Ty Murray
Ty Monroe Murray (born October 11, 1969), is an American former professional rodeo cowboy. He competed in the three "roughstock" events; bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding, and bull riding. He won nine world championships in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA); seven in all-around and two in bull riding. He was also one of the co-founders and a board adviser of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). From 2005 to 2020, he was also a regular color commentator for several televised PBR events.
Personal information
Ty Monroe Murray
Puddin'
October 11, 1969
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
160 lb (73 kg)
1987
2002
7x PRCA All-Around World Champion
2x PRCA Bull Riding World Champion
In 2023, Murray was ranked No. 11 on the list of the top 30 bull riders in PBR history.[1]
Early life[edit]
Ty Murray was born on October 11, 1969, in Phoenix, Arizona, to Harold "Butch" and Joy Murray.[2] He has two sisters, Kim and Kerri, both also involved in rodeo during their childhoods.[3] His father competed in rodeos, broke colts for 30 years, and was the starter for The Downs in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His mother competed as a child in the National Little Britches Rodeo Association. She took first place in their bull riding competition.[4] However, it was not long before the family moved to a ranch in Glendale, Arizona, that was around 10 miles from Phoenix.[5]
At 2 years old, Murray's father put him on calves, but rode alongside and held him. When he started walking, he got spurs, and he spurred his mother's sewing machine cover to pieces. At 8 years old, he helped his father break colts. At 9 years old, he rode his first bull. That 1,800 pound brindle just loped around, so his father warned him it was not typical. Murray felt invincible back then. However, the second bull threw him and stepped on his jaw, breaking it. Murray figures he would have quit after that had his affection for the sport not been complete. At 12 years old, Murray rode his first bareback horse in a rodeo. It was the first time he had been somewhat scared riding livestock; he referred to it as "spooky."[4]
At 12 years old, Murray purchased a mechanical bucking machine with money he saved doing chores. He joined the Deer Valley High School gymnastics team to improve his rodeo skills. Since the meets were on the weekends, though, he never actually competed in a meet.[5]
Larry Mahan first paid attention to Murray when he was about 13 years old. Mahan, world champion rodeo competitor, was Murray's hero. Mahan noticed him at a Little Britches rodeo. When Mahan heard Murray was going to compete in all three riding events, that piqued his interest. He wanted to meet someone who was competing like he had done. Mahan called Murray to invite him to his place in Colorado Springs, Colorado. They spent that summer flying around the West in Mahan's plane participating in several different activities. Murray soon began a weightlifting program. That was when Murray started participating in gymnastics.[4]
Later Murray was mentored by the world champion, who had won more National Finals Rodeo (NFR) first place "All Around Cowboy" championships than anyone in history. When Murray was in third grade, his teacher passed out a paper that asked students, "If you could do anything in your life, what would it be?" Murray immediately wrote out, "I want to beat Larry Mahan's record."[6]
Career[edit]
High school rodeo[edit]
In 1987, he won the Arizona National High School Rodeo Association all-around championship. He tied with Dennis Schmidt for the bareback riding championship. This helped Arizona win the team national title, which it had not won in 12 years. He competed in every roughstock event and in cutting. He also won the National High School Rodeo Association all-around championship.[5][7]
College and 1988 PRCA season[edit]
In 1987, Murray enrolled in the fall semester of Odessa College, a two-year school in Odessa, Texas. The school's proximity to some nearby PRCA rodeos was one of the deciding factors. He joined the PRCA on his 18th birthday, and was set on trying for a world championship immediately. The fact that he could attend school and compete simultaneously was another deciding factor. He attended school and competed simultaneously in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, and the PRCA.[4] In Murray's first official year on the PRCA, he traveled with rodeo cowboy Cody Lambert, who rode bulls and saddle bronc. Before Murray, Lambert traveled with Tuff Hedeman, Jim Sharp, and Lane Frost. Now Lambert could travel with Murray for saddle bronc riding, then they met up with the other guys for bull riding.[8] Murray spent the season gaining experience with Cody's help. When the season end was near, he was in the lead for Rookie of the Year. However, his riding was suffering some due to fatigue as he was not used to pro rodeo. At the Calgary Stampede, a bull named First Blood threw him headfirst into the dirt. Lambert told his uncle Butch he needed to rest. After some rest, Murray continued to enter all three roughstock events.[9] In 1988, he was the PRCA Overall Rookie of the Year due to winning $45,977 in the three roughstock events, bull riding, bareback riding, and saddle bronc riding. He also won the individual Bareback Riding Rookie of the Year title. He did not earn enough money in a single event to qualify for the finals, the NFR in the PRCA.[4]
1989 PRCA season[edit]
In this year, Murray was in his second year at Odessa College. He exchanged the dorm for an apartment with Jim Sharp. Slightly older, Sharp was already a world champion in bull riding.[10] Murray started the year competing in Fort Worth, Texas. He captured the saddle bronc title and finished second in bareback. His earnings of $4,062 were enough to win the all-around event, and enough to beat Dave Appleton, the previous year's all-around champ. He also earned a spot in the Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo.[11]
Murray competed at the Reno Rodeo Championship at the end of June. Although he did not win any events, he tied third in the saddle bronc event and made it to the finals in bull riding. Out of 11 bulls, only 3 cowboys made rides. Murray was bucked off by a bull named Copenhagen Times in two seconds. Despite this, Murray earned $5,449, enough to win the all-around. Murray was reluctantly happy to win the all-around without winning any events. He was also frustrated at not scoring in the bull riding finals. Consistency won the all-around, but it was hard won.[12]
In July, all of the guys competed at Cheyenne Frontier Days. The cowboys refer to it as the "Daddy of Them All." Every cowboy knows about and needs to compete there. This was the finals day on Sunday. It had rained and was muddy. Frost got on a bull named Takin’ Care of Business by Bad Company Rodeo. Lane made a great ride. After he dismounted, the bull put a horn against Frost's back and pressed him against the ground. After this encounter, Frost got up and motioned for help, then collapsed. The impact from the bull broke some ribs. The severed ribs broke an artery; his heart could not recover. Frost died; he was 25 years old.[13]
By Labor Day, Murray was 2nd in the All-Around World Standings. He was $1,000 behind his uncle, Butch Myers. Then, two weeks, later, Murray was leading the standings. On September 19, Murray's earnings were $84,044; his uncle had $82,465, and Clay O’Brien Cooper had $76,967. Near the end of October, the race was looking close and time was running out before the NFR. But it was obvious Murray would qualify.[14]
This time for the NFR, he qualified for the NFR in the bareback riding and the saddle bronc riding. He almost qualified for bull riding.[4][15]
He drew a bareback mare named Kattle Kate. Kattle Kate was owned by Flying U Rodeo. Murray made a good ride, scoring a 78. He tied for sixth in the fifth round.[15] Next up was Bad River from Harry Vold. Murray made a great ride on this saddle bronc, scoring a 77.[16] In the ninth round, Murray scored 75 on a saddle bronc ride on Copenhagen Joe and finished fourth in the round. In the eighth round, he scored 74 on the bronc Skoal Exorcist.[16] On the final round Sunday, Murray started with the bareback event. His draw was a horse named Rabbit. Rabbit was a Mesquite Championship Rodeo horse. He had a good ride, scoring 78. He finished that round in sixth place. That put him almost out of reach in the bareback average (which paid a large bonus). All that remained between him and the all-around title was a mare named Oil City Red. The mare's first four jumps were famous and hard to get through. But if one did manage them, they could get a good ride. Murray made it through and scored a 73; he thought probably not good enough. He made sixth place in the saddle bronc average for the finals. An official soon found Murray's parents to congratulate them on their son's win. That was the beginning of Murray's all-around world championships. He was also the youngest winner of the title.[17]
He and his uncle Butch Myers were the only two cowboys that year who qualified in more than one event. Nephew and uncle had a friendly competition for the all-around that year. Myers had a $2,786 lead over Murray heading into the finals. Murray placed on 7 of his 20 horses, winning $58,031 in his first NFR. He bypassed Myers by $21,202. Murray became the youngest all-around champion that year. Previously, Jim Shoulders had held that position for winning at age 21 in 1949. Also, that year, Murray won the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association's all-around, saddle bronc, and bull riding titles.[4]
1990 PRCA season[edit]
When the next season began, being a world champion, things were different for Murray. There were many demands on his time from promoters, clothing companies, and fans. There is significant pressure to repeat. Few cowboys have repeated as all-around champ in the 75 years preceding. However, Murray's personal philosophies kept him from feeling this additional pressure in his competition. He took each ride one at a time and ignored distractions.[18]
About a month after Murray won his championship, he and Sharp moved out of Odessa into a place in Benbrook, Texas. It's a little south of Fort Worth. Not long after that, Murray received a sponsorship offer from well-known clothing company. He turned the offer down, which just was not done back then, ending the call with an instruction for them to contact his agent next time. Back then, rodeo cowboys did not have agents.[19] Even 20 years after winning his six titles, Larry Mahan was still getting the standard deal Murray turned down. When Murray went for deals, he was selective. He also went outside rodeo, getting deals with companies such as Post, No Fear Sportswear, and other sportswear labels. His tactics paid off.[20]
One of Murray's goals this season was to improve his bull riding, in order to qualify for the NFR in all 3 roughstock events. His first event that season was the National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colorado, where he won the all-around title. At January's end, he held the fifth spot in the World Standings and had a good lead in the all-around World Standings.[21]
In Rapid City, South Dakota, Murray was matched with Mr. T. Mr. T is still considered one of the rankest bulls ever. At the time, he was the rankest bull, and most cowboys did not want to draw him. Mr. T was nasty and almost impossible to ride. He had only been ridden once before. Marty Staneart rode him at Cheyenne Frontier Days. He had dispatched 187 cowboys. Somehow Murray stayed on this bull and managed to stay in the middle of the bull for a qualified ride and get a score.[22]
Murray continued to win all-around titles that season, at rodeos such as Colorado Springs, Phoenix, and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. By May, Murray considered that all three of his events were at the same skill level. Then on May 19, 1990, at the Redding Rodeo in California, Murray had an incident. On a saddle bronc named Road Agent Murray rode well, scoring 72 points. As Murray was dismounting, his left foot hung in the stirrup for a second. Instantly, he was drawn underneath. He found himself facedown in the mud. The horse stepped on him and kicked him. Then as Murray tried to crawl away, he was kicked again. The hoof his right elbow. Murray ended up with stitches in his head, bruised ribs, and a broken elbow. He missed six weeks.[23]
Murray was back to competition in July even though his elbow was in a brace. He competed at Reno Rodeo. He won the all-around and bronc riding titles. He qualified for the NFR again that season. He was fifth in the World Standings in bull riding. He was sixth in the World Standings in saddle bronc. He was seventh in the World Standings in bareback. Thus, he had qualified in all three roughstock events. Murray was the third cowboy to qualify for all three roughstock events in the NFR (and first in 17 years).[24]
So it was back to the Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. In Round One, Murray tied for second in bull riding. He also tied for second in the bareback. In the Second Round, he and Lambert split first place in saddle bronc. Also in the Second Round, Murray placed fourth in bull riding. Murray continued to ride well in additional rounds. On Friday, December 7, in Round Eight, Murray had one of his best bareback rides of the year. He scored 84 points on Sippin' Velvet. He won the round with that score. When Murray finished that round, he had surpassed $200,000; having earned $203,552. He was the first cowboy to win over $200,000. He had two rounds to go.[25]
The amount of earnings after Round 8 also assured him the all-around championship. It did not mean Murray would take it easy in the next two rounds however. In the next night, Round Nine, Murray has his next serious incident. Murray drew a saddle bronc of 1,200 pounds. A gelding named Bo Skoal. Murray could tell the horse was "off" that night. The horse flipped over backward after he got out of the gate. Murray was ready for him or he might have been under the horse when he fell. Still, he was not quite fast enough. His right knee got caught. The horse hit the knee and then rolled around on it. The pain was unbearable for Murray. It turned out the knee was not broken but was an intense bruise. He couldn't move it. Murray had to skip the rest of the Round Nine and Round Ten.[26]
Other endeavors[edit]
In November 1999, Murray made a cameo appearance in an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger in Season 8, Episode 8, titled "Widow Maker." The star, Chuck Norris, discovered after the show that Murray practiced a martial art. True to form, it was due to Murray being one not to "toot his own horn." Murray has credited the martial art of Nippon Kempo as aiding him in his rodeo skills.[43][44]
In 2006, Murray was featured in the Miller Lite "Man Laws" series of commercials with movie star Burt Reynolds.[45] Murray is currently a commentator for the PBR on CBS.[46]
In 2007 Murray, along with his wife Jewel, appeared in the ABC reality television series Fast Cars and Superstars: The Gillette Young Guns Celebrity Race, featuring a dozen celebrities in a stock car racing competition. In the first round of competition, Murray matched up against skateboarder Tony Hawk and actress Krista Allen.[47] John Elway won the series in the final match.[48] In the summer of that same year, CMT televised Ty Murray's Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge. Murray attempted to teach nine celebrities how to ride a bull, survive a fall, and compete at one major PBR event.[49] In January 2008 he appeared as himself in an episode of CSI.
On February 8, 2009, it was announced that both Murray and Jewel would be contestants on the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars, signifying the first time a husband and wife appeared as contestants on the show in the same season; however, Jewel had to withdraw from the competition due to an injury sustained during pre-season practice. Murray was partnered with new Dancing with the Stars professional dancer Chelsie Hightower. Murray was eliminated in the tenth week semifinals.[50][51] Also in 2009, Murray and Jewel appeared on the HGTV Celebrity Holiday Homes special.[52][53]
In January 2010 Murray and Jewel appeared on the ABC reality series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.[54][52] On February 22, 2010, Murray was co-host of WWE Raw on USA Network with Jewel where they had a bull riding competition for the WWE Divas.[55]