Cody Nance has known for a long time what he’s capable of accomplishing on the back of a bull.

But until this past May, not many people knew who he was.

That all changed after the third Built Ford Tough Series event of his career. It was in Pueblo, Colo., that he made the most of his alternate spot in the draw by winning his first BFTS event.

That event was followed by a two-month long break in which Nance and most of the other Top 40 professional bull riders in the world took to the Challenger Tour for the start of what has historically been referred to as “Cowboy Christmas.”

“Everything was booming there,” he recalls, and then seemingly overnight “it all slowed down.”

When asked what could have changed so quickly, Nance replied, “As far as my life-changing experiences, He went to whopping on me, and I found my Bible and I went to reading it.”

According to Nance, he failed to give credit for his newfound success to one who deserved it most, and that it wasn’t until one Sunday morning in church when a buddy of his named Danny asked if he was a Christian.

The two were standing in a church, which made Nance all the more hesitant to say yes.

“It hurt my feelings and it made me realize I wasn’t a Christian and I wasn’t doing the right things,” said Nance, who admitted he can’t always answer why when folks question his faith. “Read the Bible and it’ll tell you why.”

By the time the top riders reconvened on the BFTS, he was back to his winning ways. So much so that he won his second major event in Columbus, Ohio.

And in his first year on the tour – he turned pro in 2006 – he qualified for the PBR World Finals and subsequently won Daisy Rookie of the Year. This year alone he’s won $156,021.90.

Not a bad season for a 21-year-old from Paris, Tenn.

Located two hours west of Nashville, Paris is known for Hank Williams Jr. and the late Merle Kilgore, who took up residence there before Nance was even born in 1987. He turns 22 just two days before Christmas.

Nance made it point to say he “didn’t come from a wealthy family, but we got by.”

His mother met and married his stepfather when Nance was only 3 years old. A role model he looked up to, his stepfather quit riding bulls in 1991 and took to judging the sport at local rodeos in the south.

Although his parents tried to interest him in becoming a roper, Nance’s only interest was in bull riding.

“I wanted to be tough,” Nance said. “It was either be tough or get beat up and quit, and I ain’t never had much quit in me. I did quit football to ride bulls, but riding bulls is kind of a little man’s sport and it kind of worked out in a way.”

Nance paid his first-ever visit to Las Vegas – “It was lit up and I thought we (were) flying over the moon” – where he rode two of seven, and now he’s in Atlanta as one of the favorites in the Challenger Tour Finals, which is also serving as the first BFTS event of 2010. The three-day event takes place this weekend, beginning Friday night, at The Arena at Gwinnett Center.

He’s ranked 10th in the 2009 Challenger standings. However, because the qualifier standings for this event are based on two-year earnings, he’s 29th in those standings.

His career riding percentage is only 39 percent, but four of his 16 qualified rides have been in the 90s.

“Half the time that I’ve been on tour, I was lost,” Nance said, “and the other half I found Jesus. I’m going to keep following Him, doing what I’m doing and keep my hand closed.

“I’ll let Him take care of the rest. I ain’t worried about nothing. That’s what you gotta have in life: faith.”

— by Keith Ryan Cartwright