Etbauer serves notice he’s contender for sixth world title with win in Jackson, Miss.
courtesy PRCA

        JACKSON, Miss. – Enough talk about Brett Favre and all that he accomplished last year as a 40-year-old quarterback in the NFL. How about a little nod of recognition for Billy Etbauer? He just turned 47 and is chasing a record-tying sixth saddle bronc riding world championship.

        Sure, Favre has to deal with 300-pound linemen who want to slam him to the turf 16 Sundays every fall. Etbauer goes one-on-one with 1,500-pound horses without pads, helmet or protective pocket. He does this at about 60 rodeos a year.

        Any questions about how competitive Etbauer remains in his (athletic) dotage were answered this week when he overcame an all-star field down in Favre’s neck of the woods to win the Feb. 11-17 Dixie National Rodeo, then followed that by winning one of the semifinals at the $1 million San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo with a 90-point ride.

        Etbauer had an 86-point ride on Stace Smith Pro Rodeos’ Polyester Pants at the Mississippi Fairgrounds, two points better than 19-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier Rod Hay and Chuck Schmidt, who tied for second place. Cody Wright, the 2008 world champion, and Bradley Harter tied for fourth.

        “I’m in the sport to make a living,” Etbauer said, “and I’m just lucky enough to do something I love. I ride to be competitive for a world title, but if I could control any of that, I’d already have (the sixth world title). I’m not going to worry about it. I’ll just keep trying to ride well and see what happens.”

        Etbauer was a month shy of his 42^nd birthday when he won his last world title in 2004, and has finished third, seventh, ninth, second and fifth in the intervening years. Always in the running. Always seeking.

He’s qualified for the Wrangler NFR 21 times – the record for any roughstock cowboy – and that sixth title, which would tie for the record held by ProRodeo Hall of Famers Casey Tibbs and Dan Mortensen, remains tantalizingly close

        Etbauer travels with his wife, Hollie, and their three children, who Hollie home-schools. Hollie is a former track-and-field athlete at Oklahoma State, and she competes in barrel racing at some of the rodeos along the road.

        “We’re kind of making it a family trip,” Etbauer said. “The main thing about staying competitive is figuring out how to stay healthy, and Hollie has a lot to do with that, keeping us on track with what we’re eating.

 “I need to have a regular program to stay fit, but it can be hit and miss. I try to walk four miles a day and do crunches to keep my back muscles and stomach muscles strong enough to ride at my best.”

The other champions at the Dixie National Rodeo were bareback rider Luke Creasy (85 points), steer wrestler Patton Norsworth (8.4 seconds on two head), team ropers Bart Brunson/Wesley Brunson and Mike Fletcher/Tommy Zuniga (11.9 seconds on two head), tie-down roper Tyson Durfey (16.4 seconds on two head), barrel racer Brittany Pozzi (15.83 seconds) and bull riders Dave Samsel and Jarrod Ford (90 points).

Wesley Brunson was the all-around cowboy with earnings of $3,242 in team roping and tie-down roping.

Web WorldOfRodeo.com