| Even though the sport of rodeo has been around | | | | best since this was the first ever world |
| almost forever, the National Finals Rodeo, or NFR | | | | championship of rodeo. The cowboys who |
| as it is commonly called, has a much more recent | | | | entered competed for the first NFR purse of |
| history. The first National Finals Rodeo was held at | | | | $50,000!Shoulders, still considered the most |
| the Dallas State Fair Grounds in 1959, and since | | | | successful cowboy ever with 16 world titles, |
| then, the NFR has gone through many interesting | | | | placed in six bull riding rounds in 1959, walking |
| changes including a name change in 2001 to the | | | | away with the NFR prize money and the world |
| Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.Said to have been | | | | championships. In 1979, Jim Shoulders was |
| the brain-child of South Dakota legend Casey | | | | honored in the inaugural class of the Pro Rodeo |
| Tibbs, the idea behind the first ever National Finals | | | | Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Placing |
| Rodeo was to bring together the bets rodeo | | | | sixth in the rankings, Tibbs rode in his final saddle |
| athletes and the toughest livestock in the world. | | | | bronc riding world championship during that 1959 |
| Many now-famous cowboys competed at that | | | | National Finals Rodeo. Today Tibbs is remembered |
| first NFR including Tibbs, Jim Shoulders, Jim | | | | as the first cowboy to capture the hearts and |
| Bynum, Jack Buschbom and Dean Oliver. No one | | | | attention of the media. |
| quite knew what to expect but hoped for the | | | | |