It has been said that champions are made, not born. But Richmond Champion might beg to differ. Champion lived up to his name in March, when he literally became a rich champion by winning $1.1 million at RFD-TV’s The American Rodeo at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“It was insane,” he said. The richest one-day rodeo ever featured the top 10 contestants in each event after the PBR World Finals and National Finals Rodeo, along with five qualifiers — of which Champion was one — in each event. Of the $2 million total purse, each event winner made $100,000, with an additional $1 million on the line for any qualifier who could win an event.

If more than one qualifier won, they would split the $1 million, but since Champion was the only qualifier to win, he took it all home. Shortly thereafter, The Woodlands, Texas, resident deposited the $1.1 million check in his local bank. click here for complete story