Casey Tibbs

Casey Duane Tibbs was an American professional rodeo cowboy and actor.

Life and career

Tibbs was born to John F. Tibbs and Florence M. Tibbs in rural Orton, northwest of Fort Pierre in Stanley County in central South Dakota. He was of English descent. As a rodeo cowboy, he competed in the Rodeo Cowboys Association and 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 riding championship and in 1951 world bareback bronc riding championship. He was featured on the October 22, 1951 cover of Life magazine.
He moved to Ramona, California, in 1976 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. He is interred at the Scotty Philip Cemetery in Fort Pierre, South Dakota.

Selected filmography

After his successful rodeo career, Tibbs became a stunt man, 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 as Rodeo Rider
* Screen Director's Playhouse as himself
* Bus Stop as himself
* To Tell the Truth as himself
* Wild Heritage as Rusty
* The Ann Sothern Show
* Tales of Wells Fargo as Sheriff Jim Hogan
* Tomboy and the Champ as Himself
* A Thunder of Drums as Trooper Baker
* Stoney Burke as Rodeo Judge
* The Rounders as Rafe
* Branded as The Cowboy
* Gunpoint as Dealer
* The Rounders as Folliat / Buck / 3rd Posseman
* The Monroes
* A Time for Dying as Southerner's Sidekick
* The Young Rounders
* Junior Bonner as Parade Grand Marshal
* Climb an Angry Mountain as Buck Moto
* The Waltons as Flagman
* Breakheart Pass as Jackson
* More Wild Wild West as Juanita's brother
Stunts:
* A Thunder of Drums
* The Rounders
* Gunpoint
* The Plainsman
* Texas Across the River
* Firecreek
* Heaven with a Gun
* The Cowboys
* Once Upon a Texas Train
Director:
* The Young Rounders
* ''Born to Buck''

Tributes

Annual Casey Tibbs Ramona Roundup in Ramona, California
28-foot-tall bronze likeness, ProRodeo Hall of Fame, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Ian Tyson wrote a song about Tibbs for the album I Outgrew the Wagon
Mentioned in the film Smokey and the Bandit
Mentioned in the film Cotter
Mentioned in the Chris LeDoux song "Back when we was kids".
Cole Elshere 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 of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
1976 South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame
1979 ProRodeo Hall of Fame
2001 Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame
2002 Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame
2004 Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame
2010 Texas Trail of Fame
2018 California Rodeo Salinas Hall of Fame
2024 PBR Ty Murray Top Hand Award

In popular culture

Mentioned in "Life of a Rodeo Cowboy", recorded by Merle Haggard, written by Jeannie Seely.
The song Casey Tibbs, also known as Casey the Rainbow Rider, by Ian Tyson.
The song "Legend Known as Casey", by Kyle Evans
The song Tibbs by cowboy singer/songwriter Matt Robertson.
Also mentioned in Robertson's Bronc Star.
Mentioned in the film Smokey and the Bandit. While discussing their different interests, Bandit asks Frog, "Do you know who Casey Tibbs is?"