In 1997, he received the PBR Ring of Honor. Legacy ĭon was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1979 his father Neal was inducted in 1993, becoming the only father and son to receive this honor. After its 2017 finals event, the Rank Bull Rider Tour became defunct. In 2016, this organization was renamed the Rank Bull Rider Tour. Starting in 2011, he began running his own semi-professional bull riding organization, the Don Gay Bull Riding Tour, which sanctioned events in some southern U.S.
From 2003 to 2017 and again since 2020, Gay has provided commentary for the bull riding during the live telecasts of the National Finals Rodeo each December, and in 2018, he provided commentary for the Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding Tour (TBHRT) on The Cowboy Channel.
He also provided commentary for Professional Bull Riders big-league events on TNN from 1993 to 2001, PRCA Xtreme Bulls big-league events on ESPN from 2003 to 2010 and GAC Family (GAC) from 2011 to 2013, Toughest Cowboy on Fox Sports Networks (FSN) from 2007 to 2008, and Championship Bull Riding big-league events on GAC from 2009 to 2010. From the 1980s to 2000s, Gay was a commentator for the Mesquite Championship Rodeo when the weekly event was televised. He has also done commentary for televised rodeo and bull riding events. He also does live announcing at a number of them. Since 2002, Gay has been the general manager of Frontier Rodeo Company, providing livestock to professional rodeos and bull riding events across the United States. Don retired from professional rodeo in 1989. He qualified for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) 13 times (1972 to 1982, then 1984 to 1985). The record of eight world titles in bull riding still stands. He won the first of eight world titles in 1974. Don Gay won almost every major rodeo in the country at some point during his career.
He soon received his pilot's license and began flying himself to rodeo events in a private plane. Gay received his PRCA permit shortly after graduating from high school and began traveling the rodeo circuit.
He used Mesquite to perfect his skills on both bulls and broncs. His father ran the Mesquite Rodeo, which still operates today. Don grew up in Mesquite, Texas, and started competing in rodeos at age six. Don's father then married Kay Gay, who raised Don and his brother Pete as her own. He was only a year old when his mother died of leukemia.
Don Gay was born on September 18, 1953, in Mesquite, Texas, to Neal Gay and Evelyn "Cookie" Foster.