'I'm rich in life'

If Mike White isn't at a PBR event, there's likely one place you'll find him: horseback, working on his ranch outside DeKalb, Texas.

That's where he was last Tuesday when he got a phone call he never expected.

White was told that he and Ross Coleman would be the 35th and 36th former riders to be inducted into the PBR Ring of Honor.

"I texted my wife and told her," White recalled, "and she was more excited at the moment than I was. It really didn't sink in until probably the next day. I said, 'This is huge. This is really big.'

"This is sweet to have this honor."

White said he never thought of himself as one of the all-time great bull riders.

"To be put in that category with the elite bull riders in the world - when you've got so many of them that (have) accomplished so much in their career - to me, to get the Ring of Honor before some of these other guys have that opportunity is astronomical."

In 1999, he was a PRCA World Champion the same year he was named the PBR Rookie of the Year.

"This is sweet to have this honor."

During a PBR career that spanned 12 years, he qualified for the World Finals eight times and won 12 events. He recorded 67 Top 10 event finishes, 42 of which he placed in the Top 5, and earned in excess of $1.4 million in the PBR.

In 2002, he finished fourth in the PBR world standings, and a year later, in 2003, he has ranked third in the world.

Last weekend, in Guthrie, Okla., White was asked to reflect on his upcoming induction.

Rather than talk about himself, he talked more about the riders who came before him.

"Hats off to the 20 guys who started what they started," he said. "Without those 20 guys starting the PBR, where would we be today? We wouldn't be riding for $100,000 at an event. I never thought the day would come that I would win one event and win $80,000. For some people, that's two years' salary and I made it in one night riding two bulls."

The impact White made went beyond the arena.

He was in the prime of his career during a period of time in which the PBR experienced unprecedented growth, and White actively participated in the publicity campaign that helped bring the sport closer to the forefront of mainstream media.

Not only did he represent the PBR with class and dignity, but the 35-year-old also understood that he and others had a responsibility to continue building the foundation of the organization for generations to come.

"I've talked to Ty (Murray) about it," White explained, "and he said we're always building something. We may not benefit from it, but these younger generations are going to benefit from it. It's something that all comes back to us. It's something that we've helped build for kids to make a great living getting to do what they love to do.

"Outside of the arena, I've always had a big idol, and it was Michael Gaffney and the type of person he was in life - not only in the arena, but outside of the arena. You couldn't ask for a better, nicer guy in the world."

Like Gaffney, White made time for the media, fans and, more notably, raising money for kids.

He has been involved with both Western Wishes and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He plays host to two events every year - an annual pasture roping in the spring and a Touring Pro Division event in the summer - which raise money for charity.

The Mike White Invitational is this Friday and Saturday in Lake Charles, La.

In addition, to playing host to the two events, White has been raising bucking bulls since before retiring from competition during the 2010 season. He's been hauling bulls to ABBI events and PBR events for the past two years.

"Roping and working bulls - that's my life," White said. "That's all I know, and that's every day of my life.

"I've been blessed throughout my career. I've had so much come to me throughout my riding career and after my riding career - by no means am I rich. I'm rich in life."

Follow Keith Ryan Cartwright on Twitter @PBR_KRC.