Phil Lyne

For the 18th century pirate, see Philip Lyne.

Phil Lyne (born January 18, 1947) is an American former rodeo cowboy who competed in Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA)/Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA)[note 1] events. Lyne was the RCA Rookie of the Year in 1969, and two seasons later won the All-Around Cowboy championship and the season title in the tie-down roping discipline. In 1972, he repeated as All-Around Cowboy champion and added a second tie-down roping season championship. Lyne won another discipline title in 1990, in steer roping. He was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979.

Biography

Lyne was born in San Antonio, Texas on January 18, 1947.[2] On his family's ranch, he practiced rodeo skills in his youth.[3] His father taught him roping, while friends taught him bull-riding.[4] Lyne entered his first rodeo when he was four years old, and won numerous prizes in competitions. In high school, he finished in first place in the 1965 Texas Youth Rodeo Association finals, and was second in the National High School Rodeo all-around standings, winning the national high school title in the calf roping event. Lyne attended Southwest Texas Junior College, using scholarships he earned in rodeo events to pay his tuition.[5] At the 1967 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association's (NIRA) College National Finals Rodeo, he finished in second place in the ribbon roping event.[6] The following year, he was named the individual all-around champion and won the national championship in calf roping. In 1969, when he was a student at Sam Houston State University, Lyne again won the NIRA all-around and calf roping titles.[7] He turned professional before he could earn enough credits to graduate from Sam Houston State.[3] After joining the RCA in 1969, Lyne was named the circuit's Rookie of the Year,[8] with season earnings of $12,500.[9] In his second season on the RCA, 1970, Lyne ended the year in third place in the All-Around Cowboy standings.[3]

In 1971, Lyne earned prize money in every discipline. Larry Mahan, the five-time defending All-Around Cowboy champion, suffered a broken leg during the bareback bronc riding event at the September Ellensburg Rodeo, eliminating him from title contention.[3] Lyne maintained a busy schedule; by November, prior to the final event of the season, the National Finals Rodeo (NFR), he took part in 112 rodeos, in some weeks entering 3–4 competitions.[9] Going into the NFR, he held a $2,177 lead in season earnings over the second-place cowboy, Bob Berger. Despite competing in one fewer NFR event than Berger, Lyne retained his advantage (aided by Berger suffering multiple injuries from being thrown off of bulls). Lyne set an NFR record by roping a calf in 8.5 seconds. He earned the All-Around Cowboy championship for 1971, in addition to the season tie-down roping title.[3] Lyne said in a Sports Illustrated article that he planned to "stick with this a couple, three years and then go back to ranching."[3]

Lyne again contended for the All-Around Cowboy championship in 1972; his primary competitor was Mahan. The pair's efforts to win the title were documented in the film The Great American Cowboy, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.[10] In 1972, Lyne entered 126 rodeos; The New York Times estimated that "he [had] flown commercially almost as much as Henry Kissinger has.[11] By the NFR, Lyne had wrapped up his second consecutive All-Around Cowboy and tie-down roping championships.[11] He won $60,852 in total prize money, setting an RCA single-season record.[12] He was the all-around average earnings leader at the NFR, and led in average earnings in tie-down roping and bull riding; as of 2012, he was one of three cowboys (along with Ace Berry and Don McLaughlin) to win multiple event average titles at an NFR.[13] The bull riding average championship at the NFR helped Lyne finish second in season earnings for that event.[14]

After the 1972 season, Lyne retired from rodeo competition,[8] as he decided to raise his daughters on his family's Texas ranch.[15] The ProRodeo Hall of Fame inducted Lyne in 1979, as part of its first class of honorees. That year, Lyne came out of retirement and competed part-time.[8] In 1983 and 1986, Lyne won the steer roping average earnings title at the NFR.[16] He is the only cowboy to finish first in NFR average earnings in three events during his career.[8] Despite not competing full-time in rodeos, Lyne won the 1990 PRCA steer roping season championship.[15]

Lyne considered tie-down roping to be his strongest event,[9] with bull riding his personal favorite.[4] He also participated in saddle bronc riding and steer wrestling during his pro rodeo career, but tried to avoid competing in bareback bronc riding, since he believed that it would hurt his arm and hinder him in tie-down roping.[9] Lyne did not own any horses that he rode in tie-down roping; he used more than 90 different horses in the discipline during one season.[17] Mahan said of Lyne, "he fools you because, without any showmanship, he just plain gets the job done."[11] Lyne is married and has two children; he lives in Cotulla, Texas.[4]

Honors

Notes

  1. ↑ The Rodeo Cowboys Association changed its name to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in 1975.[1]

References

  1. ↑ "History of Rodeo". Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Phil Lyne". ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kirshenbaum, Jerry (December 20, 1971). "And they laid it on the Lyne at the O. C. corral". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 Mahoney 2004, p. 97.
  5. ↑ "Bronc Rider, 19, Goes on Winning". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. June 19, 1966. p. 80. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  6. ↑ Mahoney 2004, p. 95.
  7. ↑ Mahoney 2004, pp. 96–97.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Time Capsule Tuesday: Phil Lyne's short but noteworthy ProRodeo career". Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Pearson, Spencer (November 21, 1971). "Champ hopes to lasso new title". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. p. 14. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  10. ↑ Levitt, Jonathan. "Rodeo (Is) The Man: "The Great American Cowboy"". Blurt. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  11. 1 2 3 "Little Lyne Rodeo's Biggest Man". The New York Times. December 10, 1972. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  12. ↑ "RCA season nearing end". Ellensburg Daily Record. October 20, 1973. p. 5. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  13. ↑ Wrangler NFR Records and History, pp. 382, 385.
  14. ↑ Hoffman, Brett (December 27, 2012). "Brett Hoffman: Lyne's world all-around title still a great feat". San Angelo Standard-Times. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  15. 1 2 Santos, Kendra (May–June 2000). "All About the All-Around". American Cowboy. pp. 54–57. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  16. ↑ Wrangler NFR Records and History, p. 382.
  17. 1 2 "Hall of Fame: Phil Lyne". Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductees". National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Past Inductees". Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Ring of Honor: Phil Lyne". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Inductees by Year". Texas Trail of Fame. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  22. ↑ "2001–2008 Inductees". Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 28, 2017.

Bibliography

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