Richard Neale Hedeman was born on 2 March 1963, in El Paso, Texas USA, and is a retired professional bull rider, known for being a three time Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) World Champion. He was also a Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Champion, but all of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Tuff Hedeman? As of early-2017, sources estimate a net worth that is at $2.8 million, mostly earned through a successful career in bull riding. He is the ambassador of Championship Bull Riding (CBR), and is also a part of the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and the Bull Riding Hall of Fame. As he continues his endeavors, it is expected that his wealth will also continue to increase.
Tuff Hedeman Net Worth $2.8 million
At a young age, Hedeman was already gaining a lot of recognition by winning numerous junior rodeos. He won the All Around titles and bull riding titles while in high school in New Mexico in 1980. The following year, he won the All Around title once again as well as the team roping title. After matriculating, he attended Sul Ross State University where he would become part of the rodeo team, competing in team roping, steer wrestling, bull riding, and bronc riding.
In 1983, Tuff got his PRCA permit as a bronc rodeo. He started gaining popularity for riding bulls that had not been ridden often, and his net worth was starting to increase. He became friends with other popular bull riders such as Ty Murray, Lane Frost, and Jim Sharp, and they often travelled together to reduce the expenses of travelling. During his career, he would become qualified for 11 National Finals Rodeos (NFRs), winning the PRCA World Title in 1986, 1989, and 1991, and in 1993 he surpassed $1 million in career winnings which continued to significantly increase in net worth. However, in that year he had to take a break from competing because of a neck injury.
In the 1994 film “8 Seconds” – the time a bull rider needs to survive for a successful ride – his character was portrayed by Stephen Baldwin, and Tuff was Baldwin’s stunt double.
In 1995, he would win the PBR World Championship, after encountering the bull Bodacious who broke major bones on his face. In 1996, he was in second place in a close match for the PBR title, and the following year would earn third place. His last event was the PBR Bud Light Cup Series. During that event, he landed on his head which caused another injury to his previously injured neck. This caused him to retire in 1999 as the leader of the PBR World Standings.
After retirement, he became the ambassador of the CBR, a position he held until 2004. He also does color commentary on television, covering bull riding events. In 2010, he was inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame, having previously been inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, and then in 2016 he was inducted into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame.
For his personal life, it is known that Hedeman married Tracy Stepp in 1986. They have three children and reside in Morgan Mill, Texas. During his free time, he still likes to go to team roping and bull riding events.
