OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The PBR (Professional Bull Riders) and National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum today announced a new partnership creating the PBR Hall of Fame at the historic Oklahoma venue. As part of the new relationship, PBR will relocate the organization’s prestigious Heroes & Legends induction ceremony to Oklahoma City starting in 2023.
As PBR readies to embark on its 30th anniversary season, the plans to construct the organization’s Hall of Fame mark the first effort to collect and exhibit artifacts from throughout the sport’s storied history in a compelling and unified format.
The PBR Hall of Fame will be unveiled in Spring 2023 in the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s American Rodeo Gallery, with an expansion planned soon after as part of a major reconstruction and reimagining of the Gallery.
A fitting home for the living tribute to the PBR, the American Rodeo Gallery celebrates the history, people and events of the West’s original sport. Exhibitions in the space explore the sport’s evolution from turn of the century round-up competitions to high-stakes professional competition in the Museum’s colorful and dramatic interpretive gallery.
Beginning in September 2023, the PBR Heroes & Legends ceremony, previously held annually in Las Vegas to honor individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the sport of bull riding, will now be held at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, prior to the PBR Team Series event in Oklahoma City.
“From its beginning, our institution has honored and celebrated rodeo athletes, and we’re thrilled to expand on this tradition as the new permanent home of the PBR Hall of Fame,” said Natalie Shirley, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum President & CEO. “PBR represents one of the fastest-growing sports in America, and we look forward to telling the story of their rich history and exciting future for generations to come.”
“As PBR readies to embark on our 30th anniversary season, we couldn’t think of a more fitting location and institution to house our first-ever Hall of Fame, paying tribute to the trailblazers and visionaries, iconic moments and events, that have been steppingstones along our path to revolutionizing bull riding into a sport now entertaining millions each year around the globe,” said Sean Gleason, PBR CEO and Commissioner. “Through the compelling storytelling, and hyper attention to detail, that is being integrated into every phase of the planning, the PBR Hall of Fame will bring to life our history like never before.”
The PBR Hall of Fame will include artifacts that pay homage to both the early days of the organization, as well as more modern initiatives, including the revolutionary PBR Team Series, which launched in July 2022.
Relics that museum goers can expect to see when the PBR Hall of Fame opens include the PBR Bud Light Cup, the original PBR World Championship trophy that features the names of the first nine PBR World Champions, commemorative paintings of both legendary riders and bovine athletes, historical event posters, and more.
Following the initial unveil of the PBR Hall of Fame in Spring 2023, the PBR and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum will embark on the second phase of the newly launched partnership.
Anticipated to be completed in 2024-2025, the PBR Hall of Fame will expand to a 1,200 square-foot space within the remodeled American Rodeo Gallery.
The expanded installation will highlight the story of the American Cowboy, the founding of rodeo as a sport, and its evolution, including the founding of PBR by 20 legendary bull riders and the growth that PBR has brought to western sports on an international scale
Stay tuned to PBR.com and NationalCowboyMuseum.org for the latest information on the PBR Hall of Fame and 2023 Heroes & Legends ceremony.
About PBR (Professional Bull Riders):
PBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 500 bull riders compete in more than 200 events annually across the televised PBR Unleash The Beast tour (UTB), which features the top bull riders in the world; the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT); the PBR Touring Pro Division (TPD); and the PBR’s international circuits in Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico. In 2022, PBR launched the PBR Team Series—eight teams of the world’s best bull riders competing for a new championship—as well as the PBR Challenger Series with more than 60 annual events nationwide. The organization’s digital assets include PBR RidePass on Pluto TV, which is home to Western sports. PBR is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company. For more information, visit PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.
About The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum:
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City is America’s premier institution of Western history, art and culture. Founded in 1955, the Museum collects, preserves and exhibits an internationally renowned collection of Western art and artifacts while sponsoring dynamic educational programs to stimulate interest in the enduring legacy of the American West. The Museum is located only six miles northeast of downtown Oklahoma City at 1700 Northeast 63rd Street. For more information, visit nationalcowboymuseum.org.
