Richie Champion

Richmond "Richie" Champion (born December 16, 1992) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bareback bronc riding and became the first bareback rider to earn $1 million at a single rodeo.

Early life Richie Champion was born on December 16, 1992, in Orange County, California. He is the son of Greg, a hotel company executive, and Lori, a consultant who competed in show jumping while she was in college. The family moved between Texas, Arizona, Washington State, and Alaska when Champion was a child.

Rodeo career After graduating from high school, Champion joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He competed on the PRCA rodeo circuit, winning several small rodeos. In 2013, he traveled with world champion bareback rider Kaycee Feild, learning valuable tips on mental preparation.

Champion finished the 2015 rodeo season ranked 23rd in the world and did not earn a spot in the NFR. He underwent back surgery in November 2015 and returned to competition two months later.

In 2016, Champion became a shareholder in the Elite Rodeo Athletes (ERA), a new for-profit rodeo organization. The ERA planned to host a circuit of eight rodeos, all televised, and each with the same roster of top talent. The PRCA promptly changed their bylaws. Cowboys with financial interest in any other rodeo association would be denied membership in the PRCA beginning with the 2016 season. ERA members like Champion would be disqualified from all PRCA rodeos, including the NFR. The ERA sued the PRCA, seeking a temporary injunction allowing the cowboys to compete at PRCA events. Federal district judge Barbara Lynn denied the preliminary injunction in February, during the multi-day Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. Although Champion had been leading the bareback riding field, he was forced to withdraw from the competition and return prize money he had won in the initial rounds.

Champion also competed in the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) and won the CPRA bareback riding national championship at the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) in 2018. He qualified for the CFR three times (2018-2019, and 2025).

Champion retired from bareback riding after competing in the 2026 Calgary Stampede.

Personal life In 2018, Champion married Canadian former professional pair skater, Paige Lawrence. They have two children and reside in Stevensville, Montana.