Top 10 Best Bull Riders of All Time

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Lane and Tuff when I worked at a country bar. Very very nice guys. I kind of followed what they had going on being a former bull rider myself. I'm generally cold but hearing of Lanes death really hit me in the heart. Good person, great bull rider, and someone I wish I could have been real friends with.

Out of 309 Cowboys Lane was the first and only bull rider to ever ride Red Rock. In fact he rode him 4 out of 7 times. Lane won the Challenge of the Champions against Red Rock 4-3. The best bull rider vs the best bull.

Lane was the best bull rider to ever live I wasn't alive when he rode but Jesus that man was the definition of what a bull rider should be and he showed it he was and still is the best in the world.

Never backed down from any bull or any competition. Even refused re-rides that would have won him more points/events, because his focus was giving his best performance on every ride! Still remember the chills I had watching him ride Bushwacker and Asteroid, simply amazing!

J.B. Mauney is by far my favorite. I love watching his ride on Bushwacker where he made history for being the first cowboy to ride Bushwacker for the full 8 seconds! That had to have been a pretty scary 8 seconds and an awesome celebration afterwards!

J.B definitely deserves to be higher on this list. There are few people who can do what he did. I can't put him above Lane, but he for sure has my #2 spot. His composure while riding is unbelievable.

Tuff was and still is a beast! Met him in Amarillo, and see why some people ignorantly assume he's weak because of his stature, but that man is tough as nails. You can feel it in his handshake, at least until your hand goes numb from his grip!

Tuff is no puss. A promise is a promise. I believe that tuff should be shoulder to shoulder with lane in number one! By the way, you don't get nicknamed "tuff" by being a puss. All bullriders are tuff but to have that nickname, you had to be the tuffest!

In the comment below calling Tuff a puss is not fair. Bo was killing everybody off and a promise is a promise. Wise move to turn him out.

Chris Shivers was definitely an all time great. He is now 2nd in career 90 point rides, and has some of the most memorable rides in history.

Chris is my favorite. Lane being the best. Then my uncle Ronnie Roach rode circles around Don Gay back in the day. Just didn't have the money or political backing that Don had.

I think he is the most rank bull rider there has ever been I think he is first in my opinion then lane but lane is a rank bull rider to.

Just a thought about the comment of calling someone an "autistic jew" to point out you think that person knows nothing is both insensitive to those with disabilities and anti-Semitic. Autism is growing, and sadly you may soon have a friend or family member impacted by this yourself.
Just as important, even though I am not Jewish, I will bless the Jewish people, especially for giving us the Messiah. I can see you feel strongly about your opinion, but respectfully ask you give your opinion without name calling.

Best rough stock rider ever. Had he only ridden Bulls he could have been the best ever. Bareback horses an Broncs took a toll Ty.

Doubt the top ten!

I was blessed to have ridden in Donny's era and knew him, Lane, Denny and all of the NFR qualifiers. Put simply, Donny Gay is the greatest there ever was or that will ever will be and was absolutely revered by the other riders. In his day the PRCA was the only show in town and Donny rode against and won against all the top hands. Now the very top bull riders are in the PBR. Despite what some are saying on this post; Donny was a not only a great rider who hade supreme belief in himself but more that that, he was absolutely determined to win. I have seen him ride bulls when a normal human could hardly walk. He also went to every single rodeo he could ride in where as some of the guys who could really ride such as Denny went to half the rodeos Donny did. In other words, Donny did whatever was necessary to win and that's why he has 8 gold buckles. When it come to winning bullriding championships no one else comes close.

Best Bull Rider of All Time by Far. He set the mark for all riders in the sport. He was 3 time world champion that helped mold Alves, Marchi and all other Brazilian Riders, to be as good or better than most riders in the world.

Adriano made tough bulls look easy and he is by far a better bull rider than most of the riders on the top 10 list! I noticed there are no Brazilian riders on the list...but there have only been 2 ruders who have won 3 World titles and they are both Brazillian!

A 1 rider and the reason I got so interested in bull riding. Miss seeing him and glad he got out before he got permanently injured. A good Christian family man and ambassador for Bull Riding

Great bull rider! And whoever called him a racist pig is a cowardly jealous nobody.

He is a racist pig

Two time world champion at the age of 22...

Justin McBride was my favorite rider growing up, and the man is cemented as a legend of the sport. He is now a 3 time world champion, as he has 2 from his PBR riding days, and now has a team championship as a coach!

Best form, best attitude, best results on most difficult bulls, quiet precision, modest, not a camera hog, overall most admirable.

NO! Good but not good enough for the top ten!

I know this guy and I can tell you he is the best every. Just watch the 2008 PBR finals and compare his ride to Justin McBrides. Just wins but he did so hanging on to dear life off the side of the bull. Marchi's ride was spot on. Further more I don't see very many 35 year old men riding bulls at any level. PRCA bulls...second rate compared to PBR. The person with the previous comment is incorrect!

GOOD LORD NO! Could have never made the PRCA! Or, any organization that would not let him choose his own bulls in the draw! Couldn't have stood up to the daily grind of the PRCA!

He is wonderful he has been an inspiration to many! He is awesome person! He has been a family friend for a long time!

The best ever was and a great person has keep his nose clean...the legend!

Silvano alves by riding percentages and titles at still young age. Producers say toughest bulls on earth then complain silvano don't take rerides. he rode what they gave him, that is their job to have tougher bulls. Just don't think they like the brazilians kicking our butts

Silvano is amazing to watch on the bull. You think he's going off, only to right himself, and go 8 seconds. JB Mauney #1, Silvano #2! Lane Frost #3 would've been 1, Ty Murray #4.

Silvano Alves is the youngest bull rider to win 3 world titles and is the only bull rider to win back to back titles.

We followed Jim Sharp since his High School days. Jim was the reason we started going to rodeos.
When Jim Sharp was the first cowboy to ride all ten bulls at the NFR in Las Vegas we were the only
ones who got on the arena floor with Jim Sharp to take pictures. I wore the same colors as Jim and
everyone who looks at the pictures ask if he is our son. That day we were as proud as any "parents"
could be. To us he will always be number one!

Even Tuff Hedeman said in front of Donny Gay that Jim Sharp was the best bull rider that he's ever seen. Bob Tallman said it right when he said that Jim Sharp rides the rank ones so well that he makes them look easy and should get scored higher. First man to ride 10 out of 10 at the NFR, then 9 out of 10 at the next NFR (that's 19 consecutive) against the best bulls in the business.
Best bull rider ever = Jim Sharp.

Had perfect form. Rode all 10 bulls IN THE FINALS. A feat that will likely never be matched. All the best rodeo scorers say that he was consistently scored lower than most riders because he made it look effortless. Other riders called him "The Natural"

Troy would be the best Aussie we've produced. He rode Australia's rankest bulls and took on the worlds best abs won. One Australian deserves a top 10 spot and 2 Brazilians. It's the best ever not US best.

Troy was too ten consistent rider plagued with injury, even though the Aussies seem to be naturally tougher than the yanks

My favorite of all time..

He is amazing! And is probably the most hilarious bull rider out there. He also just has talent

He doesn't suck.

He's got style

he was my hero I started riding bulls at 12 years old at Mansfield in 1974 at cowbale Mansfield Texas on Friday night every one ask me what bull rider you look up to that is the bull rider not Larry or Don gay I was a kid riding bulls I know them behind the shots I was just kid thing!

Hard to compare eras of competitors, but shoulders was right up there with the best for more than a decade.

Jim. Sholders. Was great but I wonder what the greats thought of gean lyda never saw a bull rider spur a bull like he did

Mike is as tuff as rawhide but still gets the money at his advanced age. If not in the top ten in talent anymore he's surely the best in the world for his age.

Mike has always been a fan favorite for what he does in and outside of rodeo. He's a great guy all around

Up there with Lane Frost and Larry Mayan!

Mr Outlaw I pray for your safety and that you will win the world title and championship love to watch you ride and look forward to see more be safe god bless.

Best all around especially when you consider his inspiring comments after each ride. The most fun to watch

Guess you could say the true Outlaw of Professional Bull Riding

J w Hart, is one of the toughest and one of the best bull riders, by far, to never win the world, but to many of us, he was a world champion.

Best lookin bull rider

Best. And best attitude.

Rode with lane frost

The man, the myth, the legend! Hailing from Arkansas, he could ride anything, no what the bull threw at him. He rode a perfect score of 50 points, and the bull he was riding scored a 48, for a combined score of 98! I know that it's not a technically impossible score to beat, but good luck beating a score of 98! Hats off to you brother, one the best ever. You completely deserve the hall of fame, along with a few others as well. I will say that there are a couple that don't deserve that honor, but everyone knows who is truly great, versus who doesn't belong in the ranks of these great men.

Denny was the best ever. He wasn't able to make as many events as some because he lacked $$ to fly. Look him up! When he was gored so badly, he got up out of the dirt holding his guts inside with his hands! I thank God that there was a doctor very close. The horn missed his heart, liver, &spine each by a fraction of an inch! He was back on a bull 3-4 weeks after the accident. He was my husband's roommate at Uof A. He is good as gold. He'd do all he could to help anyone. He gets my vote. He meets all of the criteria X 10. God bless him always.

Those who never saw Freckles ride shouldn't be voting for these other Bull riders . . No one rode with more authority and control than Freckles . . .

He was an amazing athlete, rode a bull, then just step off!

He was a great one from when I was young. Saw him in NM. He and Lane Frost were tight.

Kaique Pacheco was fun to watch him win in 2018 and come in second in 2015 and 2016. he is my favorite!
He makes it look so easy!

Great bull rider. Fun to watch. Calm, poised. Hope he has a long successful career.

Rides like he knows what the bull will do before the bull knows!

The best technical bull rider, Sage makes really rank bulls look like a day off. His body position and free arm allow him to make huge moves look easy.

He keeps moving on up

Good bull rider