PUEBLO, Colo. – The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) will award 2006 World Champion Bull Mossy Oak Mudslinger with the Brand of Honor as part of the Heroes and Legends Celebration at the 2017 Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas.
The ceremony, scheduled for Tuesday, October 31 at 7:00 p.m. at the Showroom at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa, will also induct Ricky Bolin and Lyle Sankey into the PBR’s Ring of Honor. Also among the honorees are Bill Selman and Doug Scott (Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award), and Julie Carrillo (Sharon Shoulders Award). The evening will be hosted by PBR’s official entertainer, Flint Rasmussen, and PBR on CBS Sports sideline reporter Leah Garcia.
The Brand of Honor is a recognition bestowed upon those animals whose spirit and skill have surpassed even the highest expectations in bull riding, a natural extension of PBR recognizing the two great athletes in every ride. The legendary bull, who passed away in 2012 at age 15, will join fellow World Champions Bushwacker, Chicken on a Chain, Bones, Dillinger and Little Yellow Jacket.
Mossy Oak Mudslinger had 94 outs in the PBR, including 93 in the Built Ford Tough Championship Round, with a career average bull score of 45.83 points. The D&H Cattle Co. & Teague Bucking Bulls powerhouse was ridden only 27 times, 15 of those by round-winners, with a career average score of 91.87 points.
Both a physical ring and a fellowship of men whose blood, sweat, heartaches and handshakes have been the bedrock of the sport, the Ring of Honor is PBR’s equivalent of a Hall of Fame. With the 2017 inductions, the elite group will have only 45 members. Current members include the great Jim Shoulders, PBR founders Ty Murray and Cody Lambert, three-time PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes, and two-time PBR World Champions Justin McBride and Chris Shivers.
Growing up, all Ricky Bolin ever wanted to do was be a cowboy, entering rodeos weekly and earning his Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) card by age 15. Bolin qualified for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) four times, his first at age 19, and 11 times for the Texas Circuit Finals, where he won the bull riding championship in 1988. Bolin retired in 1989 and has since worked for HatCo., the makers of Stetson, Resistol and Charlie-One-Horse Hats, where he is presently the General Manager.
As a western sports athlete, Lyle Sankey is one of only four men to qualify for the NFR in bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding. In bull riding, he twice won the average at NFR, riding nine bulls in each of his victories. Throughout Sankey’s competitive career, and now as a coach and mentor via his Sankey Rodeo Schools, he has helped countless athletes in the western sports world. Since retiring, Sankey has also established himself as an author, lecturer, businessman and motivational speaker, notably being featured in Joe White’s 2007 “Promise Keepers” messages, furthering his impact on the community.
This year’s recipients of the Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award each represent corporate pioneers who through supporting effective brand partnerships have helped elevate PBR to the global phenomenon it is today.
Anheuser Busch’s Bill Selman is regarded as the first person in corporate America to recognize the value of bull riding as a stand-alone sport. Selman’s relationship to PBR dates to the rodeo days of the founding fathers, sponsoring the Bud Light Six Pack of riders, and later expanding their efforts to contribute to the founding of PBR. As the original title sponsor of PBR’s Bud Light Cup, Anheuser-Busch aggressively marketed bull riding nationally, with point of sale programs at retail across many markets and dedicated TV spots highlighting PBR talent.
Ford’s Doug Scott is the architect behind the F-Series Truck’s relationship with PBR, making Ford a brand now synonymous with the toughest sport on dirt. In the early 2000’s, Scott chartered a plane for a contingent of executives to travel to the Grand Rapids, Michigan, PBR event, which converted the group into avid believers in the value of the growing sport. The experience set in motion a plan that has since transformed Ford into an authentic western lifestyle brand, highlighted by its title sponsorship of the elite Built Ford Tough Series.
Julie Carrillo, wife of PBR Founder Gilbert Carrillo, will receive the Sharon Shoulders Award, an honor that recognizes the great women of professional bull riding whose work, partnership and faith have been as integral to the sport as the athletes themselves. Carrillo was a strong supporter of her husband during his bull riding career, and has continued to be since his retirement, helping him run 4C’s Bucking Bulls & Training Facility.
South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa is the Official Host Hotel of the PBR Heroes & Legends Celebration. Special room rates and packages, starting at $65 and $115 (plus $14 resort fee, taxes, per night, per room), respectively, are available to fans at South Point by using the code FAN1101. For reservations and information call 866-791-7626.
Tickets for the Heroes & Legends Celebration go on sale May 15 and can be purchased at the South Point Las Vegas box office or by telephone at (800) 732-1727. The richest bull riding event in the world, the 2017 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals will take place Nov. 1-5 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The five-day event will not only crown a $250,000 event champion, but also determine the overall 2017 PBR World Champion, who will receive a $1 million bonus and the coveted world championship belt buckle.
