Christopher Lee Shivers (born December 30, 1978) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding, and competed on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He turned pro in 1997, and won the PBR world championship in 2000 and 2003. In 2023, Shivers was ranked No. 6 on the list of the top 30 bull riders in PBR history.<ref name="Top"

Background

Chris Shivers was born on December 30, 1978, in Natchez, Mississippi.

Career

Shivers has twenty-two career Bud Light Cup Series (BLC) and Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) wins. The BLC was the name of the PBR's elite series from 1994 through 2002. The BFTS was the name from 2003 through 2017. Shivers has recorded the following history-making firsts: the first PBR bull rider to win more than $300,000 in prize money in one year (1998); the first PBR bull rider to reach the $1 million mark (2001), the $2 million mark (2003) and the $3 million mark (2006); the first PBR bull rider to register 13 90-point rides in one season (1998); the highest marked ride in PBR history (96.5 points - twice) [a record later broken by José Vitor Leme]; and the first bull rider to win three consecutive Bud Light Cup events (2000). Shivers is the second man to win multiple PBR world titles, after Adriano Morães (1994, 2001). Shivers rode with a cowboy hat for most of his career. However, after a wreck fractured his nose at the 2009 BFTS season opening event in Baltimore, Maryland, he rode with a helmet for the remainder of his career. He had suffered multiple head and facial injuries throughout his career, but only made a helmet a permanent part of his riding gear after this specific injury.

Career highlights

Awards

Championships

Retirement

Shivers announced that the 2012 PBR season would be his last. He retired after the World Finals that year. His final earnings during his 16-year PBR career total nearly 3.3 million dollars. He was inducted into the PBR's Ring of Honor in 2013.

Unfinished Business

On May 30, 2015, Shivers came out of retirement for one more ride at "Unfinished Business" (a special event featuring several PBR legends coming out of retirement to attempt one final bull, held during the PBR's J.W. Hart Challenge at the Wise County Sheriff's Posse Arena in Decatur, Texas). There, he rode a bull named Black Cat for 88.5 points and split the event win with J.W. Hart (whose 88.5-point ride came aboard King Buck). Shivers and Hart were the only two PBR legends to ride their bulls for the full eight seconds in the event.

Honors

Personal life

In 2001, Shivers married his girlfriend, Kylie Morphis. They have three children. In 2019, Kylie was awarded the PBR Sharon Shoulders Award. The Shivers family resides in Jonesville in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana.