Daily Archives: March 16, 2010

*Picture Credit

HOUSTON – Houston has a long and storied history of watching things soar to new heights – think NASA – and the rodeo fans at Reliant Stadium will have something pretty special to keep on their radar this week.

When five-time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Billy Etbauer enters the second round of Super Series V tonight at RodeoHouston, he will be $8,452 away from joining Trevor Brazile as the only $3 million cowboys in the history of professional rodeo.

Perhaps more significantly, Etbauer is $9,786 shy of becoming the first man to earn $3 million in a single rodeo event (yes, Billy has $1,335 in career team roping money).

“I didn’t honestly realize I was that close,” Etbauer said with a slight shake of his head. “That’s amazing. I just wish I had all that money in my pocket today. But it’s a true blessing to be healthy and be able to continue doing something you love.

“It’s been a lot of years since my brothers (Dan and Robert), Craig (Latham) and I started down this road, pooling our prize money so we could keep going. It’s always been a family effort; Craig still does all my entering for me. And I couldn’t do this without the continued support of Express Ranches. They are the biggest part of why I’m still able to go do this.” (read more)