Cody Snyder

{{Infobox sportsperson

| image = Cody Snyder Headshot.jpg

| imagesize = 200px

| alt = man in black cowboy hat and blue denim shirt

| caption = Cody Snyder in 2010

| headercolor = #3F4444

| textcolor = white

| birth_name = Cody Snyder

| fullname =

| nickname =

| nationality = Canadian

| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|20|1983|7|13}}

| birth_place = Redcliff, Alberta, Canada

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{convert|5|ft|9|in|abbr=on|order=flip}}

| weight = {{convert|165|lb|kg|abbr=on|order=flip}}{{efn|Height and weight in 1983 when winning the Bull-riding World Championship.}}

| website =

| country =

| sport = Rodeo

| event = Bull riding

| collegeteam =

| club =

| team =

| turnedpro = 1980

| coach =

| retired = 1993

| coaching =

| worlds =

| regionals =

| nationals =

| highestranking = {{unbulleted list | 1983 PRCA Bull Riding World Champion | 1986 CPRA Bull Riding Champion}}

| pb =

}}

Cody Snyder (born {{birth based on age as of date|20|1983|7|13|noage=1}}) is a Canadian former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He is currently a bull-riding event producer. In 1983, Snyder became the first Canadian to win the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) bull riding world championship. He holds the highest-scored bull ride in the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA), scoring 95 points in 1983. He is an inductee of the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Ring of Honor, Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and the Bull Riding Hall of Fame. Since his athletic retirement in 1993, Snyder has produced over 400 bull-riding events under his company Bullbustin' Inc. He has also appeared as a colour commentator for televised rodeo events including the Calgary Stampede.

Early life

Cody Snyder was born in {{birth based on age as of date|20|1983|7|13|noage=1}} in Redcliff, Alberta, near Medicine Hat.{{efn|While several sources state that Snyder was born in the city of Medicine Hat, his biography at Bullbustin' states that he was born in the adjacent town of Redcliff.}} He was raised on a ranch and his father and uncle were both rodeo riders. He took part in a calf-riding competition when he was five,{{efn|Snyder's first rodeo performance was in calf roping in Walsh, Alberta, in 1968. }} began riding junior steers when he was eight years old, and rode his first bull at the age of 12. He trained under hall-of-fame bull rider Dale "Hoot" Rose,{{efn|Dale Rose was posthumously inducted into the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association Hall-of-Fame as a rodeo "Legend" in 2008, three years after his student, Snyder, was inducted into the Hall. }} who had an indoor arena {{convert|15|mi|km|abbr=on|order=flip}} away, stocked with bulls and steers. From age 14 Snyder rode a half-dozen bulls each night and at age 15 he became the Canadian amateur bull-riding champion. Snyder was also a well-regarded amateur boxer. In 1979, at the age of 16, he won the Canadian Cowboys Association bull-riding championship and obtained his official competitor cards to perform as a member of the US-based Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and the Canadian Rodeo Cowboys Association (CRCA; renamed the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association [CPRA] in 1980). In order to train and compete full time, Snyder withdrew from school in grade 11.

Bull-riding career

In 1982, when he was 19 years old, Snyder led the CPRA national bull riding standings.{{r|"CPRA Media2014"|p=122}} The following year, Snyder ranked second in the world and performed in a special Presidential Command Performance Rodeo in Landover, Maryland, for then-US President Ronald Reagan. Snyder qualified for the 1983 National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he became the first Canadian to win the PRCA bull-riding world championship. During that season, Snyder achieved a 95-point ride on Northcott's Confusion{{efn|Northcott's {{abbr|No.|number}} 96 Confusion was so-named because it bucked with no set pattern. It was successfully ridden (for 8 seconds) only 6 times in over 200 attempts in competition, and was selected for the CFR 9 times and the NFR 7 times. Confusion was inducted into the Canadian Professional Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2016.}} at the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR), a CPRA bull-riding record which has not been surpassed as of July 2023.{{update after|2024}}{{efn|On 7 May 1994, 11 years after Snyder set his 95-point CPRA bull-riding record and 1 year after he retired from the rodeo circuit, Montana bull rider Scott Breding set a Canadian high-point bull-riding record with 97 points on Sugar Ray at Cody Snyder's World Champion Bullbustin' in Calgary. Snyder happily acknowledged that Breding broke his point record, but sources hold that Snyder maintains the CPRA record as of July 2023. It may be that Breding, who was semi-retired, was not a registered CPRA competitor or that the Bullbustin' event was not CPRA-sanctioned.}}

Snyder qualified for the NFR again in 1984, 1986 and 1987. For the 1985 season, Snyder rode on the PRCA Winston Pro Tour, which consisted of top-tier professional rodeo athletes drafted into 18 individually sponsored teams. Snyder was the bull rider for the Willie Nelson Wrangler Team, which debuted at the Coors Challenge in Austin, Texas, on September 5.

Snyder qualified for the CFR in 1982 through 1989 and in 1991, tying the record for consecutive qualifications in bull-riding and setting a record for non-consecutive qualifications.{{r|"CPRA Media2014"|p=146}} Among those years, he led the CPRA standings (in earned prize winnings) for bull riding in 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1989.{{r|"CPRA Media2014"|p=122–124}} Snyder won the CPRA bull riding championship in 1986. He also holds the CPRA record for the most bulls ridden consecutively in CFR competition, with 14 performances in the 1982 through 1984 Finals.{{r|"CPRA Media2014"|p=147}}

While Snyder was competing at the 1987 CFR, the bull he was riding made a sudden lurch and Snyder was heaved over his hand, resulting in a scaphoid fracture in his left wrist. In February 1992 he withdrew from the rodeo circuit to have surgery on the injury, then more than four years old. The bone was surgically reconstructed with bone from his hip, reinforced with three screws. However, he continued to experience problems with his left hand opening while bull riding. After suffering a dislocated shoulder at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo in February 1993, Snyder officially announced his retirement.

Snyder served as a CFR judge from 1992 through 1995{{r|"CPRA Media2014"|p=149}} and was named CPRA Cowboy of the Year in 1994.{{r|"CPRA Media2014"|p=141}}

Event producer

Through 1992, Snyder felt a growing excitement about all-bullriding rodeo events which were drawing record audiences in the US, having been outspoken about the lack of recognition received by bull riders as athletes. He moved from Medicine Hat to Calgary in 1993 with his wife, marketing representative Rhonda Schlenker-Snyder,{{efn|Snyder met his wife Rhonda when he was paraded through Medicine Hat after winning the bull riding world championship in 1983; they married in 1990.}} and together they founded Bullbustin' Inc., a professional bull riding production company. In May 1993 they produced their first event, Cody Snyder's World Champion Bull Bustin' at the Stampede Corral in Calgary, as a spectacle that treated its athletes as stars. Bullbustin' Inc. was among the first to incorporate pyrotechnics into their bull riding events.

Bullbustin' has produced over 400 bull-riding events. More than 250 of these were Professional Bull Riders (PBR) sanctioned events, including the first Canadian PBR event in 1993, the first PBR Bud Light Cup Series events held in Canada, and the first PBR Canadian National Finals in 2006. They have also produced over 30 events for the PRCA Xtreme Bulls tour, including the largest one-day bull-riding event at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, with over 70,000 people in attendance. Some of these events have been televised on major US networks and cable specialty channels.

Bullbustin' Inc. also produces various charity and private events. The Cody Snyder Charity Bullbustin' held in Calgary, Alberta, just before the Calgary Stampede, has raised over $3 million for local charities and has been a landmark event in the city since 1999.

Snyder has been a rodeo colour commentator on ESPN, TSN, Sportsnet and CBC covering rodeo events. Snyder has been known as the voice of the Calgary Stampede from 1997.

Snyder served as captain of the Canadian team for all four years of the PBR World Cup series (2007–2010) contested between riders from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Honours and awards

1983 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association World Champion bull rider
1986 Canadian Professional Rodeo Association bull riding champion
1994 Awarded CPRA Cowboy of the Year{{efn|name="Peers"|Snyder was awarded the Cowboy of the Year title in 1994 and the PBR Ring of Honor in 2006 through votes by fellow world-champion bull riders.}}
2002 Alberta Sports Hall of Fame inductee
2005 Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee
2006 Professional Bull Riders Ring of Honor inductee{{efn|name="Peers"}}
2023 Bull Riding Hall of Fame inductee

Footnotes

=Notes=

=References=

{{Reflist |refs=

{{cite news

|title=History of the Grandstand - Looking back at bull riding in 1983

|first=Jeff

|last=Rud

|date=8 June 2020

|url=https://www.sasktoday.ca/central/local-arts/history-of-the-grandstand-looking-back-at-bull-riding-in-1983-4150225

|website=SaskToday

|publisher=Glacier Media Group

|access-date=14 July 2023

|archive-date=15 July 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715005101/https://www.sasktoday.ca/central/local-arts/history-of-the-grandstand-looking-back-at-bull-riding-in-1983-4150225

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite news

|title=Athletic Snyder is bullish on his sport

|last=Maki

|first=Allan

|newspaper=The Globe and Mail

|location=Toronto, Ontario

|date=15 July 2000

|page=S.4

|id={{ProQuest | 384402700}}

}}

{{cite web

|title=About Cody

|url=https://www.codysnyderbullbustin.com/about.html

|website=Bullbustin |access-date=14 July 2023

|archive-date=27 June 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230627213709/https://www.codysnyderbullbustin.com/about.html |url-status=live

}}

{{cite web

|title=Profile – Cody Snyder

|url=https://albertasportshallmembers.ca/home/profiles/276

|publisher=Alberta Sports Hall of Fame

|access-date=2 June 2023

|archive-date=7 June 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607023205/https://albertasportshallmembers.ca/home/profiles/276

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite web

|first=Ted

|last=Stovin

|title=Top 10: The Greatest Bull Riders in Canadian History

|date=22 October 2019

|url=https://everything-cowboy.com/featured-post/top-10-the-greatest-bull-riders-in-canadian-history/

|website=Everything Cowboy

|access-date=2 June 2023

|archive-date=7 June 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607023205/https://everything-cowboy.com/featured-post/top-10-the-greatest-bull-riders-in-canadian-history/

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite web

|title=Professional Bull Riders Name 2006 Ring of Honor Recipients

|date=4 October 2006

|url=https://pbr.com/news/2006/10/professional-bull-riders-name-2006-ring-of-honor-recipients

|website=PBR.com

|publisher=Professional Bull Riders

|access-date=13 January 2024

|url-status=live

|archive-date=17 January 2024

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240117045353/https://pbr.com/news/2006/10/professional-bull-riders-name-2006-ring-of-honor-recipients

}}

{{cite news

|title=Snyder is Tough as Ever in New Bull-Riding Career

|first=Gyle

|last=Konotopetz

|newspaper=Calgary Herald

|location=Calgary, Alberta.

|date=5 May 1993

|page=D6

|id={{ProQuest|244232134}}

}}

{{cite news

|first1=Taylor

|last1=Simmons

|first2=Julian

|last2=Brown

|first3=Loren

|last3=McGinnis

|title=Alberta's Cody Snyder first Canadian inducted into Bull Riding Hall of Fame

|date=20 January 2023

|work=CBC News

|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/cody-snyder-bull-riding-hall-of-fame-1.6721646

|access-date=14 January 2024

|archive-date=7 June 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607163059/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/cody-snyder-bull-riding-hall-of-fame-1.6721646

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite news

|first=Bryan

|last=Johnson

|title=Cody likes his beef real mean

|date=11 August 1984

|newspaper=The Globe and Mail

|publisher=Bell Globemedia

|location=Toronto, Ontario

|page=P10

|id={{ProQuest|386400342}}

|quote=Most cowboys start out with a new truck and a new riggin' bag and a few bucks in their pocket. They end up with an old truck and a broke riggin' bag and a few cents in their pocket. – Cody Snyder

}}

{{cite magazine

|first=Terri

|last=Mason

|title=Where Legends Begin

|date=9 October 2019

|magazine=Canadian Cowboy Country Magazine

|publisher=Tanner Young Publishing Group

|location=Cooking Lake, Alberta

|url=https://cowboycountrymagazine.com/2019/10/where-legends-begin/

|access-date=14 January 2024

|archive-date=3 June 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230603045130/https://cowboycountrymagazine.com/2019/10/where-legends-begin/

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite news

|first=Cami

|last=Kepke

|date=20 January 2023

|title=Alberta's Snyder first Canadian named to Bull Riding Hall of Fame

|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9426483/alberta-cody-snyder-bull-riding-hall-of-fame/

|website=Global News

|publisher=Corus Entertainment

|access-date=2 June 2023

|archive-date=7 June 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607023217/https://globalnews.ca/news/9426483/alberta-cody-snyder-bull-riding-hall-of-fame/

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite magazine

|first=Terri

|last=Mason

|title=In the Corral – Legends of Rodeo

|date=1 August 2008

|magazine=Canadian Cowboy Country Magazine

|publisher=Tanner Young Publishing Group

|location=Cooking Lake, Alberta

|url=https://cowboycountrymagazine.com/2008/08/in-the-corral-augustseptember-2008/

|access-date=14 January 2024

|archive-date=23 March 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323211719/https://cowboycountrymagazine.com/2008/08/in-the-corral-augustseptember-2008/

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite web

|title=2005 Hall of Fame Inductees

|url=https://www.canadianprorodeohalloffame.org/2008

|website=Canadian ProRodeo Hall of Fame

|publisher=Canadian Rodeo Historical Association

|access-date=14 July 2023

|archive-date=29 August 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230829030037/https://www.canadianprorodeohalloffame.org/2008/

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite web

|title=Past Champions

|url=https://canadiancowboys.ca/past-champions/

|website=Canadiancowboys.ca

|publisher=Canadian Cowboys Association

|access-date=2 June 2023

|archive-date=7 June 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607023217/https://canadiancowboys.ca/past-champions/

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite web

|title=PBR Ring of Honor

|first=Richard

|last=Beal

|date=18 May 2010

|url=https://www.richardbealblog.com/pbr-ring-of-honor/

|website=Richard Beal Blog

|publisher=The Pacific Group

|access-date=14 July 2023

|archive-date=15 July 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715005100/https://www.richardbealblog.com/pbr-ring-of-honor/

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite web

|title=2014 CPRA Media Guide – Canadian Pro Rodeo Records

|page=144

|url=http://rodeocanada.com/media/Canadian_Pro_Rodeo_Records.pdf

|website=Rodeo Canada

|publisher=Canadian Professional Rodeo Association

|access-date=2 June 2023

|archive-date=7 June 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607023207/http://rodeocanada.com/media/Canadian_Pro_Rodeo_Records.pdf

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite web

|title = Looking Back at Command Performance Rodeo

|first = Tracy

|last = Renck

|date = 3 May 2023

|url = https://www.prorodeo.com/news/2023/5/3/general-looking-back-at-command-performance-rodeo

|website=ProRodeo.com

|publisher = Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association

|access-date = 2 June 2023

|archive-date = 7 June 2023

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230607023218/https://www.prorodeo.com/news/2023/5/3/general-looking-back-at-command-performance-rodeo

|url-status = live

}}

{{cite AV media

|people=Silver, Peter W. (director), Eidson, Bob (producer), Barrett, Hadley (narrator)

|publisher=Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association

|year=1983

|location=Capital Centre (Landover, Maryland) and White House

|title=Presidential Commnand Performance Rodeo

|language=en-US

|time=51:15

|quote= ...in strong contention for the world title, in fact this week he's in the lead for it. He comes from Canada and his name is Cody Snyder.

}}

{{cite web

|title=World Champions (Historical)

|url=https://www.prorodeo.com/prorodeo/cowboys/world-champions-historical/

|publisher=Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA)

|access-date=2 June 2023

|archive-date=7 June 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607023218/https://www.prorodeo.com/prorodeo/cowboys/world-champions-historical/

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite web

|title=2016 Inductees

|publisher=Canadian Rodeo Historical Association

|url=https://www.canadianprorodeohalloffame.org/2016

|website=Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame

|access-date=2 June 2023

|archive-date=7 June 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607023205/https://www.canadianprorodeohalloffame.org/2016 |url-status=live

}}

{{cite news

|first=Todd

|last=Saelhof

|title=Hall-of-famer Cody Snyder proud of Bullbustin' success in Calgary

|date=5 July 2023

|newspaper=Calgary Sun

|publisher=Postmedia Network

|id={{ProQuest|2833421001}}

}}

{{cite news

|first=Bruce

|last=Masterman

|title=Bullbustin': Sugar Ray Tamed – Montana cowboy sets Canadian record

|date=8 May 1994

|newspaper=Calgary Herald

|page=E6

|publisher=Postmedia Network

|location=Calgary, Alberta

|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-sugar-ray-tamed-montana/163919309/

|via=Newspapers.com

|id={{ProQuest|244307915}}

|access-date=14 July 2023

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite AV media

| people =Unknown (announcer); Snyder, Cody (commentator); Breding, Scot; Vold, Wayne (interviewees)

| date =7 May 1994

| title =Scott Breding vs Sugar Ray - 97 Cody Snyder Event (97 pts)

| type =TV sporting event coverage

| url =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL1qZwGAVhU

| via =YouTube

| access-date =10 January 2024

| location =Calgary, Alberta

| quote =I retired about 3 years ago, or semi-retired

| archive-date =17 January 2024

| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20240117045357/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL1qZwGAVhU

| url-status =live

}}

{{cite web

|title=2005 Hall of Fame Inductees

|url=https://www.canadianprorodeohalloffame.org/2005

|website=Canadian ProRodeo Hall of Fame

|publisher=Canadian Rodeo Historical Association

|access-date=14 July 2023

|archive-date=19 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190419195805/https://www.canadianprorodeohalloffame.org/2005/

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite magazine

|title=Time Capsule: Willie Nelson – Willie Nice Rodeo Team

|first=Matt

|last=Naber

|date=5 March 2021

|page=18

|magazine=ProRodeo Sports News

|location=Colorado Springs, Colorado

|issn=0161-5815

|oclc=3832409

|url=https://prorodeo.cld.bz/ProRodeo-Sports-News-March-5-2021/18/

|publisher=Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association

|access-date=2 June 2023

|archive-date=7 June 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607023204/https://prorodeo.cld.bz/ProRodeo-Sports-News-March-5-2021/18/

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite web

|title=Winston Tour Paved Way for Wrangler Champions Challenge

|url=https://www.prorodeo.com/news-notes-archive/2013/06/10/winston-tour-paved-way-for-wrangler-champions-challenge

|website=ProRodeo.com

|publisher=Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association

|access-date=2 June 2023

|archive-date=7 June 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607023218/https://www.prorodeo.com/news-notes-archive/2013/06/10/winston-tour-paved-way-for-wrangler-champions-challenge

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite web

|title=Canadian Professional Rodeo Association Champions 1945–2018

|url=http://www.rodeocanada.com/past_champions.htm#21

|website=Pro Rodeo Canada

|publisher=Canadian Professional Rodeo Association

|access-date=2 June 2023

|archive-date=7 June 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607023206/http://www.rodeocanada.com/past_champions.htm#21

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite news

|first=Doug

|last=Abraham

|title=Hazer leads Canadian bulldoggers

|date=26 February 1992

|newspaper=Calgary Herald

|page=F3

|publisher=Postmedia Network

|location=Calgary, Alberta

|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/calgary-herald-hazer-leads-canadian-bull/163919388/

|via=Newspapers.com

|id={{ProQuest|244135662}}

|access-date=17 January 2024

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite news

|first= Doug

|last= Abraham

|title= Smokin' Joe will go all out

|date=15 April 1992

|newspaper=Calgary Herald

|page=F6

|publisher=Postmedia Network

|location=Calgary, Alberta

|id={{ProQuest|244173519}}

}}

{{cite news

|first= Doug

|last= Abraham

|title= Bull riders find events a bullnanza

|date=22 April 1992

|newspaper=Calgary Herald

|page=C4

|publisher=Postmedia Network

|location=Calgary, Alberta

|id={{ProQuest|244173398}}

}}

{{cite podcast

|host=Rasmussen, Flint

|work=According to Flint

|title=Episode 72 – Cody Snyder

|via=YouTube

|date=6 July 2023

|time=27:30

|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEGj1OvzbwA

|access-date=14 July 2023

|archive-date=15 July 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715005120/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEGj1OvzbwA&gl=US&hl=en

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite web

|title=PBR Ring of Honor Cody Snyder

|url=https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/collections/awards/pbr/honorees/cody-snyder/#:~:text=In%201983%20Snyder%20made%20history,Rodeo%20Association%27s%20champion%20in%201986

|publisher=National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

|location=Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

|access-date=14 July 2023

|archive-date=15 July 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230715005101/https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/collections/awards/pbr/honorees/cody-snyder/#:~:text=In%201983%20Snyder%20made%20history,Rodeo%20Association%27s%20champion%20in%201986

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite web

|title=Bullbustin Events

|url=https://www.codysnyderbullbustin.com/events.html

|publisher=Bullbustin

|access-date=3 July 2023

|archive-date=31 July 2023

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230731182256/https://www.codysnyderbullbustin.com/events.html

|url-status=live

}}

{{cite news