international contest in rodeo history . However , despite his triumphs , Austin lost control of the Madison Square Garden contest , and his influence dwindled . A Texan , Col . William T . Johnson , took over the Garden rodeo . He soon began producing rodeos in other eastern indoor arenas , which forever changed the nature of the sport . There was no room indoors for races , and time constraints limited the number of events that could be included . Rodeos no longer lasted all day as they did under the western sky . Nonetheless , Johnson was a major figure in modernizing and professionalizing the sport . He also enabled big-time rodeo to thrive during the Great Depression . Prior to WWI , cowboys and cowgirls could not earn a living on rodeo winnings alone . Most were also Wild West show performers , and exhibition or " contract acts " at rodeos . The top names could appear in vaudeville in the off-season . Others found whatever jobs they could . But with the advent of the producers , and the expansion of the eastern circuit , rodeo gradually became a lucrative career for the best contestants , even as Wild West shows diminished and vanished . During the depths of the Depression , the rodeo publication " Hoofs and Horns ," estimated the
A couple of cowboys prepare for the rodeo events at the annual Homesteader ’ s Rodeo . Photograph by S . F . Roberts
average cowboy ' s earnings at $ 2,000- $ 3,000 annually . This placed them well above teachers , and near or above dentists in income . A few superstars earned far more .
By 1934 , every rodeo that Johnson produced had set attendance records . A typical Johnson rodeo featured sixteen events , of which six were contests : cowboys bareback and saddle bronc riding , cowgirl bronc riding , cowboys steer riding , steer wrestling , and calf roping . Steer riding has now become bull riding , but other than that , Johnson ' s cowboy contests are the same as those mandated by the PRCA today . On the other hand , entertainment features such as basketball games on horseback and horseback quadrilles have largely disappeared .
In 1929 two events occurred which split rodeo down the geographic middle : superstar cowgirl Bonnie McCarroll died as a result of a bronc riding accident at Pendleton , Oregon . Her death caused many western rodeos to drop women ’ s contests . That same year , western rodeo producers formed the Rodeo Association of America ( RAA ) in an attempt to bring order to the chaotic sport . With McCarroll ' s death , the RAA was organized as an all-male entity . Despite pleas to do so , they refused to include any women ’ s contests . The RAA hoped to standardize rules and events , and eliminate the unscrupulous promoters who threatened the integrity of the sport . The RAA also set out to determine the " true world ' s champion cowboys ," based on a system of points derived from on money won in their sanctioned rodeos . This remains the basic system used today , but the dream of having only one " world ' s champion " would not be realized for decades .
Meantime , in 1931 , promoters of the Stamford Cowboy Reunion invited all local ranches to send a young woman at least sixteen years old to compete in a Sponsor Contest designed " to add femininity to the all-male rodeo ." The women were judged on who had the best horse , the most attractive outfit , and on horsemanship as they rode a cloverleaf pattern around three barrels . The contest was a huge success , and was widely copied .
In 1939 , Johnson ’ s replacement at Madison Square Garden , Everett Colburn , invited a group of Texas Sponsor Girls to appear at his rodeo as a publicity stunt . A second group appeared at the 1940 rodeo . It featured Hollywood singing Cowboy Gene Autry , and the women rode while he sang , “ Home on the Range .” It was a tradition that continued for decades . Soon thereafter , Autry formed a rodeo company and took over not only Madison Square Garden , but also Boston Garden and most of the other major rodeos from coast-to-coast . One of his first actions was to discontinue the cowgirl bronc riding contest , which had been a highlight of the Madison Square Garden Rodeo since its inception in 1922 . There was nothing left for cowgirls but the invitation-only sponsor girl event . Because of Gene Autry , real cowgirl contests disappeared from rodeos nationwide . Sponsor contests are the genesis of barrel racing , which is today the premier women ’ s rodeo event . However , Autry ’ s influence was far more vast and long-lasting . Following the War , a merged CTA and RAA became the PRCA , and took complete control of the sport . Men like Austin , Johnson , and Autry could no longer wield the power they previously maintained . Consequently , the Madison Square Garden rodeo lost its luster , and the PRCA established the NFR , to determine for the next half century who were the true worlds champion cowboys . In forming their organization , cowboys were decades ahead of athletes in other professional sports . By 1953 , the first year for which such information is available , the total prize money available at PRCA rodeos was $ 9,491,856 . Thirty years later , the figure had risen to just over $ 13 million . As prize money rose , of course , so did individual earnings .
In 1976 , Tom Ferguson , competing in all four timed events , became the first cowboy to exceed $ 100,000 winnings in a single year . Only six years later , that figure was surpassed by a single-event contestant . Bareback bronc rider Bruce Ford , amassed $ 101,351 before the NFR . In 2006 , all contestants coming into the NFR as leading money-winners in their events had earned at least $ 100,000 , except team ropers , who had a little over $ 90,000 apiece . When the NFR began in 1959 , the total purse was $ 50,000 . Today , the figure is $ 5,375,000 .
Information gathered from Wikipedia . com .
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