Wesley Silcox (born May 30, 1985) is an American former professional

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 ...

who specialized in bull riding. He competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) circuit and was the 2007 PRCA World Champion bull rider. He also competed in the now-defunct Championship Bull Riding (CBR) organization.

Background

Wesley Silcox was born on May 30, 1985, in Payson, Utah. His first contact with rodeo was with

team roping Team roping also known as heading and heeling is a rodeo event that features a steer (typically a Corriente) and two mounted riders. The first roper is referred to as the "header", the person who ropes the front of the steer, usually around the ...

and

tie-down roping Calf roping, also known as tie-down roping, is a rodeo event that features a calf and a rider mounted on a horse. The goal of this timed event is for the rider to catch the calf by throwing a loop of rope from a lariat around its neck, dismount ...

. It wasn't until he attended Payson (Utah) High School that he tried bull riding. His father was a retired bull rider. He watched DVDs to help learn the sport. At Utah State High School, he won their rodeo association bull riding title. Then he qualified for 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 ...

finals and placed fourth. He attended

Utah Valley State College Utah Valley University (UVU) is a public university in Orem, Utah. UVU offers master's, bachelor's, associate degrees, and certificates. Previously called Utah Valley State College, the school attained university status in July 2008. History ...

(West Orem).

Career

Silcox joined the PRCA in 2004. In his rookie season, he finished 30th in the World Standings. In 2005, he qualified for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) for the first time. He then qualified for the NFR from 2006 to 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2015. In 2007, Silcox won the 2007 PRCA bull riding world championship. He also won the NFR Average Champion title that year. His total was 596 with 7 head out of 10. He qualified in 2008, and then missed qualifying in 2009 by a small amount. Then he qualified for 2010 and 2011. Then he had a long stretch, not making it back again until 2015, and for the final time. In October, he competed at the Justin Boots Playoffs in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, where he dislocated his shoulder. The Justin Sportsmedicine Team treated him on the spot. For last couple months, he had spent his time rehabbing and preparing for the NFR at the beginning of December. He entered the NFR in fourth place. Under his belt were six rodeo wins and two co-championships. His regular season earnings were $105,000, and he was expected to do well, taking into account his history at every past NFR. However, this was not his year. Although he won Rounds 5 and 10 and placed in Round 9, he suffered a concussion in Round 6. This concussion caused him to miss Rounds 7 and 8. Silcox qualified for the

National Circuit Finals Rodeo The NFR Open is an annual championship rodeo event of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) held annually in the United States. The event was previously known as the National Circuit Finals Rodeo (NCFR) from 1987 to 2021, before bein ...

(NFCR) three times in 2006, 2011 and 2014. He was also the PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour champion in 2010 with a total of $37,758.''ProRodeo Xtreme Bulls'', ''Year-end Champions'', p. 427. Silcox also competed in the now-defunct Championship Bull Riding (CBR) organization, qualifying for its world finals event seven times from 2005 to 2010, and again in 2013. Silcox's final professional bull riding outs were at the PRCA-sanctioned Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo in early 2019.

Championships/qualifications

* 7-time CBR World Finals qualifier * 7-time NFR qualifier * 3-time NCFR qualifier * 2007 PRCA World Champion Bull Rider * 2007 NFR Bull Riding Average Champion

Personal life

Silcox married Jerika Sperry on October 15, 2010. They live in

Santaquin, Utah Santaquin ( ) is a city in Utah and Juab counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is part of the Provo–Orem metropolitan area. The population was 13,725 at the 2020 census. Geography Santaquin lies southeast of Utah Lake in southern Utah Count ...

, with their son and daughter. He is an avid hunter and sportsman. He has suffered some injuries by the bulls Crossfire Hurricane and Western Rodeo's Dippin' Dots.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Silcox, Wesley Living people 1985 births Utah Valley University alumni People from Santaquin, Utah Bull riders People from Payson, Utah Sportspeople from Utah County, Utah