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Cody Snyder

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Cody Snyder
man in black cowboy hat and blue denim shirt
Cody Snyder in 2010
Personal information
Birth nameCody Snyder
NationalityCanadian
Born1962 or 1963 (age 61–62)[1]
Redcliff, Alberta, Canada
Height1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight75 kg (165 lb)[a]
Sport
SportRodeo
EventBull riding
Turned pro1980
Retired1993
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking
  • 1983 PRCA Bull Riding World Champion
  • 1986 CPRA Bull Riding Champion

Cody Snyder (born 1962 or 1963) is a Canadian former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He is currently a bull-riding event producer. In 1983, Snyder became the first Canadian to win the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) bull riding world championship. He holds the highest-scored bull ride in the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA), scoring 95 points in 1983.[3] He is an inductee of the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Ring of Honor, Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and the Bull Riding Hall of Fame. Since his athletic retirement in 1993, Snyder has produced over 400 bull-riding events under his company Bullbustin' Inc. He has also appeared as a colour commentator for televised rodeo events including the Calgary Stampede.

Early life

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Cody Snyder was born in 1962 or 1963 in Redcliff, Alberta, near Medicine Hat.[4][b] He was raised on a ranch and his father and uncle were both rodeo riders.[1][10] He took part in a calf-riding competition when he was five,[c] began riding junior steers when he was eight years old, and rode his first bull at the age of 12.[5][4] He trained under hall-of-fame bull rider Dale "Hoot" Rose,[12][13][d] who had an indoor arena 24 km (15 mi) away, stocked with bulls and steers. From age 14 Snyder rode a half-dozen bulls each night and at age 15 he became the Canadian amateur bull-riding champion. Snyder was also a well-regarded amateur boxer.[10][4] In 1979, at the age of 16, he won the Canadian Cowboys Association bull-riding championship and obtained his official competitor cards to perform as a member of the US-based Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and the Canadian Rodeo Cowboys Association (CRCA; renamed the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association [CPRA] in 1980).[15][16] In order to train and compete full time, Snyder withdrew from school in grade 11.[1]

Bull-riding career

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In 1982, when he was 19 years old, Snyder led the CPRA national bull riding standings.[3]: 122  The following year, Snyder ranked second in the world and performed in a special Presidential Command Performance Rodeo in Landover, Maryland, for then-US President Ronald Reagan.[17][18] Snyder qualified for the 1983 National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he became the first Canadian to win the PRCA bull-riding world championship.[19][10] During that season, Snyder achieved a 95-point ride on Northcott's Confusion[e] at the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR), a CPRA bull-riding record[3][20] which has not been surpassed as of July 2023.[21][f]

Snyder qualified for the NFR again in 1984, 1986 and 1987.[24] For the 1985 season, Snyder rode on the PRCA Winston Pro Tour,[25] which consisted of top-tier professional rodeo athletes drafted into 18 individually sponsored teams.[26] Snyder was the bull rider for the Willie Nelson Wrangler Team, which debuted at the Coors Challenge in Austin, Texas, on September 5.[25]

Snyder qualified for the CFR in 1982 through 1989 and in 1991, tying the record for consecutive qualifications in bull-riding and setting a record for non-consecutive qualifications.[3]: 146  Among those years, he led the CPRA standings (in earned prize winnings) for bull riding in 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1989.[3]: 122–124  Snyder won the CPRA bull riding championship in 1986.[27] He also holds the CPRA record for the most bulls ridden consecutively in CFR competition, with 14 performances in the 1982 through 1984 Finals.[3]: 147 

While Snyder was competing at the 1987 CFR, the bull he was riding made a sudden lurch and Snyder was heaved over his hand, resulting in a scaphoid fracture in his left wrist.[8] In February 1992 he withdrew from the rodeo circuit to have surgery on the injury, then more than four years old.[28][29] The bone was surgically reconstructed with bone from his hip, reinforced with three screws.[8][30] However, he continued to experience problems with his left hand opening while bull riding. After suffering a dislocated shoulder at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo in February 1993, Snyder officially announced his retirement.[31][12]

Snyder served as a CFR judge from 1992 through 1995[3]: 149  and was named CPRA Cowboy of the Year in 1994.[3]: 141 

Event producer

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Through 1992, Snyder felt a growing excitement about all-bullriding rodeo events which were drawing record audiences in the US,[30] having been outspoken about the lack of recognition received by bull riders as athletes.[10] He moved from Medicine Hat to Calgary in 1993 with his wife,[31] marketing representative Rhonda Schlenker-Snyder,[7][8][g] and together they founded Bullbustin' Inc., a professional bull riding production company. In May 1993 they produced their first event, Cody Snyder's World Champion Bull Bustin' at the Stampede Corral in Calgary, as a spectacle that treated its athletes as stars.[8][22] Bullbustin' Inc. was among the first to incorporate pyrotechnics into their bull riding events.[31]

Bullbustin' has produced over 400 bull-riding events.[32] More than 250 of these were Professional Bull Riders (PBR) sanctioned events, including the first Canadian PBR event in 1993, the first PBR Bud Light Cup Series events held in Canada, and the first PBR Canadian National Finals in 2003.[33] They have also produced over 30 events for the PRCA Xtreme Bulls tour, including the largest one-day bull-riding event at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, with over 70,000 people in attendance.[33] Some of these events have been televised on major US networks and cable specialty channels.[4]

Bullbustin' Inc. also produces various charity and private events.[32] The Cody Snyder Charity Bullbustin' held in Calgary, Alberta, just before the Calgary Stampede, has raised over $3 million for local charities and has been a landmark event in the city since 1999.[12][34]

Snyder has been a rodeo colour commentator on ESPN, TSN, Sportsnet[7][2] and CBC covering rodeo events. Snyder has been known as the voice of the Calgary Stampede from 1997.[31][7]

Snyder served as captain of the Canadian team for all four years of the PBR World Cup series (2007–2010) contested between riders from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the United States.[35][12][36]


Honours and awards

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Footnotes

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Notes

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  1. ^ Height and weight in 1983 when winning the Bull-riding World Championship.[2]
  2. ^ While several sources state that Snyder was born in the city of Medicine Hat,[5][6][7] his biography at Bullbustin' states that he was born in the adjacent town of Redcliff.[4][8][9]
  3. ^ Snyder's first rodeo performance was in calf roping in Walsh, Alberta, in 1968.[11]
  4. ^ Dale Rose was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association Hall-of-Fame as a rodeo "Legend" in 2008, three years after his student, Snyder, was inducted into the Hall.[14]
  5. ^ Northcott's No. 96 Confusion was so-named because it bucked with no set pattern. It was successfully ridden (for 8 seconds) only 6 times in over 200 attempts in competition, and was selected for the CFR 9 times and the NFR 7 times. Confusion was inducted into the Canadian Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2016.[20]
  6. ^ On 7 May 1994, 11 years after Snyder set his 95-point CPRA bull-riding record and 1 year after he retired from the rodeo circuit, Montana bull rider Scott Breding set a Canadian high-point bull-riding record with 97 points on Sugar Ray at Cody Snyder's World Champion Bullbustin' in Calgary. Snyder happily acknowledged that Breding broke his point record,[22] but sources hold that Snyder maintains the CPRA record[3][20] as of July 2023.[21] It may be that Breding, who was semi-retired,[23] was not a registered CPRA competitor or that the Bullbustin' event was not CPRA-sanctioned.
  7. ^ Snyder met his wife Rhonda when he was paraded through Medicine Hat after winning the bull riding world championship in 1983; they married in 1990.[8]
  8. ^ a b Snyder was awarded the Cowboy of the Year title in 1994 and the PBR Ring of Honor in 2006 through votes by fellow world-champion bull riders.[12][7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Rud, Jeff (8 June 2020). "History of the Grandstand - Looking back at bull riding in 1983". SaskToday. Glacier Media Group. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b Maki, Allan (15 July 2000). "Athletic Snyder is bullish on his sport". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario. p. S.4. ProQuest 384402700.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "2014 CPRA Media Guide – Canadian Pro Rodeo Records" (PDF). Rodeo Canada. Canadian Professional Rodeo Association. p. 144. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e "About Cody". Bullbustin. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b c "Profile – Cody Snyder". Alberta Sports Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Stovin, Ted (22 October 2019). "Top 10: The Greatest Bull Riders in Canadian History". Everything Cowboy. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Professional Bull Riders Name 2006 Ring of Honor Recipients". PBR.com. Professional Bull Riders. 4 October 2006. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Konotopetz, Gyle (5 May 1993). "Snyder is Tough as Ever in New Bull-Riding Career". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta. p. D6. ProQuest 244232134.
  9. ^ a b Simmons, Taylor; Brown, Julian; McGinnis, Loren (20 January 2023). "Alberta's Cody Snyder first Canadian inducted into Bull Riding Hall of Fame". CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d Johnson, Bryan (11 August 1984). "Cody likes his beef real mean". The Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario: Bell Globemedia. p. P10. ProQuest 386400342. Most cowboys start out with a new truck and a new riggin' bag and a few bucks in their pocket. They end up with an old truck and a broke riggin' bag and a few cents in their pocket. – Cody Snyder
  11. ^ Mason, Terri (9 October 2019). "Where Legends Begin". Canadian Cowboy Country Magazine. Cooking Lake, Alberta: Tanner Young Publishing Group. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e Kepke, Cami (20 January 2023). "Alberta's Snyder first Canadian named to Bull Riding Hall of Fame". Global News. Corus Entertainment. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  13. ^ Mason, Terri (1 August 2008). "In the Corral – Legends of Rodeo". Canadian Cowboy Country Magazine. Cooking Lake, Alberta: Tanner Young Publishing Group. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  14. ^ "2005 Hall of Fame Inductees". Canadian ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Canadian Rodeo Historical Association. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  15. ^ "Past Champions". Canadiancowboys.ca. Canadian Cowboys Association. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  16. ^ Beal, Richard (18 May 2010). "PBR Ring of Honor". Richard Beal Blog. The Pacific Group. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  17. ^ Renck, Tracy (3 May 2023). "Looking Back at Command Performance Rodeo". ProRodeo.com. Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  18. ^ Silver, Peter W. (director), Eidson, Bob (producer), Barrett, Hadley (narrator) (1983). Presidential Commnand Performance Rodeo. Capital Centre (Landover, Maryland) and White House: Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Event occurs at 51:15. ...in strong contention for the world title, in fact this week he's in the lead for it. He comes from Canada and his name is Cody Snyder.
  19. ^ a b "World Champions (Historical)". Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  20. ^ a b c "2016 Inductees". Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Canadian Rodeo Historical Association. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  21. ^ a b Saelhof, Todd (5 July 2023). "Hall-of-famer Cody Snyder proud of Bullbustin' success in Calgary". Calgary Sun. Postmedia Network. ProQuest 2833421001.
  22. ^ a b Masterman, Bruce (8 May 1994). "Bullbustin': Sugar Ray Tamed – Montana cowboy sets Canadian record". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta: Postmedia Network. p. E6. ProQuest 244307915. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 14 July 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Unknown (announcer); Snyder, Cody (commentator); Breding, Scot; Vold, Wayne (interviewees) (7 May 1994). Scott Breding vs Sugar Ray - 97 Cody Snyder Event (97 pts) (TV sporting event coverage). Calgary, Alberta. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024 – via YouTube. I retired about 3 years ago, or semi-retired
  24. ^ a b "2005 Hall of Fame Inductees". Canadian ProRodeo Hall of Fame. Canadian Rodeo Historical Association. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  25. ^ a b Naber, Matt (5 March 2021). "Time Capsule: Willie Nelson – Willie Nice Rodeo Team". ProRodeo Sports News. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association. p. 18. ISSN 0161-5815. OCLC 3832409. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  26. ^ "Winston Tour Paved Way for Wrangler Champions Challenge". ProRodeo.com. Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  27. ^ a b "Canadian Professional Rodeo Association Champions 1945–2018". Pro Rodeo Canada. Canadian Professional Rodeo Association. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  28. ^ Abraham, Doug (26 February 1992). "Hazer leads Canadian bulldoggers". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta: Postmedia Network. p. F3. ProQuest 244135662. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Abraham, Doug (15 April 1992). "Smokin' Joe will go all out". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta: Postmedia Network. p. F6. ProQuest 244173519.
  30. ^ a b Abraham, Doug (22 April 1992). "Bull riders find events a bullnanza". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Alberta: Postmedia Network. p. C4. ProQuest 244173398.
  31. ^ a b c d Rasmussen, Flint (6 July 2023). "Episode 72 – Cody Snyder". According to Flint (Podcast). Event occurs at 27:30. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023 – via YouTube.
  32. ^ a b "PBR Ring of Honor Cody Snyder". Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  33. ^ a b "Bullbustin Events". Bullbustin. Archived from the original on 31 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  34. ^ Heinen, Laurence (5 July 2023). "Bullbustin' fundraiser enters its 24th year". Calgary Herald. Postmedia Network. p. NP9. ProQuest 2833432194.
  35. ^ Cartwright, Keith Ryan (August 2008). "World Leaders in Bull Riding Compete in World Cup". BanderasNEWS. Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  36. ^ Mason, Terri (1 December 2009). "In the Corral". Canadian Cowboy Country Magazine. Cooking Lake, Alberta: Tanner Young Publishing Group. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  37. ^ "PBR Heroes & Legends". PBR.com. Professional Bull Riders. Archived from the original on 20 May 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  38. ^ "Cody Snyder". Fort Worth, Texas: Bull Riding Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
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