Cody Ohl and Billy Etbauer have their names on banners that now hang beside other rodeo royalty in the Thomas and Mack. The one and only Bob Tallman presented the banners and for Ohl, that only added to it.
“There’s no other person that can put that emphasis on how great the career has been for somebody or the loss of a loved one or something like that. He’s the man for the job, he just brings it out. He brings the emotions out, the hair will stand up on the back of my neck and I was trying to hold some tears back,” Ohl said.
As the two stepped back on to the dirt that made them World Champions, Ohl and Etbauer looked back on their days nodding their heads in the Thomas and Mack.
“The feeling going down the hallway, I’d almost be in a light run or skip going down it because I was just, the energy level is just incredible down there,” Ohl said.
As for the roughtstock side, nobody has done it quite like Etbauer. He has two 93-point rides that came aboard Cool Alley of Kesler Championship Rodeo and that still stand today atop the record books.
“She’s just a great, big ol’ bucker and I think that’s the only two times that I ever had her. And especially the second time, every time I got on I never felt like I got off and I didn’t have something to improve on my riding… But you take something that good and the scenario of the Tenth Round in ’04 when I won the World on her, Horse of the Year and I’ve got to ride her to win the World, it’s just a blessing that it all came together,” Etbauer said.
Among part of the unforgettable qualities that the Thomas and Mack has, its fans are at the top of the list. Oth Ohl and Etbauer were fan favorites and for good reason. The drive to win the way they did, in part, came from those around them including their fans. With 11 Gold Buckles between the two of them, their banners in the Thomas and Mack are well earned.
