add items that meet the selection criteria established in the lead.