James Sharp also known as Jim "Razor" Sharp (born October 6, 1965)
is an American former professional
rodeo cowboy who specialized in
bull riding
Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to buck off the rider.
American bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." To recei ...
. In 1988, he became the first bull rider in the
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States and Canada, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the National ...
(PRCA)’s
National Finals Rodeo
The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) is the premier rodeo event by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). The NFR showcases the talents of the PRCA's top 15 money-winners in the season for each event.
The NFR is held each year in the fi ...
history to successfully ride each of his 10 bulls during the champion-crowning event. The record-breaking performance earned Sharp his first of two PRCA World Champion Bull Rider titles. He rode professionally for nearly 20 years, and was a co-founder of the
Professional Bull Riders
The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional bull riding organization based in Pueblo, Colorado, United States. In the U.S., PBR events have been televised on CBS and CBS Sports Network since 2012. In 2013, the ...
(PBR). He is considered among the most talented bull riders in history. In 2006, 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 ...
.
In 2016, he was inducted into the
Bull Riding Hall of Fame
The Bull Riding Hall of Fame, located at Cowtown Coliseum in the Fort Worth Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, is a hall of fame for the sport of bull riding. It is incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Texas, a ...
.
Early life
Jim Sharp, nicknamed "The Razor", was born in
Kermit, Texas
Kermit is a city in and the county seat of Winkler County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,708 at the 2010 census. The city was named after Kermit Roosevelt following a visit by his father, President Theodore Roosevelt, to the county.
...
, to a rodeo family in 1965. He is of
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
descent. Sharp's father, James Sharp, was a calf roper. Sharp rode his first steer in 1974 at the age of nine in
Pecos, Texas
Pecos ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Reeves County, Texas, United States. It is in the valley on the west bank of the Pecos River at the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert, in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas and just so ...
, while competing in an American Junior Rodeo Association event.
By the time Sharp was 13 years old, he was riding junior bulls in American Junior Rodeo Association or AJRA rodeos. Sharp was AJRA reserve steer riding champion in the 12 and under class in 1978 and soon thereafter Champion Bull Rider at the AJRA National Finals in the 13–15 age class.
At 16, Sharp was competing in sanctioned high school rodeo events at the
National High School Rodeo Association
The National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA), based in Denver, Colorado, was incorporated in 1961 to promote interest in rodeo sports among high school students, to provide training, and to establish venues for their performances.
It began ...
or NHSRA as well as the AJRA events, placing at the top or near the top in many of the competitions. Sharp won his first of four bull riding championship titles in 1981 at the American Junior Rodeo Association and went on to win the Texas High School All-Around title in 1984, his senior year at
Kermit High School.
Career
College years
Odessa College's Wrangler coach, Jim Watkins, recruited Sharp into the Odessa College Rodeo program. He competed on a regular basis at Billy Bob's at the Stockyards in
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...
. The college years were also the beginnings of his professional riding career. As a rookie in the PRCA in 1986, he won the Overall Rookie of the Year and Texas Circuit Rookie of the Year titles in the bull riding and set a new record for most money won in a rookie year ($100,160).
He also qualified for his first of seven consecutive trips to the National Finals Rodeo.
PRCA championships
In 1988, he became the first bull rider to ride all 10 bulls at the National Finals Rodeo. The record-breaking performance earned Sharp his first of two PRCA world titles. The following year, he won the NFR bull riding average for the second consecutive year and in 1990, he won his second world title. His last year to qualify for the NFR was 1992, when he picked up his third bull riding average title.
Obstacles and injuries
Persistent injuries during the 1993–94 season sidelined Sharp. However, he made a limited comeback in 1995, riding in the Southwestern Livestock and Exposition Show and Rodeo in
Fort Worth finishing 2nd in that event. He finished 7th in 1996 and in the top 15 in 1997. In 1998, he finished 48th overall in the Bud Light Cup Series and spent the majority of the year with a dislocated shoulder.
Later successes
Finishing 31st in the Bud Light Cup standings for 1999, Sharp felt his riding career was back on track. He finished third in two events, won the Copenhagen Tough Company event in
Poplar Bluff, Missouri
Poplar Bluff is a medium city in Butler County in Southeast Missouri, United States. It is the county seat of Butler County and is known as "The Gateway to the Ozarks" among other names. The population was 16,225 at the 2020 census. The Poplar B ...
and rode four of five bulls at the 1999 PBR World Finals, which included a 94-point ride in round 2 on the previously unridden bull, Jim Jam.
The 2000 Bud Light Cup season ended for Sharp with a 15th-place ranking, 4,013 Bud Light Cup points and earnings of $74,856 plus solid top five (2nd, 3rd and 5th) finishes in three major events and a championship at the Copenhagen Tough Co. event in
Lufkin, Texas
Lufkin is the largest city in Angelina County, Texas and the county seat. The city is situated in Deep East Texas and about 60 miles west of the Texas-Louisiana border. Its estimated population is 35,021 as of July 1, 2019.
Lufkin was founded ...
. For 2001, Sharp rode to an 11th place ranking and more than $122,000.00 in total winnings. His 2001 season included a win at the Bud Light Cup event in
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...
, his first PBR major-league event win since 1996.
The 2002 season was a resurgent year for Sharp. He had very strong showings at many events, including his namesake event in
Odessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small section of the city extends into Midland County.
Odessa's population was 114,428 at the 2020 census, ma ...
. He also garnered the event championship at the Tuff Hedeman Championship Challenge in
Fort Worth as well as Bullnanza in
Guthrie, Oklahoma, the Jerome Davis Challenge (
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...
) and the
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
Open.
In addition to the event title in Fort Worth, Sharp also rode
Dillinger
John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dill ...
for 95.5 points in that event's Mossy Oak Shootout, winning $85,000 in the process for that ride alone. He led the Bud Light Cup standings for most of the year before stumbling in the second half of the year and eventually being surpassed by eventual World Champion Ednei Caminhas. He still finished the 2002 season 4th in the world with $281,315.50 in earnings.
The 2003
Built Ford Tough Series
The Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) was the elite series tour name of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) competitions from 2003 to 2017.
The BFTS kicked off its tour on November 16, 2002 with the Mohegan Sun Invitational in Uncasville, Connecticu ...
(BFTS) season was a tough ride for Sharp. He did have a few top 10 finishes, including a 5th place finish in
Tampa, a 2nd place finish in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, and an 8th place finish at the Tuff Hedeman Challenge in Fort Worth. But he battled through some injuries along the way, including a complex scalp laceration and bruised ribs in Fort Worth, and a leg injury in
Atlantic City. He also pulled out of the World Finals after three rounds due to shoulder trouble. He finished 16th in the world that year with earnings of $56,102.94. Due to shoulder surgery in the off-season, Sharp did not return to competition until late into the 2004 season.
Unable to amass enough points to stay on the BFTS, he was cut from the tour following the BFTS event in
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...
and was unable to qualify for the 2004 PBR World Finals, ultimately finishing 60th in the world with just $11,896.38 won. This would prove to be his last major-league PBR event appearance. After spending much of the 2005 season on the PBR's lower tours, Sharp decided to retire.
Honors
* 2016
Bull Riding Hall of Fame
The Bull Riding Hall of Fame, located at Cowtown Coliseum in the Fort Worth Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, is a hall of fame for the sport of bull riding. It is incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Texas, a ...
* 2010
PBR Ring of Honor
* 2009
Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame
The Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame in Fort Worth, Texas, dedicated to the sport of rodeo.
History
This hall of fame was founded by Johnny Boren. Also contributing to the foundation were a group of Belton, Texas, bu ...
* 2006
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 ...
* 2004
Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame
The Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame is a hall of fame in Pecos, Texas, dedicated to the sport of rodeo.
History
In 2004, the Texas Rodeo Hall of Fame held its first induction. They used the courtyard of the West of the Pecos Museum. The hall of fame ...
* 2000
Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame
The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, a western, historical museum in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, "honors those men and women who have shown excellence in the business and support of rodeo and the western lifestyle in Texas."
The Hall of Fame ...
* 1988 Cowboy Capital Walk of Fame
References
External links
Sharp HomesitePRCA World Champions (Historical)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp, Jim
1965 births
Living people
People from Kermit, Texas
Odessa College alumni
Bull riders
ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees
Professional Bull Riders: Heroes and Legends
Bull Riding Hall of Fame inductees