Don gay bull riding
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I was going to ride bulls for a living.”
“I was going to be the world champion bull rider, and all I had to do was get through school and give my daddy the diploma,” said Don.
By age 16, Don had made enough winnings to earn his Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) card in 1970. 18, 1953, in Mesquite, Texas, grew up in a rodeo family, son of PRCA stock contractor, Neal Gay.
He began riding steers at age 6 and had an association permit before finishing high school. Growing up in a small town in Texas, Gay was exposed to the world of rodeo at a young age. His story is one of perseverance, humility, and passion—of a boy who never wanted to be anything else, and who became the best in the world doing exactly what he loved.
Bull Riding • Inducted 1979
Don Gay won four consecutive world championships, 1974-77, the PRCA Season Championship 1976-78, and then followed with another three consecutive world championships, 1979-81.
By setting the bar high and constantly pushing himself to be the best, Don Gay showed younger riders that anything is possible with hard work and determination. Even after temporarily stepping away from the sport in the early 1980s, he returned in 1984 to claim his eighth and final world title.
His career was shaped not just by talent but also by mental discipline, resilience, and spiritual awakening.
He never got another D in school.
“Being a cowboy, I don’t ever take my uniform off. Today, Gay provides color commentary on professional rodeo.