I don’t think there’s any argument about calling Billy Etbauer a rodeo legend. This video is him winning round 10 at the 2009 NFR. He passed the $3 million in earnings mark over the weekend at Burley, Idaho, home to a rodeo he can’t recall ever competing in before — and he was only there this weekend because his wife Hollie was running barrels.
It’s purely a guess on my part, but I imagine Billy to be a lot like racer Ken Schrader who is happy to discover a track he’s never raced on before — it’s not often Kenny gets that yellow rookie stripe — and I bet Billy is happy to find a new venue.
However, despite reports elsewhere, that entire $3 million wasn’t in a single event. He’s got about $1400 in team roping money in that count and needs about another $500 to have that $3 million in a single event.
As I’m sure you know, the only other cowboy to reach that dollar figure is Trevor Brazile and his comes from multiple roping events.
Unfortunately, it’s likely that Billy’s streak of 21 consecutive NFRs will end this year. He’s about $27,000 shy of 15th place.
Here’s a column that Bob Welch has written about his experience with the myth and the man that is Billy Etbauer.
