Rob Smets

Robert Edward "Rob" Smets (born September 11, 1959, Palo Alto, California),[1][2] known professionally as The Kamikaze Kid,[3][4] is an American color commentator for the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) tour[5] and a former five-time Wrangler World Champion bullfighter.

Biography

Smets was born in Palo Alto, California to Bill and Ebe Smets.[6] As a child, he lived in Thailand, Singapore, Puerto Rico, and Australia.[1][3][6] After returning to the United States as a teenager, he lived in San Martin, California and attended Palma High School in Salinas.[6] He entered high school rodeos starting in his sophomore year.[3][7]

In 2012, Rob Smets starred in Jägermeister's "A Stronger Bond" television and digital campaign.

Career

While bull riding as a teenager, Smets taunted some of the bullfighters for not protecting riders well enough after the riders fell. They challenged him to try being a bullfighter himself, which he did.[3] He made a name for himself early on, distracting bulls after riders had fallen, so the riders could leave the ring safely. During the 19 years of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo World Bullfighting Championship from 1981–2000, Smets was a top-6 finisher 17 times. He also won the championship 5 times, a record. He is a 9-time PBR World Championships Bullfighter. Rob was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2006.[8] He was inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in April 2010.[1][9][10] Also, he was the inaugural recipient of the Professional Bull Rider Heroes and Legends Celebration: Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.[11] In 2017, Rob was inducted into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame in the Bull Fighters category.[12]

Lately, Smets has turned stock contractor, although he only owns one bull. But that one bull is a highly ranked PBR bucking bull, #80 Jeremiah. The bull's full name is Jeremiah 33:3 for the bible verse.[13] Jeremiah is 49-2 at all levels of the PBR as of September 2017. Jeremiah has been bucking on the PBR since 2013 and since 2015 he's been bucking on the elite Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) circuit.[14] In 2015, Jeremiah was chosen as a world champion bull contender at the 2015 PBR BFTS World Finals.[15]

Injuries

During his bullfighting career, Smets was injured many times, including suffering a broken neck three times, in 1992, 1996, and 2006.[3][9] Although these injuries often paralyze people who suffer them, Smets' main problem from them is limited motion in his neck.[16] He retired from bullfighting in 2006, after breaking his neck for the third time.[2] Smets has also been gored by a bull's horn and has broken a leg.[16]

Personal

Smets and his wife, Carla, married in 1993, and they have four daughters, Corey, Dylan, Josie, and Sammy.[3][9][16] They live on a ranch in Merkel, Texas.[16] Rob Smets is a Christian who evangelizes on his public Facebook page and on the public Facebook page he created for his bucking bull, Jeremiah 33:3.[17]

Honors

References
  1. Pitt, Timothy E. (November 2003). "Rob Smets". Sports Illustrated Kids. 15 (11): 60.
  2. Johnston, Harvey (March 26, 2006). "Bullfighter Smets, bull rider Sharp to be enshrined". Abilene Reporter-News.
  3. Hiestand, Michael (February 23, 2005). "No room for clowning in these rings". USA Today. p. C3. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  4. Smith, Marcia C. (February 11, 2006). "Tired of Running With The Bulls". The Orange County Register.
  5. Hedelt, Carden (January 22, 2009). "Man versus Bull This Weekend in Fairfax". The Free Lance–Star.
  6. Santos, Kendra. "Rob Smets". Archived from the original on June 14, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
  7. Johnston, Harvey (February 5, 2006). "Merkel bullfighter Smets schedules retirement". Abilene Reporter-News.
  8. "Rob Smets - Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame". Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  9. Courchesne, Shawn (November 17, 2002). "He has to Endure a Lot of Bull – 'Rodeo Clown' Image Tough to Shake". The Hartford Courant.
  10. "Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame: Past Inductees". www.texasrodeocowboy.com. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  11. "Professional Bull Riders - Jim Shoulders Award: Rob Smets". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  12. "The Bull Riding Hall of Fame Class of 2017". The Bull Riding Hall of Fame. www.the-bull-riding-hall-of-fame.com. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  13. "Jeremiah 33:3". www.facebook.com. Facebook. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  14. "80 Jeremiah (27978) bull profile & stats". probullstats.com. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  15. "2015 PBR World Champion Bull contenders announced". Professional Bull Riders. www.pbr.com. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  16. Kavanaugh, Lee Hill (October 25, 1998). "The Greatest Show on Dirt: Rob Smets Literally Breaks His Neck to Put on a Good Rodeo Show". The Kansas City Star.
  17. "Rob Smets - "The Bull Fighter" | Conquer Series". Conquer Series. October 12, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  18. "St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame - Rob Smets". www.stpaulrodeo.com. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  19. "2014 Hall of Fame Inductee Photos & Bios". California Rodeo Salinas. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
  20. "Walk of Fame - Molalla Area Chamber of Commerce,OR". www.molallachamber.com. Retrieved May 17, 2017.
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