PUEBLO, Colo. – Stetson Wright was preparing for the final night of the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw he had a text message from an unknown number.
Nine-time World Champion Ty Murray, who won the 1998 PRCA All-Around World Championship, wanted to send his congrats to Wright as he was in the process of becoming the first roughstock athlete since Murray to win the all-around title.
It was a surreal moment for Wright.
Murray was one of his biggest childhood idols, and to get a message from him is something Wright will never forget, beyond joining Murray in the record books after he indeed won the 2019 PRCA All-Around World Championship.
“He texted me at the 10th round of the NFR and he told me was proud of me, good luck and that he was rooting for me,” Wright said.
In fact, Murray wasn’t the only rodeo legend to reach out to Wright last December at the NFR. Six-time All-Around World Champion Larry Mahan made sure Wright knew what was at stake in Las Vegas.
“Larry Mahan walked up to me during the 10th round and said, ‘If you mess this up, I will never talk to you again,’” Wright said with a laugh.
Wright then added, “It is pretty nerve-racking to have those two talk to me and they had both done it. I am glad it came out the way it did.”
Wright has gotten to know Murray on a much more personal basis in the past few weeks. The PBR randomly assigned Murray to be the General Manager of Team Wright for the upcoming Monster Energy Team Challenge, presented by U.S. Border Patrol.
“I looked up to him ever since I was a little kid,” Wright said. “I have read his book (“King of the Cowboys”), watched him on YouTube. I watched him a little bit growing up, when he was still rodeoing, because my dad was still going. He has been like a superhero to me growing up. I have looked up to him and it is going to be awesome.”
Wright knew once he turned pro in 2018 that his goal was to win an all-around title, especially after he won the 2017 all-around title at the National High School Finals Rodeo.
Before breaking the 21-year drought for a roughstock athlete to win the all-around world title last season, Wright also helped his high school football team win its first state title in more than two decades when Milford High School won the 2017 Utah 1A state football championship.
Wright was a slot back, free safety and kick/punt returner for the Tigers. The 5-foot-6 bull rider had six tackles and an interception in the 28-14 state title game win over defending champion Duchesne. According to MaxPreps, Wright caught 41 passes his senior year for 704 yards and seven touchdowns.
Now Wright gets to try his hand in a team-formatted sport once again with the Monster Energy Team Challenge.
Team Wright begins play Friday in Division A, and joining Wright on his squad are Garrett Smith, Brady Portenier and 2018 NFR event winner Chase Dougherty.
The Monster Energy Team Challenge is going to feature 12 teams and 48 bull riders at the Pendleton Whisky Let ‘Er Buck Saloon at South Point Arena. Each team will consist of four riders, and there will be two divisions of six teams. The Top 3 teams in each division will then qualify for Championship Weekend and a single-elimination tournament in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on July 10-12 in front of fans.
Every game will be comprised of 12 collective outs, with each team attempting six bulls. Three riders per team, as selected by the General Manager, will attempt two bulls per game. The winner of each game will be the team with the top combined aggregate score from their six outs.
Wright’s selections are all rodeo cowboys he has looked up to and leaned on for advice as a 20-year-old in the PRCA. He is the youngest Team Captain for the Monster Energy Team Challenge.
“The reason I picked the guys that I did is, throughout the years of me watching them when I was younger, they always rode rank bulls. They have had those big moments,” Wright said. “I figured if I was going to win this deal, and I picked the guys that can ride the rank bulls. I’m not mad with who I picked. I am super excited. They are rank.”
Wright will also be rejuvenated for the competition after having some time off to let a series of injuries heal due to a lack of rodeos because of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak.
The Milford, Utah, native tore his right MCL attempting to ride three-time PBR World Champion SweetPro’s Bruiser at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo on Feb. 20, and that came a day after Relentless stepped on the right side of his pelvis.
Wright also finally got a series of hardware – five plates and a series of screws – removed from his face on May 15 following surgery he had last July because of a broken jaw sustained at the Dodge City (Kan.) Roundup Rodeo.
“Well, my routine to get back into the groove was a little different then everybody,” Wright said. “Everybody was getting on bulls every day up until the rodeo started back up, and when I got home I had surgery on my jaw. I had all the plates (in my jaw) removed. Bruiser in San Antonio was one of the last bulls I got on. He tore my MCL, so I had been working out, getting my knee feeling better, and my jaw feels good. That is all I have really done. I have been on a couple bulls, but not like everybody else it seems like.”
The time off may have been just what Wright needed. He is sitting No. 23 in the PRCA bull riding standings after finishing last year No. 3. Wright finished in fifth place at the NFR with his 5-for-10 showing at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Wright will lead his team into competition this Friday against Team Kolbaba at the Pendleton Whisky Let ‘Er Buck Saloon at South Point Arena. The game airs live on CBS Sports Network and RidePass with a tentative start time of 9:50 p.m. ET.
“All three guys that I picked are super good riders, and I feel like they are underestimated, and I think it will be good,” Wright said. “We have two left-handed guys and two right-handed guys on the team.
“I am tickled pink how this is going to go.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko