PUEBLO, Colo. – The Unleash The Beast: American Roots Edition returns to action this coming weekend in Del Rio, Texas, with the PBR Built Ford Tough Invitational on Saturday and Sunday.

The PBR’s premier series last held an event at the Val Verde County Fairgrounds when Jerome Davis won the 1996 George Paul Memorial Bull Riding, which was then a premier series tour stop. The PBR also held three sanctioned Touring Pro Division events in conjunction with the George Paul Memorial from 2005-07.

Del Rio has hosted the George Paul Memorial Bull Riding since 1978. It has long been one of the most iconic bull riding events in the country, with countless bull riding legends having competed in the small Texas town six miles away from the Rio Grande.

George Paul, a Del Rio native, was the 1968 PRCA World Champion bull rider, and at one point rode a world record 79 consecutive bulls. Paul was a pilot, and he tragically died in 1970 while flying between rodeos in Colorado and Wyoming. He was only 23 years old.

Paul’s family eventually organized a memorial bull riding in his memory. Eight years later, Denny Flynn won the first George Paul Memorial Bull Riding, beginning a long history in Del Rio of some of the sport’s greatest bull riders descending upon the southern Texas town on Mexico's border to compete at the memorial event. The 43^rd annual George Paul Memorial PRCA event is set for May 21-22 after it was canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Round 1 of the PBR Built Ford Tough Invitational airs Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network. The 15/15 Bucking Battle airs Sunday at noon ET on CBS national television.

Del Rio is the first of three consecutive Unleash The Beast events to be held in Texas this month.

In preparation for this weekend’s Unleash The Beast event in Del Rio, here is a by-the-numbers look at Del Rio and some riders to watch out for. 

2: Two riders are competing this weekend in Del Rio who previously won the George Paul Memorial Bull Riding – 2016 winner Brennon Eldred and 2015 winner Cody Teel.

3: Charlie Sampson, Tuff Hedeman and Trey Benton are tied for the most victories at the George Paul Memorial Bull Riding with three apiece.

8: Eight riders have won the George Paul Memorial multiple times in their careers – Sampson, Hedeman, Benton, Davis, Flynn, Lane Frost, Jim Sharp and J.W. Harris.

11: Eleven members of the prestigious PBR Ring of Honor have won the George Paul Memorial – Sampson, Flynn, Davis, Sharp, Frost, Hedeman, Bubba Dunn, Cody Lambert, Cody Snyder, J.W. Hart and Ross Coleman. Four of those riders were also PBR co-founders – Lambert, Davis, Sharp and Hedeman.

3: Three PBR Rookie of the Year winners have a victory at the George Paul – Hart, Harris and Zach Brown.

1: 1995 PBR World Champion Tuff Hedeman is the only PBR World Champion to have won the George Paul Memorial bull riding.

72.73%: World leader Cooper Davis has been red-hot to begin the season, going 8-for-11. Davis’s eight qualified rides is the most on the Unleash The Beast.

23: Joao Ricardo Vieira currently owns the PBR record for most 15/15 Bucking Battle career victories with six, but he also has 24 qualified rides in the PBR’s rank round of competition. Vieira is 24-for-58 (41.38%) with five 90-point rides. He most recently rode I’m Busted for 89 points at the Okeechobee, Florida, 15/15 Bucking Battle.

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media