Mike Lee (bull rider)
Quick Facts
Biography
Mike Lee (born June 11, 1983 in Billings, Montana) is an American professional bull rider on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR's) Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) tour.
Career milestones
Lee first broke onto the PBR scene in 2002. He became the first rider to win both the PBR World Finals event title and World Championship simultaneously, which he accomplished in 2004. He is also the first rider to win the PBR World Championship without a regular-season event win. He has qualified for the PBR World Finals every single year since his 2002 debut.
2007 was a difficult year professionally for Lee due to severe head injuries. Lee is one of the growing number of Professional Bull Riders favoring the helmet to the familiar cowboy hat, which he attributes to avoidance and exacerbation of career and life-threatening injuries. Lee credits the helmet for having saved his life after incurring a severe head injury and skull fracture at a pro rodeo in Fort Smith, Arkansas in 2003, which required brain surgery.
In April 2016, in Billings, Montana, Lee joined Guilherme Marchi as the second bull rider in PBR history to complete 500 qualified rides.
Personal life
Mike Lee is said to be of Christian faith. He is married to wife Dana. They live with their three children, twins Loralai and Noah, and son Peter. Lee currently resides in Decatur, Texas.