PBR’s prestigious Heroes and Legends annual induction ceremony to relocate to historic Oklahoma venue beginning in 2023.
The PBR (Professional Bull Riders) and National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum announced a new partnership creating the PBR Hall of Fame at the historic Oklahoma venue. As part of the new relationship, PBR will relocate the organization’s prestigious Heroes & Legends induction ceremony to Oklahoma City starting in 2023.
As PBR readies to embark on its 30 th anniversary season, the plans to construct the organization’s Hall of Fame mark the first effort to collect and exhibit artifacts from throughout the sport’s storied history in a compelling and unified format.
The PBR Hall of Fame will be unveiled in Spring 2023 in the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s American Rodeo Gallery, with an expansion planned soon after as part of a major reconstruction and reimagining of the Gallery.
A fitting home for the living tribute to the PBR, the American Rodeo Gallery celebrates the history, people and events of the West’s original sport. Exhibitions in the space explore the sport’s evolution from turn of the century round-up competitions to high-stakes professional competition in the Museum’s colorful and dramatic interpretive gallery.
Beginning in September 2023, the PBR Heroes & Legends ceremony, previously held annually in Las Vegas to honor individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the sport of bull riding, will now be held at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, prior to the PBR Team Series event in Oklahoma City.
“From its beginning, our institution has honored and celebrated rodeo athletes, and we’re thrilled to expand on this tradition as the new permanent home of the PBR Hall of Fame,” said Natalie Shirley, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum President & CEO. “PBR represents one of the fastest-growing sports in America, and we look forward to telling the story of their rich history and exciting future for generations to come.”
“As PBR readies to embark on our 30 th anniversary season, we couldn’t think of a more fitting location and institution to house our first-ever Hall of Fame, paying tribute to the trailblazers and visionaries, iconic moments and events, that have been steppingstones along our path to revolutionizing bull riding into a sport now entertaining millions each year around the globe,” said Sean Gleason, PBR CEO and Commissioner. “Through the compelling storytelling, and hyper attention to detail, that is being integrated into every phase of the planning, the PBR Hall of Fame will bring to life our history like never before.”
The PBR Hall of Fame will include artifacts that pay homage to both the early days of the organization, as well as more modern initiatives, including the revolutionary PBR Team Series, which launched in July 2022.
Relics that museumgoers can expect to see when the PBR Hall of Fame opens include the PBR Bud Light Cup, the original PBR World Championship trophy that features the names of the first nine PBR World Champions, commemorative paintings of both legendary riders and bovine athletes, historical event posters, and more.
Following the initial unveil of the PBR Hall of Fame in Spring 2023, the PBR and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum will embark on the second phase of the newly launched partnership.
Anticipated to be completed in 2024-2025, the PBR Hall of Fame will expand to a 1,200 square-foot space within the remodeled American Rodeo Gallery.
The expanded installation will highlight the story of the American Cowboy, the founding of rodeo as a sport, and its evolution, including the founding of PBR by 20 legendary bull riders and the growth that PBR has brought to western sports on an international scale
Stay tuned to PBR.com and NationalCowboyMuseum.org for the latest information on the PBR Hall of Fame and 2023 Heroes & Legends ceremony.
