PUEBLO, Colo. – The PBR’s 27th season is only three weeks away with the Unleash The Beast beginning on Jan. 3 inside Madison Square Garden with the Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden, presented by Ariat.
Before the calendar flips over to a new season – and a new decade – PBR.com will be closing out the current decade by looking back at the last 10 World Champions, World Finals event winners and Rookie of the Years.
Today, PBR.com turns the clock back to the champions of the 2010 season.
2010 World Champion & World Finals Event Winner: Renato Nunes
2010 Premier Series Stats
Rides: 55
Attempts: 100
Riding Percentage: 55%
Average Ride Score: 86.98 points
Top Ride: 91.75 points on Chicken on a Chain (2x) – Pueblo, Colorado, and Billings, Montana
Wins: 4
Top 5: 8
Top 10: 14
90-point rides: 11
CHAMPION PERFORMANCE: Nunes began the 2010 World Finals third in the world standings, trailing Austin Meier by 1,300.75 points. It took Nunes four consecutive rides to overtake Meier in the world standings. Nunes began the Finals with back-to-back 89-point rides on Pit Boss and 2007 World Champion Chicken on a Chain. He then converted on Closet Gangster (89.25 points) in Round 3 before taking over the world lead with 89 points on Soulja Boy.
Nunes didn’t stop there, riding Willie Wilco for 87.75 points in Round 5 to push himself past future three-time World Champion Silvano Alves for the 2010 World Finals event average, despite bucking off Major Pain in the championship round.
The dual victory made Nunes just the second bull rider in PBR history at the time to win both the World Finals and the World Championship in the same season. Mike Lee had pulled off the accomplishment six seasons earlier.
Since Nunes, three other riders have swept the two biggest honors in the PBR – J.B. Mauney (2013), Silvano Alves (2015) and Jess Lockwood (2019).
QUOTE: “I want to ride like Austin Meier, like J.B. (Mauney), and I respect those guys. … I don’t know if those guys want to ride like me, but I want to ride like them. But this week I did better. This year I better and I won the world title.” – Renato Nunes said after winning his World Championship
2010 Rookie of the Year: Silvano Alves
2010 Premier Series Stats
Rides: 33
Attempts: 53
Riding Percentage: 62.26%
Average Ride Score: 85.64
Top Ride: 90.5 points on Unabomber (Uncasville, Connecticut)
Wins: 3
Top 5: 7
Top 10: 9
90-point rides: 1
STANDOUT ROOKIE: Alves showed very quickly in his PBR career that he had gold-buckle potential. The 22-year-old from Brazil won three of his first 15 premier series events (Uncasville, Connecticut; Memphis, Tennessee; Nampa, Idaho), and he began his career with eight consecutive rides. Despite competing in only 15 events, Alves still finished No. 8 in the world standings.
Alves’ 62.26% riding percentage was the best by a rookie since Jason Bennett put together a 65.5% clip in 11 events in 2000.
The Pilar do Sul, Brazil, native was also a member of the Brazilian team that won the final World Cup in 2010.
QUOTE: “I really believe if he doesn’t get hurt, he is a big, big contender of winning the world title next year,” Moraes said. “Well, actually, I believe he is the guy to win it next year.” – Three-time World Champion Adriano Moraes at the time of Alves’ Rookie of the Year award
2010 World Champion Bull: Bones
2010 Premier Series Stats
Outs: 12
Rides: 2
Average Bull Score: 45.46
Top Bull Score: 47.25 (2 seconds vs. Guilherme Marchi at 2010 World Finals)
Top Ride: 91.25 points by Shane Proctor in New York
Average Buckoff Time: 3.8 seconds
Average Ride Score: 90.38
GOING OUT ON TOP: The past decade could have easily been dominated by the legendary Bushwacker, but Bones had different plans before passing the torch to the future three-time World Champion.
A 4-year-old Bushwacker walked into the Thomas & Mack Center as a favorite to win the 2010 world title. However, Bones saved his best performance of the season for his final out at the World Finals to keep the future superstar at bay for one more season.
Taking on 2008 World Champion Guilherme Marchi for a fourth time, Bones once again easily dismantled the brute Brazilian to win his second World Championship. After bucking off Marchi in 4 seconds for a 47.25-point bull score and the 2008 World Championship – ending Marchi’s pursuit of becoming the first rider to go a perfect 8-for-8 at the World Finals – Bones bested Marchi two years later in 2.7 seconds to clinch his second world title.
Bones defeated not only Marchi at the 2010 Finals, but he also took down future Ring of Honor inductee and future two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney in 4 seconds for a 45.25-point score.
Owner Tom Teague would later announce Bones’ retirement at the beginning of the 2011 season. Bones only competed on the premier series for three seasons, but he is still one of only five bulls to ever win multiple PBR world titles. The other four bulls with multiple championships are three-time World Champions Bushwacker, SweetPro’s Bruiser and Little Yellow Jacket, and two-time champ Dillinger.
QUOTE: “He had a great rider on him and he had a great score, and what more can you ask for out of a bull? That was just it, and I couldn’t be happier with him. He’s a great animal and I love him. I really do. I never realized I’d be attached to an animal like that, but he’s the first one I ever raised, and he made it two times.” – Tom Teague on his decision to retire Bones at 7 years old.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko