Little Yellow Jacket knew when the lights werebright and the cameras were rolling.
The PBR's only animal to earn three World Champion Bull titles,Little Yellow Jacket, a 1,800-pound brownish-red rapid-firespinner, was a primetime competitor who just sensed he wasspecial.
From the night he debuted on the Professional Bull Riders' top-tiertour in 1999 at Billings, Mont., until the afternoon he was retiredat the 2005 World Finals in Las Vegas, Little Yellow Jacket eitherwould help a rider earn a score in the elite 90s or he'd serve up adirt sandwich.
And then, after each stunning performance, it was like he'd take abow by singling out his owner.
"He would find me, come right to me, and he'd look up, and I wouldin effect say: 'Good Job!' And then he'd turn around and walkoff," said Joe Berger, a longtime NorthDakota stock contractor who raised and co-owned Little YellowJacket during his highly remarkable seven years on the circuit."That's why I say he was almost humanlike."
Little Yellow Jacket died on Sept. 19 in Graham, N.C, at 15 yearsold.
However, his legend lives on. The late Little Yellow Jacket becamethe first recipient of the Brand of Honor, which is presented eachyear to a bull for exemplary performance. He was honored in LasVegas prior to the Oct. 26-30 PBR Built Ford Tough WorldFinals.
Owned by Joe Berger, Tom Teague, andBernie Taupin, Little Yellow Jacket won the PBRWorld Champion Bull title in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He isimmortalized in a statue located in front of the PBR headquartersin Pueblo, Colo., along with Adriano Moraes, thePBR's only three-time World Champion bull rider.
Teague, a thriving North Carolina businessman who eventually boughtthe bull outright and cared for him during his later years, alsoremembers Little Yellow Jacket being enamored with his stellarperformances.
"They'd put him in the chute and he'd go out, throw the guy off andwould prance around, and it was like he was saying, 'I knew I couldbust your rear,'" Teague said. "But if a rider happened to ridehim, he'd better look out, because Little Yellow Jacket just mighttry to hook him."
Little Yellow Jacket transcended his sport in 2003 when he buckedoff two-time world champion Chris Shivers in lessthan 2 seconds on a live NBC broadcast from a PBR tour stop inColorado Springs, Colo. He earned his owners $50,000 for hisvictory while keeping Shivers from collecting $1 million.
Though Shivers took being dumped hard at the time, the legendarycowboy views the bout as a great promotion for pro bullriding.
"That's probably one of the biggest moments in PBR history, and I'mjust glad that I was involved in it," Shivers said.
Little Yellow Jacket competed in the PBR from 1999-2005. He had abuckoff rate of 84.4 percent, and an average buckoff time of 2.66seconds. The 14 riders who made a qualified ride on him had anaverage score of 93.
Michael Gaffney, the 1997 PBR World Champion, rodeLittle Yellow Jacket for 96.5 points at Nampa, Idaho, in 2004,tying the PBR record for highest score.
"He was the ultimate bull," Gaffney said. "He had the attitude andthe heart and everything else."
Little Yellow Jacket also commands respect from TyMurray, the seven-time world all-around champion and a PBRco-founder. Murray turned in a 90.5 at the 1999 PBR World Finals inLas Vegas - the first time Little Yellow Jacket had been ridden onthe PBR's marquee tour.
"He then was a young bull that I had no idea about," Murray said."And when I got off of him, I told Cody Lambert,'Wow! That bull is the real deal!"
Little Yellow Jacket's first outing on the PBR's top tour was in1999 when he bucked off Eddie Fisher at a regular-season tour stopin Billings. His last performance was during the 2004 World Finalswhen he disqualified Gerardo Venegas in the finalround.
Little Yellow Jacket also was on the card during the second roundof the '99 World Finals, and helped Cody Whitneyscore 94.75.
Lambert, the PBR's longtime livestock director, said he wasimpressed with Little Yellow Jacket's longevity. Lambert pointedout that the bull would help riders score in the 90s despitegetting older.
"He's the greatest bull that the PBR has ever seen," Lambert said."He won three world titles, and no other bull has ever donethat."