LAS VEGAS - Robbie Herrington has made a lot of deals throughouthis career as a stock contractor, but none stands out like the onehe made for Dillinger.
Of course there are the obvious reasons: Dillinger wonback-to-back World Champion Bull titles in 2000 and 2001 and, tothis day, according to www.probullstats.com, he'sstill historically ranked as the No. 1 bull of all time.
More important, Herrington still believes making the purchasefrom Neal Gay was the most honorable business dealing he's ever hadwith a fellow contractor. Not only did Gay fairly price the bulland allow Herrington and his oldest son Chad to pay half up front,but Dillinger came with a guarantee:
If they weren't happy with him after three events they couldreturn him and get their money back.
"Of course, we knew the day we bought him that wasn't going tohappen," said Herrington, who saw Dillinger for the first time atthe 1999 World Finals when he drew Bubba Dunn andJustin McBride.
There was no way they weren't going to be satisfied with him,especially after seeing his World Finals performance in 1999.
In his first out Dillinger drew Dunn. He took two long jumps outof the chute and, according to Herrington, "it looked like he wenthalfway across the Thomas & Mack before he turned back, but itjust happened so quick and so strong you're like, I don't know. Itwas like seeing something you had never seen before.
"Of course, it proved out over time that it really was somethingwe hadn't seen before."
According to www.probullstats.com, he wasridden in seven of 47 outs on the Built Ford Tough Series from thestart of the 2000 season until his career was cut short in2002.
After being the top-scoring bull at the 1999 Finals, he went onto win back-to-back titles in 2000 and 2001. Only twice in hiscareer was he marked under 45 points, compared to 13 scores of 48or more points.
Of the seven qualified scores, four were round wins, and 28times Dillinger was the high-marked bull of the event with a careerBFTS average score of 46.83 points.
Six of the seven qualified rides were scored anywhere from 93.5points to 96.5 points by the judges, and his lone mark of 88.5points was impressive considering his broke his leg during theout.
"That's the one thing, when you look back, that takes the windout of you," said Herrington, recalling the injury that took placein Louisville, Kentucky. He added, "It's not always easy."
"It was like seeing something you had never seenbefore," said Robbie Herrington.
Injuries are the unfortunate side of sports.
Athletes - whether it's a baseball player or a bull rider and,in this case, a bucking bull - are prone to getting hurt. Ithappens.
By and large, Dillinger had one of the most memorable careers.Three of the seven qualified rides took place in Las Vegas, whereEdnei Caminhas rode him in 2000 for 94.5 points.In fact, Caminhas rode him four of the seven times.
However, the single most memorable moment came in 2001 whenChris Shivers covered Dillinger for 96.5 points.It's one of the four highest-marked rides in PBR history and theonly one that took place at the preeminent event of the season.
"Everything about him was just phenomenal," Herrington said."Everything was dynamic from the get-go."
Looking back, Herrington could only muster up, "Oh Lord," whenasked if there was one accomplishment he was most proud of, beforeagreeing that he was most thankful for the fact that Gay sold himthe bull.
Every competitor strives to get better and stock contractors areno exception.
They too want to continually better their pen of bulls. Whetherit's adding to the depth or improving the quality, but evenHerrington readily admits he's never likely going to have or evensee a bull as good as Dillinger.
It was a special time.
According to Herrington, when bull-riding enthusiasts - be itcontractors, riders and PBR fans alike - see a bull like Dillingerthey appreciate it. People gravitate toward greatness.
When you talk about great bulls, from Little YellowJacket to Bushwacker, each has his ownstyle. Herrington drew a comparison to basketball by noting thatnot every great NBA player is named Michael Jordan.
The first adjective he used in reference to Dillinger waspowerful.
Dillinger was also extremely fast - for being a 2,000-pound bull- athletic and, yes, incredibly smart.
"Their whole personality unmasks themselves in front of us asfans and owners," he said. "We don't get to pick the stars. Theykind of pick us."
Herrington said, at the time, Dillinger's career seemed to go byso quickly it was all a blur to him, but over the years he's beenable to relive the memories and recall the various stories.
And events like Tuesday's upcoming Heroes & LegendsCeremony, in which Dillinger will receive this year's Brand ofHonor, serves as opportunity to rekindle those great memories.While Herrington hasn't exactly write a speech, per se, the pastcouple months he's thought a lot about what he might say when it'shis turn to speak.
"To this day it's still pretty unbelievable," he surmised.
"It doesn't get any better than this," said Herrington, whoadded that he's reminded of how important it is to "just slow downand enjoy what's left of the ride."
Follow Keith Ryan Cartwright on Twitter @PBR_KRC.