story by Michele Toberer
His family thought he was a bit crazy when they heard he was stepping into the arena as a bullfighter, but after seeing the natural talent and ability Tyler Dahl had, as well as the passion he found for a new sport, they became a huge source of support for him. Tyler’s mom passed away when he was just 17, but he’s still close to his stepdad and his wife, Phillip and Cindy Schmidt, and his dad and stepmom, Ray and Jennifer Russell. “They like to come watch me, and love being at the rodeos. They are so supportive and get excited when I tell them about rodeos that will be close enough for them to come. They’re looking forward to watching me fight bulls at the IFR50 in Guthrie, Oklahoma in January!”
Tyler is 27 years old and was more of a jock than anything until his freshman year of college. During his Barnsdall High School days, he played baseball, basketball, and football. He was playing a friendly game of football with some of the rough stock riders at Northeastern Oklahoma A & M University in Miami, Oklahoma 7 years ago, and when the guys told him they were short on bullfighters at practice, he decided to go check it out. Although he really had no experience with bulls or livestock, after approving it with the rodeo coach, Tyler stepped in to fill in as a bullfighter at practice one day and has been doing it ever since. “I had watched some small rodeos growing up, and because I played sports for so many years, I was pretty athletic. The bulls weren’t intimidating to me, and I just fell in love with the sport and haven’t wanted to stop.” Tyler’s sophomore year of college was in 2013, and he made the rodeo team as a bullfighter. In 2014 he transferred to Northeastern Oklahoma State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and he continued to work, attend school and rodeo. “It’s kind of funny that I ended up graduating with a bachelor’s degree in environmental health and safety, a safety degree, while I was fighting bulls the whole time. The day after I graduated from college, I was on a plane to fight bulls at my first PRCA rodeo. One thing has led to another and the good Lord has opened doors for me the whole way; I kept walking through them, and here we are.”
During his years involved with bullfighting, Tyler has not only worked at many International Professional Rodeo Association rodeos, but also found a love for competing at bullfighting competitions. Tyler appreciates his good friend, Chad Dowdy for taking him under his wing when it comes to bullfighting. “Chad has worked as a bullfighter at the IFR several times and has taught me how to shine; I’ve learned a lot from him.” This will be Tyler’s second time fighting bulls at the IFR, he also worked IFR49, and he is looking forward to getting to the Lazy E Arena for the fantastic show they have planned for IFR50. He looks forward to having Randy Miller working alongside him as they offer the top bull riders of the IPRA protection in their event. He had a chance to work with Randy at an IPRA in Searcy, Arkansas put on by Kevin and Gina Hampton of Hampton Rodeo Company. “We clicked really good together at that rodeo. When you meet someone and fight bulls good together like that, everything is a lot more fun. It’s fun to know you are working with someone just as good if not better than you are at what you do.”
By day, Tyler works as a welder, and he fights bulls at between 15 and 20 events per year. Starting off January 2020 with the IFR50 is something he is especially looking forward to. “There’s a lot of history in that building at the Lazy E and I look forward to being a part of history with the IFR50. It is an honor and humbling for sure.”
