PUEBLO, Colo. – On the heels of Team Mexico’s best finish at a PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Global Cup, the league has announced that the nation will be led by Gerardo Venegas for the third consecutive edition of the event, joined by PBR Co-Founder Jerome Davis as assistant coach for the 2020 WinStar World Casino and Resort PBR Global Cup USA, presented by Monster Energy.
The fourth edition of the PBR Global Cup, the only nation vs. nation bull riding competition, will make its second stop at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on February 15-16, 2020. The new team tournament debuted in Edmonton, Alberta, in November 2017, visited Sydney, Australia, in June 2018, and most recently stopped in Arlington this past February.
Venegas and Davis will lead a smaller contingent of riders, six cowboys and an alternate, a previously revealed competitive change for the 2020 edition of the event in Arlington. PBR has also announced that coaches will now have full selection power over their rosters.
The competitive change gives the coaches more control of their rosters, with complete autonomy over which bull riding athletes will don their country’s jersey and put it all on the line for the title of “Toughest Nation on Dirt.”
A native of Juarez, Mexico, Venegas led Team Mexico to the nation’s best showing at the 2019 edition of the PBR Global Cup USA inside AT&T Stadium. Recording four qualified rides, Team Mexico concluded the stop 79.75 points in front of Team Canada to finish fifth out of six teams. The 2019 U.S. edition of the five-nation tournament marked the second time Venegas led Mexico as coach, first holding the role in June 2018 in Sydney, Australia.
During his seven-year career with the PBR, Venegas became the first Mexican-born rider to reach the PBR World Finals. He first rode at PBR’s elite level in 2003, winning the third event of his career at the premier series stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Qualifying for the World Finals in 2003, Venegas advanced to the sport’s most prestigious event again in 2005, where he finished 14th in the event average.
Complementing his coaching experience at a team-formatted event, Venegas is a former World Cup competitor. The 39-year-old went 3-for-6 during the 2007 World Cup event for Team Mexico, which finished fourth in Gold Coast, Australia.
Davis, a PBR co-founder and Ring of Honor inductee, will make his Global Cup debut as Team Mexico’s assistant coach.
In addition to being a five-time National Finals Rodeo (NFR) qualifier, the 1995 PRCA World Champion bull rider qualified for the PBR World Finals four times during his career. On March 14, 1998, the rider known as “Jerome Danger” broke his neck after being thrown from a bull, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down.
Undeterred by the injury, Davis, alongside his wife Tiffany, has remained an influential force within the PBR. In addition to being a stock contractor and raising bulls that buck at the sport’s top level, Davis also hosts bull ridings and ABBI events at the Davis Rodeo Ranch, in Archdale, North Carolina, and is a mentor to many, including two-time PBR World Champion and fellow North Carolinian J.B. Mauney.
Team Mexico is the third coaching staff announced for the upcoming Global Cup. Team Brazil will be led by head coach Renato Nunes and assistant coach Guilherme Marchi, and Troy Dunn and his assistant Brendon Clark are at the helm for Team Australia.
The remaining head coach and assistant coach pairings will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for the 2020 WinStar World Casino and Resort PBR Global Cup USA, presented by Monster Energy are on sale now and start at just $10. They can be purchased at the AT&T Stadium Box Office, online at ATTStadium.com or SeatGeek.com, or via the phone at (800) 732-1727.
For more information on the event, including premium experience and elite seats offerings, visit PBR.com/GlobalCup.