By: Whitney Thurmond

MONTANA-- Home to Montana's Hall and Wall of Fame cowboy Bill Parker, inducted in 2017. Bill passed away in June of 2016 at age 62 from pancreatic cancer.

Finding success early in his career by winning the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association National Championship in the team roping with partner Phil Luman.

Parker continued to be a three-time NFR qualifier, and the only cowboy from Montana to qualify for the NFR in both the tie-down and team roping. Competing at his first NRA rodeo in 1972 at age 18.

Parker won his first NRA title in the tie-down at age 22 in 1976, then going on to win the team roping in 1986 and 1987, completing his reign in the NRA with his final title in the tie-down roping in 1991.

Bills Parker's list of achievements is long including holding the title for Montana Circuit year-end champion in team roping(1979) and tie-down(1984). In addition, he won the RAM Montana Circuit Finals Rodeo all-around and team roping champion in 1980 and the tie-down roping championship in 1987.

Along with his Montana Circuit year-end championship, Parker qualified for his first NFR in 1979 in the team roping, also winning his Rookie of the Year honors in the team roping, partnered with David Motes.

Not only a rodeo cowboy, Bill was a hand in several disciplines. An accomplished cutting horse rider ranking in the top 15 National Cutting Horse Association.
He decided to quit the fast paced rodeo lifestyle in 1993 and take up show horses and sale horses. Bill showed his love of the younger generation by mentoring and coaching the younger generation of rodeo. In 1998 he assumed management of Billings Livestock Commission Company Horse Sale.

Parker couldn't stay away from the rodeo life. After a 17-year long break, in 2010, he wanted to hit the road again.

After having quit rodeo full time, Parker returned again at age 56 to feed the need to compete. Parker's wife and friends told him he was crazy for this idea.

Despite being told how crazy he was, Parker continued on with his plan and purchased a couple of rope horses.

It wasn't an easy road. Shortly after starting his journey back to team roping, Parker suffered a heart attack. Doctors put in two stents and he went to rehab three times a week.

Three days later, his main horse also had a heart attack and didn't make it. That didn't end the bad luck, shortly after that, his backup horse suffered colic and also died.

Nothing seemed to stop Bill from rodeoing again. He bought a third horse, Kid. Bill and Kid hit the road and learned how to win again against the changing competition.

Rod Lyman teamed up with Bill Parker to chase the MPRC team roping championship in 2011.

Bill continued to rodeo with Jace Crabb and won several rodeos all the way through 2015, right before his passing. The duo won several rodeos in a row. Being able to complete his goal of rodeoing again and proving his wife and friends wrong.

To this day, Parker remains the only tie-down roper and team roper from Montana to qualify for the NFR and the only tie-down roper from Montana to make the top 5 of the world standings in the 79yr history of the PRCA.

He is truly a legend to never be forgotten.

Once a cowboy, always a cowboy.

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