Casey Duane Tibbs (March 5, 1929 – January 28, 1990) was a

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

, and actor. In 1979, he was inducted into the

ProRodeo Hall of Fame The ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy was opened in August 1979 as a museum designed to "preserve the legacy of the cowboy contests, the heritage and culture of those original competitions, and the champions of the past, pr ...

Life and career

Tibbs was born to John F. Tibbs (1886–1948) and Florence M. Tibbs (1889–1974) in rural Orton northwest of Fort Pierre in Stanley County in central

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

. He was of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

descent. He held the " World All-Around Cowboy Champion" title twice, in 1951 and 1955. He won in 1949, 1951–1954, and 1959, the world

saddle bronc Bronc riding, either bareback bronc or saddle bronc competition, is a rodeo event that involves a rodeo participant riding a bucking horse (sometimes called a ''bronc'' or ''bronco'') that attempts to throw or buck off the rider. Originally b ...

riding championship and in 1951 world

bareback Bareback riding is a form of horseback riding without a saddle. It requires skill, balance, and coordination, as the rider does not have any equipment to compensate for errors of balance or skill. Proponents of bareback riding argue that riding i ...

bronc riding championship. He was featured on the October 22, 1951 cover of ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

'' magazine. He moved in 1976 to

Ramona, California Ramona is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Diego County, California. The population was 20,292 at the 2010 census. The name ''Ramona'' also refers to an unincorporated community (with some plans to incorporate) that includes both the ...

, to raise and breed horses. After battling bone cancer and then lung cancer for about a year, he died at his home in Ramona, while watching the

1990 Super Bowl Super Bowl XXIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

. He is interred at the

Scotty Philip Scotty is a common nickname for a Scottish man, or for a Scottish Terrier dog. Scotty may also refer to: People Given name or nickname * Scotty Alcock (1885–1973), American baseball player * Scotty Allan (1867–1941), American dog musher, bu ...

Cemetery in

Fort Pierre, South Dakota Fort Pierre is a city in Stanley County, South Dakota, United States. It is part of the Pierre, South Dakota micropolitan area and the county seat of Stanley County. The population was 2,115 at the 2020 census. The settlement of Fort Pierre de ...

Selected filmography

After his successful rodeo career, Tibbs became a

stunt man A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

, stunt coordinator, technical director, livestock consultant, wrangler, and actor for the film industry. He wrote, produced, directed, and starred in the film ''Born to Buck''. *Actor: ** ''Bronco Buster'' (1952) as Rodeo Rider ** ''

Screen Director's Playhouse ''Screen Directors Playhouse'' (sometimes written as ''Screen Directors' Playhouse'') is an American radio and television anthology series which brought leading Hollywood actors to the NBC microphones beginning in 1949. The radio program broadcas ...

'' (1956, Episode: "Partners") (with

Brandon deWilde Andre Brandon deWilde (April 9, 1942 – July 6, 1972) was an American theater, film, and television actor. Born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn, he debuted on Broadway at the age of seven and became a national phenomenon by the time he comp ...

) as himself ** ''

Bus Stop A bus stop is a place where buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelters, seating, and possibly electronic passenger ...

'' (1956) as himself (uncredited but announced by rodeo announcer) ** '' To Tell the Truth'' (1957) as himself (uncredited) ** ''Wild Heritage'' (1958) as Rusty (trail boss) ** ''

The Ann Sothern Show ''The Ann Sothern Show'' is an American sitcom starring Ann Sothern that aired on CBS for three seasons from October 6, 1958, to March 30, 1961. Created by Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf, the series was the second starring vehicle for Sothern, who ...

'' (1959, Episode: "Katie and the Cowboy") ** ''

Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Western television series starring Dale Robertson that ran from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season, when it expanded to ...

'' (1961, Episode: "Town Against a Man") as Sheriff Jim Hogan ** ''Tomboy and the Champ'' (1961) as Himself ** ''A Thunder of Drums'' (1961) as Trooper Baker ** '' Stoney Burke'' (1962–1963) as Rodeo Judge ** '' The Rounders'' (1965) as Rafe ** '' Branded'' (1965, TV Series) as The Cowboy ** '' Gunpoint'' (1966) as Dealer (uncredited) ** '' The Rounders'' (1966, TV Series) as Folliat / Buck / 3rd Posseman ** '' The Monroes'' (1967, Episode: "To Break a Colt") (uncredited) ** ''

A Time for Dying ''A Time for Dying'' is a 1969 American Western film written directed by Budd Boetticher with a cameo role by Audie Murphy, who also produced the film, as Jesse James. It was Murphy's last film, as well as the final dramatic feature for Boettich ...

'' (1969) as Southerner's Sidekick ** '' The Young Rounders'' (1972) ** ''

Junior Bonner ''Junior Bonner'' is a 1972 American Western film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Steve McQueen, Robert Preston, Joe Don Baker and Ida Lupino. The film focuses on a veteran rodeo rider as he returns to his hometown of Prescott, Arizona, ...

'' (1972, rodeo coordinator) as Parade Grand Marshal (uncredited) ** ''Climb an Angry Mountain'' (1972, TV Movie) as Buck Moto ** ''

The Waltons ''The Waltons'' is an American historical drama television series about a family in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II. It was created by Earl Hamner Jr., based on his 1961 book ''Spencer's Mountain'' and the 1963 film ...

'' (1974, Episode: "The Conflict") as Flagman ** '' Breakheart Pass'' (1975) as Jackson ** ''More Wild Wild West'' (1980, TV Movie) as Juanita's brother (final film role) *Stunts: ** ''

A Thunder of Drums ''A Thunder of Drums'' is a 1961 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Joseph Newman and starring Richard Boone, George Hamilton, Luana Patten and Arthur O'Connell. The screenwriter James Warner Bellah adapted it from his 1946 short s ...

'' (1961) (stunts) (uncredited) ** '' The Rounders'' (1965) (stunts) ** '' Gunpoint'' (1966) (stunts) (uncredited) ** ''

The Plainsman ''The Plainsman'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur. The film presents a highly fictionalized account of the adventures and relationships between Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jan ...

'' (1966) (stunts) (uncredited) ** ''

Texas Across the River Texas Across The River is a 1966 American Techniscope comedy western film directed by Michael Gordon and starring Dean Martin, Alain Delon, Rosemary Forsyth and Joey Bishop. Plot Phoebe Ann Naylor is about to be wed to Don Andrea Baldazar, ...

'' (1966) (stunt coordinator) (uncredited) ** ''

Firecreek ''Firecreek'' is a 1968 American Western film directed by Vincent McEveety and starring James Stewart and Henry Fonda in his second role as an antagonist that year alongside Sergio Leone's ''Once Upon a Time in the West''. The film is similar ...

'' (1968) (stunts) (uncredited) ** ''

Heaven with a Gun ''Heaven with a Gun'' is a 1969 American Western film starring Glenn Ford and directed by Lee H. Katzin. Plot Jim Killian arrives at the town of Vinegaroon, which is divided between cattlemen and sheepherders, and purchases a vacant barn. Cattl ...

'' (1969) (stunts) (uncredited) ** ''

The Cowboys ''The Cowboys'' is a 1972 American Western film starring John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, and Bruce Dern, and featuring Colleen Dewhurst and Slim Pickens. It was the feature film debut of Robert Carradine. Based on the 1971 novel of the same name ...

'' (1972) (stunts) (uncredited) ** ''

Once Upon a Texas Train ''Once Upon a Texas Train'' (also known as ''Texas Guns'') is a 1988 American comedy Western television film, directed by Burt Kennedy and starring Willie Nelson and Richard Widmark. Plot The movie opens with a train robbery in Texas, but a gr ...

'' (1988) (TV) (stunt coordinator) *Director: ** ''The Young Rounders'' (1966) ** ''Born to Buck'' (1966; and producer)

Tributes

* Annual Casey Tibbs Ramona Roundup in

* 28-foot-tall bronze likeness,

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

Ian Tyson Ian Dawson Tyson (September 25, 1933 – December 29, 2022) was a Canadian singer-songwriter who wrote several folk songs, including "Four Strong Winds" and " Someday Soon", and performed with partner Sylvia Tyson as the duo Ian & Sylvia. Ear ...

wrote a song about Tibbs for the album ''I Outgrew the Wagon'' * Mentioned in the film ''

Smokey and the Bandit ''Smokey and the Bandit'' is a 1977 American road action comedy film starring Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Pat McCormick, Paul Williams and Mike Henry. The directorial debut of stuntman Hal Needham, the film follows ...

'' * Mentioned in the film '' Cotter'' * Mentioned in the Chris LeDoux song "Back when we was kids". *

Cole Elshere Cole Elshere (born December 12, 1989) is an American professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in saddle bronc riding. He qualified for the 2012, 2013, ,2014 and 2020 National Finals Rodeo.http://www.proroughstock.com/prs-riders?id=66/ Backgro ...

plays the role of Casey Tibbs in "Floating Horses – The Life of Casey Tibbs". * In 1979, he was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, the highest honor in rodeo.

Honors

*1955

Rodeo Hall of Fame The Rodeo Hall of Fame was established by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1955. Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., the Hall was created to celebrate the contributions of cowboys and cowgirls from around the world. The ha ...

of the

National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts. The facility also has the world's most extensive collection of Ame ...

*1976 South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame *2001

Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame The Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame is a cowboy hall of fame. The hall of fame for the Ellensburg Rodeo was established in 1997. The hall of fame writes a biography for each inductee in a permanent file. It also collects and stores inductee rodeo ...

*2002 Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame *2004

Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame The Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame, is a hall of fame located in Pendleton, Oregon, United States. Begun in 1969, it was the first hall of fame started by an individual show, the Pendleton Round-Up. Exhibits focus on show mem ...

*2010

Texas Trail of Fame The Texas Trail Hall of Fame is a cowboy hall of fame in Fort Worth, Texas. Established in 1997, the building is located at 208 N.W. 24th Street, in the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District of the city. The hall honors individuals w ...

*2018

California Rodeo Salinas Hall of Fame The California Rodeo Salinas Hall of Fame is a cowboy hall of fame. Established in 2010 by the California Rodeo Salinas, the hall of fame recognizes and awards those individuals who helped build the rodeo and those rodeo performers who helped th ...

In popular culture

The song ''Casey Tibbs'', also known as ''Casey the Rainbow Rider'' by

References

External links

Casey Tibbs bio from his own website

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tibbs, Casey 1929 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American male actors All-Around American male film actors American male television actors Bareback bronc riders Deaths from bone cancer Deaths from lung cancer in California Male actors from South Dakota People from Ramona, San Diego County, California People from Stanley County, South Dakota ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees Saddle bronc riders