A decorated, but humble man, Robert Bowers grew up around rodeos and knew from a very
young age that he wanted to be a Rodeo Cowboy. A multi-event cowboy, he tried all events at
some point throughout his career, but really excelled in two: Bareback Riding and Bull Riding. He
even qualified for all three roughstock events at the College National Finals Rodeo in Bozeman,
MT. Known for his quiet demeanor, as well as his long list of injuries, he has had many storied
accomplishments.
Rodeo was a family affair for the Bowers'. There's no doubt that Robert's dad, Bob Bowers, had
the biggest influence in Robert's career. One of his favorite memories is looking back through
old rodeo pictures and seeing his dad in the background, always yelling something; cheers or
instructions!!! There were plenty of road trips where Robert needed Bob to jump in and help out
with the overnight drives. Those would be great trips because Robert knew he had the best rope
puller around on his chute gate. His brother, Kyle Bowers, also an accomplished rodeo athlete
was always just a phone call away while on the road himself.
Robert went to Bareback and Bull Riding schools with instructors such as Gary Leffew and Dave
Shields. Rodeo scholarships to the College of Southern Idaho and Montana State University
gave him the opportunity to make the next step in his riding career. Under the coaching of Shawn
Davis and John Larick, Robert really honed his skills in all three Roughstock events (and also a
little team roping, but don't share that too much).
Robert's had some major wins at some of the world's biggest rodeos. He has won the Bareback
Riding in Houston, TX (2000) and Cheyenne, WY (2000) and was twice the runner-up Canadian
Champion Bareback Rider (2001 & 2002). In Bull Riding, he's won at the Calgary Stampede
(2004) and a PBR Bud Light Cup in Calgary (1999). He was also the Canadian Champion
Bull Rider in 1997 and the Canadian High Point Champion in 2002. Robert earned three NFR
qualifications in Bull Riding and several CFR qualifications in both Bull Riding and Bareback
Riding. Robert was one of only a few who have made it to the Canadian Finals in two roughstock
events simultaneously. In 2000, he finished 17th in the World in Bareback Riding, just missing an
NFR qualification. Following in the footsteps of his dad, who was an Olympic athlete in Australia,
Robert became an Olympic athlete in Salt Lake City, UT (2002). He had a broken thumb and
had to ride with a cast but he didn't let that stop him. At the time of induction, he also holds
the record of being the last Canadian to qualify for the three major finals (PBR World Finals,
Canadian Finals Rodeo and National Finals Rodeo) all in the same year, which was 1999.
The one accolade Robert might be most proud of is winning 2nd in the 10th round of all
three National Finals Rodeos for which he qualified. The 10th round is where the best bull
riders in the world get on the best bulls in the world. In 1997, he was matched up against the
World Champion bull 77 Yellow Jacket of Flying 5's. In 1998, he was the first to ride the World
Champion bull 66 Skoal's King Kong of Rafter H's. In 1999, where he got on with his wrong hand,
he rode A20 Candyman of Western Rodeo's. Some other famous bulls that Robert rode were
Wolfman for 91 points, Redwolf for 94 points and Crossfire Hurricane for 92 points.
Robert went through his share of injuries, including broken arms (x6), collar bones (x3), ankles
(both), thumbs (x3), two bones in his lower back, his nose, his jaw, his elbow and his ribs. He also
suffered a collapsed lung and had major tears in both knees (with one major surgery), plus all
the bumps and bruises that a cowboy endures. In all, Robert had 11 surgeries related to rodeo
injuries. From those surgeries, he's still got 3 plates and 12 screws.
The injuries taught him how to ride through adversity. One thing Robert was known for was
riding and being competitive with either hand. At the 1999 NFR, when he broke his normal riding
arm four seconds into his 5th round winning ride, Robert came back and rode two more of his
last five bulls. He was never going to turn out of the NFR!!! Good thing his traveling partner rode
right-handed and had extras of everything Robert needed. Thnx again, Rob Bell!!!
Being a rodeo cowboy enabled Robert to travel the world, taking him to Japan, Brazil and all
over North America. An opportunity with the Calgary Stampede led to riding in Japan at several
exhibition rodeos showcasing rodeo to the Japanese. The largest audience he ever rode in
front of was in Barretos, Brazil at the International Rodeo. The arena seats 35,000 fans and the
crowds are there for a GOOD time!! The excitement and enthusiasm in that arena are second to
none.
Robert will be a Rodeo Cowboy forever but he is most excited about becoming a husband
to his wife Breena and a father to his daughter Brynlee.
