Etbauer repeats as Linderman Award winner

By Johnna Espinoza
Posted Wednesday, October 28, 2009

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – It usually says a lot about an athlete when a competitor sings their praises. That is the case for all-around hand Trell Etbauer when top saddle bronc rider’s like Cody DeMoss speak about him.

Both cowboys were in the running for the Linderman Award this year. However, Etbauer repeated as the winner when DeMoss failed to win at least $1,000 in team roping (heeling).

“He is a great bronc rider, a great calf roper and a great bulldogger,” DeMoss said about Etbauer. “If he singled out one event, he could make the NFR (National Finals Rodeo) in any event he wanted to.”

But with the heart of an all-around cowboy, Etbauer loves to work multiple events. And in the true spirit of Bill Linderman, Etbauer likes to work both roughstock and timed events.

Linderman, a six-time world champion, including winning the 1950 and 1953 all-around titles, died in a 1965 plane crash in Salt Lake City. To qualify for the Linderman Award, a cowboy must win at least $1,000 in three events, and those events must include at least one roughstock event and one timed event.

“I don’t like being at a rodeo, watching an event and not being entered in it,” said Etbauer, a 23-year-old from Goodwell, Okla.

Etbauer’s love of rodeo runs in the family. He is the son of two-time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Robert Etbauer and the nephew of five-time World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider Billy Etbauer and 10-time National Finals Rodeo saddle bronc riding qualifier Dan Etbauer, also a pick-up man.

Trell Etbauer’s Wrangler NFR aspirations will have to wait at least one more year. Despite winning $50,028 this year, Etbauer did not finish in the Top 15 in the PRCA World Standings in any of his events.

“My biggest goal is to make it to the NFR in all three of my events,” Etbauer said. “I haven’t really gone all out yet. This next year, I want to try to go a little harder and see if I can. We’ll just see how it goes.”

Etbauer won $25,699 in steer wrestling, $18,831 in saddle bronc riding, $4,988 in tie-down roping and $510 in team roping (heading).

DeMoss, from Heflin, La., won a total of $92,171, with $89,701 in saddle bronc riding, $1,624 in bareback riding, but came up $153.55 short in his timed event.

“I usually don’t have a problem winning $1,000 (in team roping), but I didn’t enter enough,” DeMoss said.

Kyle Whitaker, who holds the record for the most Linderman Awards with five, finished in second place behind Etbauer with a total of $44,369. The Chambers, Neb., cowboy competed in steer wrestling ($27,923), saddle bronc riding ($5,660) and tie-down roping ($10,786).

Etbauer won the Linderman Award last year in his rookie season, along with picking up the Rookie of the Year All-Around Award.

“Ever since I won it last year, it’s been my goal to win it every year that I can,” said Etbauer, who usually travels to rodeos with at least three horses in tow.

“The main thing is that I would like to thank all the guys who have helped me: all the guys who have hazed for me, all the guys who have helped me get my horses ready.”