Legendary for his unpredictability, stamina, and intelligence, Little Yellow Jacket, owned by Teague/Berger/Taupin, was officially retired during the 2005 Built Ford Tough World Finals last November. 2005 marked Little Yellow Jacket’s seventh trip to the PBR World Finals. As PBR Vice President and Livestock Superintendent Cody Lambert stated, “No bull in the history of the PBR has been hauled as many miles or has faced as many champions as Little Yellow Jacket.”
“I feel very honored knowing that he is going to be in the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. If there’s one animal that deserves it, he is definitely that caliber,” said Joe Berger. Berger further explained that Little Yellow Jacket is happy and healthy in his retirement, but still trots the fence in anticipation, anxious to go along, when bulls are loaded to attend a PBR event.
1997 PBR World Champion Michael Gaffney (Albuquerque, N.M.) added his name to a short but distinguished list of riders when he earned a sensational 96.5 score during the Built Ford Tough championship round of the Nampa Invitational on April 25, 2004. The match-up between Gaffney and the World Champion Bull resulted in him tying Bubba Dunn (Alexandria, La.) and two-time PBR World Champion Chris Shivers (Jonesville, La.) for the highest scored ride in PBR history. During his lengthy PBR career Little Yellow Jacket was ridden 14 times in 90 career outs to an average score of 93 points.
The North Dakota Hall of Fame is committed to preserving the history of the Great American West, including Native American culture, ranching, rodeo, and the western lifestyle of the plains and Badlands. The addition of nine inductees in 2006 brings to 90 the number of honorees who have been inducted into the Hall. Joining Little Yellow Jacket in the class of 2006 inductees are six individuals, one distinguished ranch, and one of the country’s oldest rodeos.