Bill Tutor
Bill Tutor – Huntsville, Texas ($119,835)
2–time WNFR qualifier
Qualifying for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo was a big accomplishment for Bill Tutor. He joined the PRCA in 2012 while he was still a student at Sam Houston State University in his hometown of Huntsville, Texas.
The next year he finished fourth in the rookie standings and 53rd in the world. In 2013, he improved his status substantially finishing 22nd. He was getting closer to his goal. Then in 2015 he dropped to 31st.
The next year was pivotal in his career even though he still didn’t accomplish his goal of qualifying for the NFR. He started traveling with veteran bareback rider Evan Jayne, who at one time was one of Bill’s high school teachers.
That year, Evan made it and Bill finished one spot out at 16th. But it was a year of learning how to enter, travel, compete and take care of himself. Last year, Bill qualified in 11th place and Evan was just out of the top 15.
So, Bill competed in the famed yellow chutes in the Thomas and Mack Center. He earned $70,359 in Las Vegas and finished the year in 11th place. That experience gave him the confidence that he could compete with the best and he was excited for the 2018 season.
Bill and Evan were traveling together and hoping to get to the NFR together as well. Disaster struck in March when Evan got hurt and Bill lost his traveling partner. It was time to find someone new to go with and put all of his lessons to use.
That happened and he either won or shared the win at 16 rodeos this season. His regular season earnings of $119,835 have him entering this year’s NFR in fifth place.
The end of October, Bill spent time at Hillsboro, Texas, passing lessons on to up-and-coming bareback riders. He along with NFR qualifiers Jake Brown and Winn Ratliff were the instructors at the Riding With Purpose Christian Bareback Riding School.
When he’s not traveling to rodeos or competing, Bill enjoys hunting and fishing. He is not afraid of hard work and along with shoeing horses on occasion, he built a new barn at his place. He also spends time helping out at Winch Ranch Cattle Company whose logo adorns his signature blue shirts.
A change came to his life the first weekend of November when he and fiancée Ashlyn Voigt got married. Together, they started a fundraising campaign “Team Tutor” selling t-shirts with his NFR number on them to raise money for family friends who had a premature baby. With the success that he is having and his desire to help others, Team Tutor has a lot to be proud of.
