Logan Corbett Hits Rodeo Trail Full Time for First Time
The best way to learn is to teach, so bareback rider Logan Corbett is shifting gears from coaching the New Mexico State University rodeo team to competing full time for the first time, more than 10 years after his ProRodeo premier as a permit-holder.
Life threw Corbett a few curve-balls toward the end of his time as a permit-holder with a broken collarbone, marriage, fatherhood and a coaching career.
“At the ripe age of 31 I will be officially rodeoing full time for the first time in my life,” Corbett said.
Corbett won a few thousand dollars each year from 2010-14 before taking a hiatus in 2015-16. He returned in 2017 to rank third in the PRCA | Resistol Rookie Standings for bareback riding with $34,913. Corbett peaked at 25th in the 2018 PRCA | RAM World Standings with $44,402, all while balancing ProRodeo with his coaching career.
Rather than diving in, he’s toed the waters and is ready to take the plunge in the coming months.
“I just have to try and don’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering what-if,” Corbett said. “You’ve got to risk it for the biscuit.”
Seeing his friends such as three-time world champion bareback rider Tim O’Connell (2016-18) go on to achieve great things in ProRodeo sparked the idea to give it a go, and he started his rookie year in 2017.
Corbett listed three reasons for his return.
“No. 1, there are a lot of people out there that would love to have the opportunity to rodeo for a living but for injuries or any reason it’s not feasible,” Corbett said. “Then there’s the money, the additional income would help our family. Coaching isn’t something you get into for the money. I love my job and get to do what I love everyday, but we got a new vehicle for my wife and could do some stuff we couldn’t do otherwise (with rodeo winnings).
“Third, if it is done correctly, it helps with recruiting. Kids would rather rodeo for a guy going through the same things as them, the high-pressure situations and putting my life on the line. It helps to have a coach who knows exactly what you’re feeling, and it wasn’t 30 years ago, it was last week that I tried it and you should try it too.”
Although he’s leaving his coaching position at New Mexico State University on May 1, he’s not throwing in the towel on coaching entirely.
“I have no doubt I’ll end up back in coaching,” Corbett said. “I’m passionate about helping people and trying to help them be the best version of themselves, as cliché as that sounds. At the end of the day, the buckles and saddles and jackets are nice, but I guarantee my wife will have that WNFR money spent. What you leave behind, your legacy and information you’re able to pass on, is the only thing that really lasts. The only thing worth giving your life to is making an impact.”
Corbett is leaving big boots to fill as the New Mexico State coach. He hopes to find his replacement soon so that he can help in the transition before moving.
“The administration here is really supportive of the team and they’re wanting to open up the position in mid-March to take applicants for the job,” Corbett said. “Typically, they look for someone with a bachelor’s degree. All you need is someone who is passionate about college rodeo and student-athletes. If you get someone who is passionate about college rodeo and student-athletes, the rest will take care of itself.”
With their third child due in August, Corbett and his wife, Lacey, are moving to southern Illinois to be closer to her parents while he competes in the Great Lakes Circuit to build up his qualifications for larger rodeos.
“The goal this year is to get to the top 30 for the qualifications to San Antonio and Houston,” Corbett said. “Then 2021 will be my first real run at it (the Wrangler NFR).”
Courtesy of PRCA