Category Archives: Rodeo

Casey Tibbs (Rodeo.  Born, Fort Pierre, SD, Mar. 5, 1929; died, Ramona, CA, Jan. 28, 1990.)  During his flamboyant career, Casey Tibbs was the premiere saddle bronc rider on the rodeo circuit and was twice the all-around champion of his sport. What perhaps more than his ability attracted the attention of the public was his flair. Tibbs’ purple Cadillacs and exciting lifestyle projected him beyond the confines of rodeo into a name known nationwide and even landed him on the cover of Life magazine, a first for a rodeo rider.  Of course, Tibbs would not have received the attention he did if he was not one of the best riders on the circuit and frequently a champion in the World Championship Rodeo staged annually at Madison Square Garden.  From 1948-61, Tibbs won the saddle bronc title six times in the Garden and when he retired for the first time in 1964, he held more Garden riding championships than any other cowboy.   Known as the “Babe Ruth of Rodeo” partly because of his riding prowess and partly because of his personality, Tibbs became the all-around champion for the first time in 1951. He repeated in 1955 when he was again the leading money-winner on the circuit with over $42,000 in purses, a huge figure for the time.  Tibbs also won the bareback bronc riding crown once in the Garden, giving him nine championships overall.  He ended his first retirement in 1967 and won nine of the first 10 rodeos he entered.