Shoulders, Jim

Born on May 13, 1928, in Tulsa, Okla., Jim Shoulders was a city boy with no livestock background. Shoulders was 14 years old when he saw and promptly entered his first rodeo. His astonishing natural talent was apparent even then – he won $18 in the bareback riding. Shoulders developed his skills by paying his entry fees and getting on bareback horses and bulls and occasionally on saddle broncs, too. Before he graduated from high school he had joined the Cowboys’ Turtle Association. He won $7,000 his first full year as a pro. In 1949, at age 21, he won the first of his 16 world titles, and was almost unbeatable for the next 10 years. A major factor in amassing such a record of championships was his exceptional ability to withstand pain and compete when injured. Following retirement from competition, Shoulders became a ProRodeo stock contractor. He was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979.