PUEBLO, Colo. ― A few hours before the third round of theAnaheim Invitational, in early 2008, then- 24-year-old rookiePistol Robinson was in the locker room getting hisrope ready. It was just his second appearance on the Built FordTough Series.
So he was confused when three-time World ChampionAdriano Moraes patted him on the back and simplysaid, "Thank you."
The newcomer was sure the 15-year veteran from Brazil hadactually meant to congratulate him - Robinson had notched a90-point ride the night before.
"I was like, 'What are you thanking me for?'" he recalled. "Andhe said, 'For assuring me the future of the PBR is in goodhands."
It was textbook Moraes.
Buckles and money had become secondary to the legendaryBrazilian, who retired from bull riding following the 2008 PBRWorld Finals.
"The man who carries my true identity is thattractor driver who built fences. Eight seconds are not enough totell the story of a life of poverty, struggle and love."
Throughout its 20th anniversary season, the PBR will profile theTop 20 Moments in PBR History. A profile of the "Killer B's" ― ledby Moraes, who was a pioneer for dozen of Brazilian-born riders whofollowed suit ― is the latest in an ongoing series of moments.
In a 15-year career Moraes rode in 229 BFTS events, and claimed29 event titles to go with his three unprecedented world titles andmore than $3 million in career earnings.
He rode 54 percent of his bulls with an average qualified scoreof 86.12 points, and his forty six 90-point rides, including acareer-high 95 on Promise Land, in Houston during the 2000 season,ranks as the third-highest career total behind only JustinMcBride and Chris Shivers.
A perennial Top 10 finisher in the world standings, only twicedid Moraes finish outside of the Top 20. The 14 times he'squalified for the PBR World Finals was more than any other rideruntil Shivers surpassed him last year with his 15thqualification.
It's was said that Moraes rode his best when the spotlightshines the brightest. Twice (1996 and again in 2006) he waspresented with the Lane Frost/Brent Thurman Award for the highestmarked ride at the World Finals.
"I think the glamour of being a World Champion bull riderovershadows (who) you really are," said Moraes, just weeks beforehis retirement. "Hopefully now when I'm stepping off that pedestal-foolishly people put you there. I'm not there, people raise methere. But they can't see beyond the star Adriano Moraes.
"I want them to see the real man that I am. I'm an ordinaryperson."
His true legacy exceeds his achievements in the arena. It liesnot only in his ability to bridge the gap between newcomers andveterans, but also his unyielding desire to help make those aroundhim better people ― both professionally and personally.
"I don't think people really know Adriano Moraes," he said, ofhimself. "I'm a giver. I'm a servant. When I'm here under thelights, everybody thinks I'm a star. I'm not."
To fully understand Moraes the bull rider, one must come to knowMoraes the man.
He arrived in the United States on Nov. 29, 1992. Former PRCAWorld Champion Charles Sampson had spotted theyoung cowboy on a trip to Brazil, and asked if he'd like to comenorth for a visit.
At the time, Moraes could only manage enough English to say,"Yes." And in the two decades since, the one word the 38-year-oldBrazilian has yet to learn is mediocrity.
He will forever be remembered as the PBR's first World Champion(1994), first two-time World Champion (2001), and first three-timeWorld Champion (2006). His passion for bull riding and his love oflife has made him a role model for Americans, while his courage toexcel has provided generations of young Brazilians withinspiration.
"When I see someone like Adriano Moraes coming from Brazil withnothing when he came here," said Randy Bernard, former chiefexecutive officer of the PBR and current board member, "and be ableto learn the language and to be able to become the best bull riderin the world, it really defines what inspiration and discipline isall about."
When the 22-year-old Moraes arrived in the U.S. that Novembermorning, he left behind the tomato fields he'd been working sincehis ninth birthday. He and his bride Flavia (they married justthree months after meeting) arrived with a few dollars, his ridingskills and little else.
Click herefor more photos of the Killer B's.
They had no place to call their own, didn't speak the languageand were unsure about the future.
That first trip was a three-month crash-course in Americanculture. A year's worth of English lessons back in Brazil didn'tseem to have helped all that much.
"It was a big adventure," Moraes recalled. "I don't think it wasdifficult. It was just that everything was brand new."
After spending the first part of the trip in Arizona, the youngcouple eventually made their way to Keller, Texas, where they tookup residence with Dedra and David Jennings, who helped the Moraeseswith obtaining Social Security cards and drivers licenses.
Moraes was competing at as many rodeos as he could, and witheach ride he was gaining the attention and respect of his heroes ―Troy Dunn, Aaron Semas,Clint Branger. The 8 seconds he spent on the backof one rank bull after another provided Moraes with a confidenceand comfort in this new country.
But in spite of his warrior-like exterior, he was hurting on theinside.
Moraes had been used to traveling with his wife, but suddenlycouldn't. In Brazil, a cowboy could ride as many as five bulls inone week before traveling to a new destination. Here, he wouldtravel in a rental car with three and four other riders to as manyas five different cities in a single week.
"I'm fragile," he said. "I'm very, very fragile, and that's whatI want people to see ― that as fragile a man as I am, I canaccomplish such strong things."
Adding to the loneliness of the road was the inability to talkwith his fellow travel partners. So Moraes internalized his painand oftentimes kept to himself.
But staying silent, as the world would eventually discover, wasnot an option for the emerging international star, who was onlyknown at the time - early 90s - as "The Brazilian Guy."
"I think those new adventures were good for me," he said. "Ididn't have time to be homesick or to think how tired I was or howdifferent my life was becoming."
He then added, "I'm a communicator. I love to talk, and here Iwas unable to do so. I had so much stuff to comment about, and somuch good things to talk about in this new life, but I could notcommunicate with anybody."
After three months, Moraes and his wife went home to Brazil, butonly temporarily.
Moraes, the second of five children (he has three brothers -Edno, Andre and Allan - along with one sister − Fernanda), was bornApril 20, 1970, in Quintana, Sao Paulo, Brazil. His childhood homewas a dirt-floor dwelling that resembled a granary more than ahouse. It was on that dirt floor that Moraes took his firststeps.
His parents - Aparecido and Elizabeth - suffered through yearsof unemployment and poverty before his father eventually succeededas a local farm administrator. Adriano picked tomatoes with hisfamily before being elevated to the more respected position oftractor driver ― a promotion that would strain an already difficultrelationship between the elder Moraes and his second son.
Moraes quit school as a sophomore and left his job at the farm ―a decision that caused arguments at home. He started riding bullsprofessionally at 18, and within two years, his riding percentagewas more than 80 percent. Still, then as now, his success beliedhis internal struggles.
"I have no education," Moraes explained. "Everything I know, Iknow by living and watching and analyzing people.
"I'm just an ordinary guy that happens to do extraordinarythings on top of a wild beast, but I don't want people to seeextraordinary stuff. I want them to see the guy that struggles.
"I struggle with depression," he continued. "I struggle with myBible study. I struggle with my daily spiritual activities. Istruggle with my relationship with my wife, my friends. I'm just anordinary man that tries to find an equilibrium on Christianity, onprofession, on marriage, on fatherhood, brotherhood."
In late 1993, the Moraeses returned to the U.S.
Already a champion in Brazil, he was considered one of the bestbull riders in the world. Naturally, the co-founders of the PBRinvited the young Brazilian to compete with them and "The BrazilianGuy" eventually won the first gold buckle in PBR history.
But his success translated into much more.
Moraes was almost singlehandedly giving what had been consideredan "American" sport the face of a handsome foreigner. Bull ridingbecame not only a stand-alone spectacle, but an internationalphenomenon.
"I chose what was best for me, at the time," he said, "and allthis happened to happen. Do I take pride? No. Am I happy? Yes. Am Isatisfied? Yes. Am I thankful it was me? Yes, I am, but do I takepride? No, because if it wasn't me it would be somebody else."
Although there were others before him, none had managed to stayin the States for any length of time. Winning the 1994 world titleand garnering a growing number of sponsors made that easier. Therewas something different, something special, about this particularBrazilian guy with the wide smile.
In the years since, one Brazilian after another has followed inMoraes' footsteps.
From Paulo Crimber to EdneiCaminhas, to a slew favorites like GuilhermeMarchi, Robson Palermo, RenatoNunes and Valdiron de Oliveira, anever-growing number of his countrymen have all been afforded theopportunity to escape poverty because of what Moraes and his wifeaccomplished all those years ago.
In recent years, the Brazilians have been coming to the Statesin record numbers.
Silvano Alves not only won a world title in hissecond season on the BFTS, but last year he became the first riderin PBR history to win back-to-back world titles. They'vecollectively won four of the past five world titles and account foreight titles in the first 19 years of the PBR.
In addition to Moraes' three titles and Alves' pair of titles,Caminhas won a title in 2002, Marchi won in dominating fashion in2008 and then Nunes came from behind in 2010 to the title. Since2005, they've also won the World Finals event five times, includingPalermo, who won it a record three times on his own.
There are currently 10 Brazilians ranked in the Top 30 of theworld standings and six Brazilians are among the Top 12 all-timemoney-earners, including three - Marchi, Moraes and Alves - in theTop 5.
In fact, in only 36 months time, Alves has earned in excess of$3.4 million and, in terms of other financial milestones, he's beenthe fastest to $1 million, $2 million and, most recently, $3million. He's likely to surpass $4 million by year's end and willlikely shatter Justin McBride's career record of $5.1 by the timehe retires from the sport.
Alves is only 25 years old and, of course, for third consecutiveseason he's once again atop the world standings.
By coming to compete in the PBR, the Killer B's ― as they'veaffectionately become known thanks to PBR broadcaster Craig Hummer,who coined the phrase several years ago, have not only experiencedsuccess as bull riders, but they have created lives for theirfamilies that include beautiful homes, an education for theirchildren and sprawling ranches.
Palermo grew up in the jungles of the Amazon rainforest andnewcomer Marco Eguchi was raised in the metropolis of Sao Paulo(pop. 11.3 million), while most were raised on small rural ranches,where their fathers worked as ranch managers for otherlandowners.
Although some intend to one day return home and have helpedtheir families to purchase land of their own, others ― Alves andPalermo among them ― have expressed a desire to remain here in theStates long after their careers.
Although each has goals of their own and they've surely madetheir own way - it's still not easy and not all have stayed andfound success - they each realize the importance of Moraes'decision 20 years ago to be a pioneer.
"In Brazil he is a living legend," said countryman Nunes.
"In Brazil, when you talk about Adriano Moraes, many peoplestop," said Helton Barbosa, who came to the U.S. on severaloccasions and more recently has been working with PBR Brazil. "Manypeople cry, many people do not believe that he exists. … When Iarrive at Parana and I say, 'We are in the U.S.,' the people say,'Do you know Adriano Moraes?' I say, 'Yes, I know him,' and thepeople say, 'You're kidding me.'"
Moraes, who returned to Brazil with his family and attendsseveral BFTS each season, including this coming weekend's LastCowboy Standing, is humbled by such stories.
"What I did wasn't any more than just being at the right placeat the right time at the right moment in history," Moraesexplained. "It's not just the right time, it's the right moment inhistory. So I believe that Adriano Moraes changed the faith andface of bull riding (and) the profession in Brazil, but still itjusthappenedto be me."
He's been retired for nearly five years, but, yet, thesacrifices he made and the stories of his faith, hope, and couragewill certainly be told to the many generations of bull riders yetto come.
In his own words, Moraes summed up his life when he wrote in hisautobiography, (which has only been published in Portuguese): "Theman who carries my true identity is that tractor driver who builtfences. Eight seconds are not enough to tell the story of a life ofpoverty, struggle and love."
Follow Keith Ryan Cartwright on Twitter @PBR_KRC.