ALTUS – Shane Proctor, known for his bull riding skills and his 2011 world championship, has started coaching rodeo students at Western Oklahoma State College and mentoring them about the business side of the sport.
Proctor will be using his talents and experiences to develop Western’s future and current bull riders. He is looking forward to helping the program grow and providing guidance to help athletes lay a solid foundation for success. Rodeo has become business-oriented over the years, and it’s important to be smart not only in the arena but also in the classroom and life, the veteran bull rider said.
“As rodeo progresses, more of it comes from the business aspect,” Proctor said. “There’s so much money out there. Some of it is about how to get from rodeo to rodeo. I want to make them business savvy especially when dealing with sponsorships. When you’re going from rodeo to rodeo you can spend more money than you need to.”
Proctor is excited about the idea of teaching his rodeo students.
“My parents were both teachers and I went to college to be a teacher,” he said. “I’m blessed to be where I’m at making rodeo my profession.”
One piece of advice for his students is that “there’s never a down time” on the rodeo circuit.
“You can ride or rope 70 days in the summer season. The summer season ended yesterday (Sept. 30), and the fall season begins today (Oct. 1). You can find yourself at some big events in Denver, Fort Worth, San Antonio and have a good run in Florida,” Proctor said.
Western President Chad Wiginton believes Proctor will continue to provide a high level of guidance and expertise to the rodeo program.
"Western has historically been known as a timed event rodeo program and Jess Tierney has successfully continued that tradition,” Wiginton said. “With the addition of Shane Proctor and his expertise in the area of rough stock, we expect to be a national contender as an all-around team. I don't know of another program in the country with a coaching staff of this caliber. They don't just hand out Timed Event and NFR (National Finals Rodeo) titles."
Proctor will be the assistant coach for the rodeo students specializing in rough stock, such as bull riding, bareback riding and saddle bronc.
Another piece of advice to students is to take everything seriously, Proctor said.
“Rodeo has come a long way throughout the years, providing many opportunities for a career. In order to find success in this profession, you must take care of business in all aspects of life. It is more than being the strongest in the arena. You must be smart and able to handle what life throws at you.”
For the last 12 years, Proctor has hosted a yearly bull riding school called "Riding Rank on the Rez" for youth on the Colville Confederated Tribes agency in Nespelem, Washington, where he was raised and learned to ride.
Involved in the rodeo business since birth, Proctor began riding sheep at three years of age. He competed in junior rodeos until he got his first amateur pro rodeo card at age 12, competing in breakaway roping, traveling with his father and older sister, who were also competing. He began competing in bull riding at age 15. He won the year-end All Around in the Prowest Rodeo Association and Northwest Professional Association before he was 18 years old. Graduating to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Proctor competed in all six men's events in both high school and college rodeo.
He qualified for the college finals twice in saddle bronc riding, once in bareback riding, bull riding, and calf roping. In his junior year at Montana State University, he made his debut in the elite Professional Bull Riders series, qualifying for the PBR finals nine times.
In 2010, Shane returned to the rodeo circuit and competed in both the PBR and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. He qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas six times and qualified for both PBR and NFR finals in the same year four times. Getting on more than 220 bulls a year and competing in saddle bronc riding qualified him in the All Around in the PRCA, winning second and third.
Proctor won the PRCA World Champion Bull Rider title in 2011 and the NFR Bull Riding Average title in 2016. He qualified for his sixth NFR in 2021 at the age of 36.
He still competes today, and when at home, he enjoys working horses with his wife, a four-time PRCA specialty act top 5 finalist, training roping horses, doing leather work, and raising their 2-year-old daughter.