PUEBLO, Colo. ― Jerome Davis' entire adult lifehas been defined by the evolution of the PBR.
But, in April 1992, he was just happy to be in the sameScottsdale, Ariz., motel room as his heroes. As it were, he hadn'teven been out of high school for a year when he became the youngestof the 20 founding members.
Sitting toward the back of the room the 19-year-old from NorthCarolina was all smiles.
"I had a vision, kind of like they did, but I was so young - itwas my rookie year - and, so fresh that I was just going to dowhatever my heroes (did)," said Davis, referencing establishedlegends like Ty Murray, CodyLambert, Ted Nuce, JimSharp and Clint Branger. "All (those)guys were guys I looked up to. They were my Elvis.
"It's so far back sometimes it's hard to put it all together,"recalled Davis, who doesn't remember hearing anything about themeeting prior to being invited along by DavidFournier and Cody Custer, who went to winthe PRCA world title later that year.
Days and weeks have quickly faded into years and decades withoutanyone questioning the profound impact the forming of the PBR hasnot only had on the sport of professional bull riding, but also theWestern way of life.
"We've been working on it and building it eversince day one and we're still busy with that."
Throughout its 20th anniversary season, the PBR will profile theTop 20 Moments in PBR History. "It All Started in a Motel Room" isthe latest in an ongoing series of moments.
Arguably the defining moment in PBR history is the monumentalmeeting that took place in April 1992 at a motel in Scottsdale.
It was there that the 20 founders of the PBR - Lambert, Murray,Davis, Nuce, Sharp, Branger, Fournier, Custer, TuffHedeman, Michael Gaffney, DavidBailey Jr., Mark Cain,Adam and Gilbert Carrillo,Bobby DelVecchio, Mike Erikson,Scott Mendes, Daryl Mills,Aaron Semas and Brent Thurman -invested $1,000 each to form what has become the world's premierbull riding organization.
To fully understand the significance, it's imperative to knowthat ― historically speaking ― bull riders were initially thoughtof as unskilled cowboys. When rodeo was first getting started, bullriders were cowboys who didn't possess the skills to rope andhandle a horse. It wasn't until riders such as Jim Shoulders(1950s) and then Larry Mahan (1960s―70s) drew attention to thesport that eventually led to the golden age of the 1980s, which iswhen the 20 founders were all in their prime.
Bull riders went from being "unskilled" to headlining rodeos,and eventually forming their own sport, which sells out arenas suchas Madison Square Garden and can be seen on network television.
In 2011 and again in 2012, a majority of the founders gatheredin Las Vegas for the Heroes & Legends Celebration held inconjunction with the annual Ring of Honor induction.
Not all 20 of the original founders were present in the motelroom on that historic afternoon, but those who were, gatheredtogether and listened to what Lambert and Hedeman had to say thatday.
"The funny thing about it is it was just a regular double motelroom where everybody was sitting on the beds or standing by thewall," recalled Lambert, "and whoever was speaking would bestanding up between the two beds in front of the TV.
"It wasn't a conference room or anything like that."
Davis remembers a lot of riders then each took turns sharingtheir feelings.
Nothing about the meeting was formal.
Hedeman invited Brian McDonald, who in turn brought along SamApplebaum.
Applebaum was a fan of the sport and interested in hearing whatthe riders had to say about banding together and forming their ownorganization. Applebaum was the only businessman in the room thatday and informally became the first CEO of the PBR.
In fact, when he opened the first bank account on behalf of thePBR he invested $1,000 of his own money just so he could be part ofit. He hadn't even asked any of the founders, but when heeventually told them they all agreed it was only fair.
However, the afternoon of the first meeting in Scottsdale was alittle different.
"When we were walking out the door, Mark Cain asked me, 'Cody,how well do you know that man?'" Lambert recalled.
"I said, 'He's not going to steal our money if that's whatyou're asking.' He said, 'Yeah, that's what I'm asking. I justwrote that man a $1,000 check and I don't even know who heis.'"
Cain wasn't the only rider with some concerns.
Davis didn't have $1,000 in his bank account, so he wroteApplebaum a check for $500 with the promise of paying the remaining$500 a week later. Gaffney was among those who did write a checkfor the full amount only to discover hours later ― during atelephone conversation with his wife Robin ― that the young coupledidn't have enough to cover what he called "a hot check."
Luckily the New Mexico native won the Scottsdale event thatnight and his winnings more than made up the difference.
Call it youthful naivety or a focus on the present, but Davissaid once the meeting wrapped up and he'd paid his share he didn'tthink too much about it. In fact, he likened it to planting a seedand hoping it would grow.
In the 20 years since then, there have been a few times here andthere when the founders look back on their decision, but, for themost part, the organization has been focused on the future.
It was formed with a goal of making it better for futuregenerations and it remains that way today.
"We've been working on it and building it ever since day one,"Lambert said, "and we're still busy with that. If you ever stop totake time to look at it, it's amazing to think that the thirdgeneration is retiring now."
If the 20 founders would be considered the first generation thenthe likes of Adriano Moraes, J.W.Hart and Tater Porter would be the secondgeneration followed by Justin McBride,Chris Shivers and WileyPetersen.
Click here to view morephotos of some PBR Heroes & Legends.
Today's top riders make up the fourth (LukeSnyder, Mike Lee and GuilhermeMarchi) and fifth (J.B. Mauney,Kody Lostroh and L.J. Jenkins)generation.
Snyder is the only current rider to have competed against any ofthe original founders and, even in that case, they were young andonly starting out in 1992 and at the ends of their career by thetime Snyder came along.
Not a single rider competing on the Built Ford Tough Series wasof age in 1992 and, in fact, Chase Outlaw wasn'teven born until two months after the meeting took place. Outlaw andriders like Marco Eguchi and TyPozzobon could even be considered the sixth generation ofPBR riders.
"It's hard to believe it's been 20 years already," said Lambert,who joked that he's usually reminded of the occasion because itcoincides with needing to file an extension on his income tax.
He later added, "It's sad that we don't always have time to stopand pay tribute to the past because we're trying to build and lookto the future."
Plenty has changed from then to now.
Some of the most legendary riders no longer compete, the WorldChampion earns a $1 million bonus, the BFTS events take place invenues like Madison Square Garden and Cowboys Stadium and there arenow 20 years of historical facts, figures, statistics, records andmilestones to compare.
With his $1,000 investment, Fournier said he hoped that at somepoint in his lifetime he would see a professional bull rider earn$1 million in their career.
In just two decades, the dream of 20 bull riders has become aglobal sports phenomenon that reaches more than half a billionhouseholds in 50 nations and territories worldwide.
Its prime time programming airs domestically on CBS and CBSSports Network. More than 2.5 million fans attend live events eachyear.
The PBR has awarded more than $120 million in prize money. Todate 26 riders have earned $1 million or more and 13 others haveearned $800,000 or more.
"It surpassed all our expectations," Fournier said. "A lot ofbull riders had ridden for 10 to 15 years and hadn't won $250,000in their entire career and we give that in one night."
Fournier later added, "That's pretty phenomenal ― a no big dealsituation changed the world."
Lambert said during the first 10 years of the PBR comparisonswere made by matching up what the PBR was accomplishing to the wayit had been when the best bull riders rode in the PRCA.
"Now those days seem like the old black and white days comparedto what they are now," he said.
Lambert continued, "You could argue these guys have it tougherthan we did because they have to get on a really good bull everysingle night or you could argue they have it easier because theyget to get on a good bull every single night. I can argue eitherside."
Three-time reigning Stock Contractor of the Year JeffRobinson feels differently.
He said, "You guys weren't spoiled."
To which Lambert agreed, "Right, because we had afoundation."
Robinson further explained, "The work ethic 20 years ago was alot different than it is today and I can see that in my kids."
"That's in life in general," Lambert said. "I know we weretougher than these guys, but we had to be because we had to survivein order to get to this level."
"Even my work ethic was a lot different than my dad," saidRobinson, who grew up in the '70s and '80s.
"Yeah, we had it a lot easier than Jim Shoulders did or JeromeRobinson," Lambert said. "We had it way easier than that."
Follow Keith Ryan Cartwright on Twitter @PBR_KRC