CHRONICLE

Just a Rodeo Cowboy

It may not have soaked in yet to one bull rider, but being the new World Champion is pretty “real cowboy” in most people’s books.
— BY JO BAEZA

Most people have never heard of Taylor, Ariz., unless they passed through it when it was the Cucumber Capitol of the World. They know now. Taylor’s native son, Cody Hancock, became the Bullrider of the World on Dec. 10, 2000. He won the bullriding event at the PRCA National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas and earned $139,582.55 for the year, which put him on top of the world standings.

He was the second person in PRCA history to shoot from 15th to first place in the 10 grueling days that make up a National Finals. In Vegas, Hancock was first out of the chute. “The first night, I had the Bucking Bull of the Year. I rode him and knew I was supposed to be there,” he said. He scored 93 points on a bull called Border Patrol.

That catapulted him into fifth spot, and earned him $13,133.46. In the second go-round, Hancock scored 90, doubled his winnings, and made it to the top of the world standings. The trick was staying on top. He dropped back to second place when he was bucked off in Round 3. In Round 4 Hancock bounced back with a score of 75. He looked unbeatable, night and the suspense would be over.

He dedicated his last ride to his grandfather. He said, “I really wanted to finish strong, but I wasn’t taking anything for granted.” He was bucked off his last bull, but he edged out average champion Philip Elkins of Keller, Texas, by $4,474 for the world title. Rodeo photographer Shari Van Alsburg, whose images appear in American Cowboy, was there on the final night of the NFR, and she said that when it was all over and they’d shut off the lights, Hancock was still there, sitting in the dark, alone behind the chutes.

“I don’t think there was anyone there by the time he left,” she said. “It was pretty moving.” As Hancock said later, “I’ve thought about going to the National Finals since I was 5 years old,” he said. “This is what I wanted to do all my life. I live my dream every day.” Hancock is a fourth-generation Arizona cowboy. “My grandpa and great-grandpa were real cowboys. I’m just a rodeo cowboy,” he said. Three times state champion in high school, he would have kept rodeoing, but he had other obligations.

Shortly after his graduation in 1993, he went on a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He said, “It took me about a year to get back in shape for riding bulls, but I felt mentally prepared to do anything after my mission.” His high school achievements earned him a “full ride” scholarship to the College of Southern Idaho. During his college years, he competed in Rocky Mountain Region rodeos and was all-around champion at the national collegiate finals his senior year.

He rodeoed a full year for the first time in 1999, and was placing between first and second in the world standings until the middle of June, when a big red bull in Pleasant Grove, Utah, brought his career to a bone-crushing halt. “He jerked my head down and knocked me out. When I was lying on the ground he stepped on my leg and broke it. I don’t remember any of it,” he said. He was determined to follow doctor’s orders.

“That was a decision I had to make. I took time out to let it heal good and missed the Finals by one shot.” The good news? Today his leg causes him no pain. On his way home from Las Vegas, his white Cadillac was pulled over by a police car with red lights flashing. Cody’s wife, Rinda, had alerted him to the joke on his cell phone. He was escorted through the towns of Snowflake and Taylor by local fire trucks, police cars, emergency vehicles, and a procession of well-wishers with horns blowing and sirens blaring. He found half the population of Taylor gathered at the rodeo grounds for an impromptu ceremony. Mayor Floyd Fuentes proclaimed Dec. 11 “Cody Hancock Day.”

Cody’s brother, Tommy, spoke about sharing a room with him as they were growing up. “We played together and rodeoed together,” Tommy said. “Cody’s 25 years old, and he’s been doin’ this for 20 years... He has made goal after goal after goal to get to this point. When we were kids, I hated washing dishes. I used to pay Cody a quarter to wash my dishes. He saved up his quarters until he had enough money to buy his first steer rope. He’s a wonderful athlete and a wonderful brother. I love him.” Almost overwhelmed by the reception, Cody said, “You really know how to make a fellow feel good.”

Crowded around the bandstand in the cold were kids in boots and hats who wanted to grow up to be just like Cody Hancock. He told them, “All my family sacrificed a lot so I could fulfill my dream. I hope I can live up to my great heritage. I love this town. It will always be home.”
— AC

Back to this issue cover
Back to Back Issues Home