Ohl and Etbauer Honored as NFR Icons in Las Vegas

December is rodeo time in Vegas and the locals even refer to the times as the “Cowboy Takeover.” There’s no doubt about it when you arrive in Las Vegas and look around during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR), it is a sea of cowboy hats and sparkly outfits. It would be fair to say that rodeo is a staple and Las Vegas has embraced it.

There are a few cowboys who became standouts in Las Vegas during the NFR over the years and are often household names. Among those who have wowed the crowds of more than 170,000 each year are Cody Ohl and Billy Etbauer. Between the two, they amassed 11 world titles and won 103 NFR rounds.

Cody Ohl won six world championships: five in the tie-down (1997, 1998, 2001, 2003, and 2006) and one all-around (2001). He took the tie-down by storm in 1994 when he won the Rookie of the Year and also qualified for his first NFR.

While this accomplishment hasn’t been done much, this is not what people remember. In 2001 the Hico, Texas cowboy was leading both the tie-down roping and the all-around standings when he stepped off his calf horse in the ninth round and twisted his knee. Cowboy grit came out and he crawled to his calf to finish the run. This was enough to finish the job and he didn’t even have to compete in Round 10. He earned the world titles in the tie-down roping and all around that year. Ohl also owns the record for the most round wins at the NFR, 52.

Ask anyone who is a rodeo fan from the Ohl era, and they can tell you when the Kid Rock song “Cowboy” started playing, the Thomas & Mack went wild. Everyone knew that meant, Cody Ohl was about to back in the box. Many of those times, Ohl was mounted on a famous tie-down horse named “Pearl” who was owned by Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Sid Miller.

At the other end of the arena, Etbauer is a legend in the saddle bronc world. He is known for his “give it all every time” rides and his unbelievable humility for all that he has done.

Qualifying for the NFR 21 consecutive times starting in 1989, he was the draw all the stock contractors hoped for. During his competition years, Etbauer gathered five saddle bronc world titles (1992, 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2004).

To this day, the Huron, S.D.'s man still shares the NFR arena record of 93 points on Kesler Championship Rodeo’s Cool Alley in 2003. If that wasn’t enough, the cowboy came back and tied the record in the 10th round of the 2004 NFR. That ride is what sewed up his fifth gold buckle and gave him his 52nd-round win.

“You can’t say enough about what this means to you. There are a ton of people that made it possible for me to get to this point in my career. I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did without Express Ranches and my rodeo family. Every time I was able to ride in Las Vegas was a blast and a blessing for me,” Etbauer said.

Both cowboys were honored at a ceremony held at the Virgin Hotels and then again at the Thomas and Mack. They both received a custom 14” commemorative bronze statue and a ceremony to hang a banner in the rafters of the Thomas & Mack Center. Without question, these two earned and deserve the “Icon” title.