Billy Ray Thunder: Difference between revisions
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==Early life== |
==Early life== |
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Billy Ray Higginbottom was born in [[Akron, Ohio]], on September 20, 1954, he has African-American heritage from both of his parents.<ref name="BLK REINS">{{cite web|last1=Moore|first1=Stanford|title=Meet the man they call Billy Ray Thunder|url=http://www.blackreins.com/living-legends-billy-ray-thunder/|website=www.blackreins.com|publisher=Black Reins|accessdate=3 October 2017}}</ref> |
Billy Ray Higginbottom was born in [[Akron, Ohio]], on September 20, 1954, he has African-American and Native American heritage from both of his parents.<ref name="BLK REINS">{{cite web|last1=Moore|first1=Stanford|title=Meet the man they call Billy Ray Thunder|url=http://www.blackreins.com/living-legends-billy-ray-thunder/|website=www.blackreins.com|publisher=Black Reins|accessdate=3 October 2017}}</ref> In Billy Ray wears a medicine pouch around his neck, beaded Native American jewelry in one ear, and on his wrist. {{citation needed|date=January 2019}} |
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===Education=== |
===Education=== |
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[[Category:African-American players of American football]] |
[[Category:African-American players of American football]] |
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[[Category:African-American sportsmen]] |
[[Category:African-American sportsmen]] |
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[[Category:American people of Native American descent]] |
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[[Category:Bareback bronc riders]] |
[[Category:Bareback bronc riders]] |
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[[Category:Bull riders]] |
[[Category:Bull riders]] |
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[[Category:Cowboys]] |
[[Category:Cowboys]] |
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[[Category:Native American sportspeople]] |
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[[Category:Sportspeople from Akron, Ohio]] |
[[Category:Sportspeople from Akron, Ohio]] |
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[[Category:Sportspeople from Atlanta]] |
[[Category:Sportspeople from Atlanta]] |
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Revision as of 19:45, 4 August 2019
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Billy Ray Thunder | |
|---|---|
 Billy Ray Thunder in 2015 | |
| Born | William Ray Higginbottom September 20, 1954 Akron, Summit County Ohio, USA |
| Alma mater | Archbishop Hoban High School |
| Occupations |
|
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Children | Victoria and William |
Billy Ray Thunder (born William Ray Higginbottom) is a bull rider and bareback bronc rider who has been active for nearly 30 years.[1] He is nicknamed "The Living Legend".[2] He is a Black Indian.[3][2] Thunder is 6'3", 225 pounds, and over 60 years old.[3] This doesn't make him the oldest, active, professional rodeo cowboy, but it does put him in the senior category. Many rodeo cowboys don't continue to compete professionally beyond their 30s, when Thunder started. As with jockeys, the majority of bull riders and bareback bronc riders are much smaller than Billy Ray.[3]
Early life
Billy Ray Higginbottom was born in Akron, Ohio, on September 20, 1954, he has African-American and Native American heritage from both of his parents.[4] In Billy Ray wears a medicine pouch around his neck, beaded Native American jewelry in one ear, and on his wrist. [citation needed]
Education
He attended Archbishop Hoban High School from 1969-1973, where he was a defensive end on the school football team. After graduating in 1973 he joined the Army, followed by a stint in the Navy and reenlisted in the Army, before he'd had enough of military life and decided to try his hand at professional football.[4]
Career
While in the service Billy Ray was also part of a semi-pro football team in Germany, so pro-football seemed like a good fit. He tried out for the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys, without making the team in either case. After a short stint at the University of Akron Billy Ray found his true calling, quite by accident. Billy Ray's connection with horses goes all the way back through his father, who was a local expert on horses. When his stepbrother, Anthony Winfield, invited him to a rodeo in Georgia, where he was going to do some bull riding, Billy Ray had to check it out.[3][5] African Americans left the South and an agrarian lifestyle in a series of migrations during the early part of the 20th century. Rodeos, horses, and bulls and access to them are far and few between in our modern-day cities.[6] The portrayal of "The Wild, Wild West," cowboys and rodeos as all White, or nearly all White hasn't made a career in rodeo any more attractive to urbanized African Americans.[7] When he went to check out his stepbrother he was intrigued.
As the story goes, he met some buckle bunnies there and naturally wanting to impress the ladies he bragged about his riding skills.[8] His step brother offered to loan Billy Ray his outfit and set everything up for him to show off his non-existent riding skills, after everyone else was done. Billy Ray tried to back out, but every excuse he came up with was shot down by Anthony. Anthony and Billy Ray agreed that Billy Ray would mount up and ready himself, inside the gate, on top of a 2,000 lb. bull. Anthony was supposed to pull him off before the gate opened. Unluckily, for Billy Ray, Anthony did not pull him off at the last minute, as they had agreed. Billy Ray ended up in the hospital with a couple of broken ribs and the girl by his side.[4] For the next 19 years he rode bulls in a number of prorodeo events around the world sanctioned by the Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA) which was later renamed to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and the International Professional Rodeo Association. For the last 13 years he's been riding bucking broncs.
Mentoring
Billy Ray feels strongly about getting young Black people involved in the rodeo tradition of America's Black cowboys, like Bill Pickett, Nat Love, Bose Ikard, James Beckwourth, Stagecoach Mary and Bass Reeves.[2] Each of these individuals made significant contributions to the American cowboy tradition and the history of the American West. Wherever he goes Billy Ray counsels and mentors youth about all the ways they can begin to be involved in the continuation of an American tradition and earn college scholarships.
External links
- An Eye Popping Story About Billy Ray Thunder!
- What the heck is a Thunderette?
- WPBRF Ouch Cowboy gets knocked out
References
- ^ Jones, Jenny; Marovich, Pete. "Legacy of the Black Cowboy". american-journal.org. American-Journal Magazine. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ^ a b c Northover-Moore, Gina. "Billy Ray Thunder". Indian Rodeo News.com. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ^ a b c d Ulrich, Nathan. "Former Akron bull rider not typical cowboy". www.ohio.com. Akron Beacon Journal. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ^ a b c Moore, Stanford. "Meet the man they call Billy Ray Thunder". www.blackreins.com. Black Reins. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ^ Harris, Vincent. "Not his first rodeo". Greenville Journal. www.greenvillejournal.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Sollis, Gustavo. "Parks Dept. Driving Out Manhattan's Only Riding Facility, Operator Says". dnainfo. DNAinfo. Archived from the original on 3 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead-url=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Lioznyansky, Victoria. "African-American Cowboy: The Forgotten Man of the West". www.Youtube.com. Victoria Lioznyansky. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
- ^ Hoppe, Ian. "What the heck is a Thunderette?". www.youtube.com. Al.com. Retrieved 3 October 2017.