Eugene Fodor was dubbed the Van Cliburn of the violin after his success in the 1974 Tchaikovsky International Competition. Though he finished in a three-way tie for second, his results were viewed as a victory, as no first prize was awarded and because he had placed higher in that prestigious competition than any American violinist up to that time. Met by his parents and horse at the airport on his return to Colorado, he would be given a second moniker, the cowboy violinist.