Ty Murray

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Ty Monroe Murray (5ft 8in) was born October 11, 1969 in Phoenix, Arizona to Joy and Butch Murray.^[1] He has one sister, Kim.

Rodeo was deep rooted in Ty from his parents. His father Butch was a former rodeo hand and his mother Joy was a young rider in the National Little Britches Rodeo Association.

Ty decided he wanted to be a rodeo champion at the age of two, and his father taught him the fundamentals on the back of his pet dog. The early training paid off and Ty won his first Buckle at the age of 5.

At the age of 9, Ty rode his first bull, winning the competition. A few weeks later he competed and won his first Junior Rodeo Championship with a broken jaw. For nine years in a row, Ty Murray was the Arizona All-Around Junior Rodeo Champion.

Larry Mahan was so impressed with the young rider that he took him on as his protege.

Ty competed in the Arizona National High School Rodeo Association events, winning All-Around title. He went to Odessa College, made the Dean's List, and competed Rodeo for the College. When he turned 18, he joined the PRCA.

Ty became the youngest PRCA All-Around Rodeo Cowboy, ever, and as such, is in the Guiness Book of Records.

Ty Murray won the World All-Around Rodeo Champion title seven times, (1989-1994, 1998) being the top money earner in bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding events for those years.

Ty Murray is the only man to have ever attained that many "All-Around Cowboy" titles.

Additionally, Ty won the PRCA World Bull Riding Championship title in 1993 and 1998.

After tearing his PCL ligament in his left knee, and later in his right knee, he had both knees reconstructed in 1995. He was out of Rodeo for a year. During that time he bought a 2000 acre ranch in Stephenville, Texas. In 1996, 6 weeks after his return to rodeo, he damaged his shoulder during a bull ride in Del Rio, Texas; he had surgery which laid him off for another year, costing him a major sponsor. His comeback in 1997 was astonishing — then he broke his shoulder at the PBR event in St. Louis, laying him off for another year. After a total of three years off, Ty Murray came back in 1998 to win the PRCA All-Around Championship for the record 7th time, as well as his second PRCA World Champion Bull Rider title. He also qualified for the PBR Finals in 1998, and finished 20th in the PBR world standings overall that year.

In 1999, Ty met Jewel Kilcher, whose father was an Alaska All-Around Rodeo Champion, and they became a couple. They are currently in a long-term relationship. Ty joined the PBR full-time in 1999 (after dividing his time between the PBR and PRCA in the years prior). He and Jewel wrote the hit "Til We Run Out Of Road" about Ty and Cody Lambert, and Jewel also mentioned him, though not by name, in her song "Stephenville, TX." She appears with him in one of the "Man Law" commercials (see below).

Ty was the reserve world champion (2nd place) bull rider in the PBR in the years 1999, 2000, and 2001. In 2002, Ty retired from rodeo.

Ty Murray was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2000.^[2][3]

Ty Murray is currently featured in the Miller Lite "Man Laws" series of commercials,^[4] and is a frequent Announcer on televised PBR Bull Riding events. He took Product Endorsement deals to the next level, when he refused to sign for less than his perceived value. Ty's hiring of an Agent made it acceptable for his fellow Cowboys to hire agents, and paid endorsements have become a lucrative adjunct to Cowboy's yearly earnings.

Ty Murray was a close friend and travelling partner of Lane Frost, and was there when he died in the arena. Ty nearly quit rodeo in his grief, but he pulled himself together and went on to become the "King of the Cowboys."

He is president of the PBR.

[edit] References

1. ^ Ty Murray at the Internet Movie Database
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ [2]
4. ^ [3]