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. 1 2 3 Pitt, Timothy E. (Nov 2003). "Rob Smets". Sports Illustrated Kids. 15 (11): 60.
  2. 1 2 Johnston, Harvey (2006-03-26). "Bullfighter Smets, bull rider Sharp to be enshrined". Abilene Reporter-News.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hiestand, Michael (2005-02-23). "No room for clowning in these rings". USA Today. p. C3. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  4. ↑ Smith, Marcia C. (2006-02-11). "Tired of Running With The Bulls". The Orange County Register.
  5. ↑ Hedelt, Carden (2009-01-22). "Man versus Bull This Weekend in Fairfax". The Free Lance–Star.
  6. 1 2 3 Santos, Kendra. "Rob Smets". Archived from the original on June 14, 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  7. ↑ Johnston, Harvey (2006-02-05). "Merkel bullfighter Smets schedules retirement". Abilene Reporter-News.
  8. 1 2 "Rob Smets - Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame". Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 Courchesne, Shawn (2002-11-17). "He has to Endure a Lot of Bull – 'Rodeo Clown' Image Tough to Shake". The Hartford Courant.
  10. 1 2 "Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame: Past Inductees". www.texasrodeocowboy.com. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  11. 1 2 "Professional Bull Riders - Jim Shoulders Award: Rob Smets". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  12. 1 2 "The Bull Riding Hall of Fame Class of 2017". The Bull Riding Hall of Fame. www.the-bull-riding-hall-of-fame.com. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  13. ↑ "Jeremiah 33:3". www.facebook.com. Facebook. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  14. ↑ "80 Jeremiah (27978) bull profile & stats". probullstats.com. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  15. ↑ "2015 PBR World Champion Bull contenders announced". Professional Bull Riders. www.pbr.com. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Kavanaugh, Lee Hill (1998-10-25). "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. 12 October 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
  18. ↑ "St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame - Rob Smets". www.stpaulrodeo.com. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  19. ↑ "2014 Hall of Fame Inductee Photos & Bios". California Rodeo Salinas. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  20. ↑ "Walk of Fame - Molalla Area Chamber of Commerce,OR". www.molallachamber.com. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
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