TULSA, Okla. – Ryan Dirteater celebrated his 33^rd birthday in an unexpected way on Thursday evening.

Dirteater posted a video on his Instagram account with the caption “I’m coming back” to the shock of some of his biggest fans.

Was this birthday surprise simply a stunt or a joke?

No it was not.

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A post shared by Ryan Lee Dirteater (@ryandirteater)

The 2016 PBR World Finals event winner is dead serious about returning to the arena for the first time in 17 months, and Thursday was the latest step as he attempts to regain the form he had when he retired following the 2020 PBR World Finals.

A big reason for Dirteater’s decision to unretire following an illustrious career which featured 12 PBR World Finals qualifications?

The inaugural PBR Team Series.

“I haven’t told anybody my intentions, but the Team Series really fired me up when I heard about it,” Dirteater said Friday night from the BOK Center in Tulsa. “I was like, ‘Damn I retired too early.’ This is a great opportunity for bull riders, and it will extend guys’ careers. I just wanted to be a part of that. I feel I would be a great asset to a team. I have been there, done that. I am a veteran.

“Coming back has been on my mind for quite a while. This team deal is something neat and I just want to be a part of the team deal, and I have missed the sport a lot. Last year was busy. I got married, went on a honeymoon, built a house. New year came around and coaching the Team USA Wolves got me fired up to return.”

Dirteater said his comeback is going to be one season and done, but he is hopeful it will be a memorable one and he is not taking this decision lightly. He knows how serious a return to the arena is, and he is going to make sure he is 100% ready come the start of the PBR Team Series on July 25-26 at Cheyenne Frontier Days.

“I felt like I was ready to retire my last season, but we missed a lot events because of COVID, and I wasn’t able to perform like I wanted to. I feel the team season is there for all of us bull riders to make a good amount of money if we just do our jobs and be strong and take care of each other. One year. That’s it for me.”

The 2016 PBR World Finals event winner’s last qualified ride in PBR competition came in Round 3 of the 2020 PBR World Finals when he rode Payin Debts for 91 points. The ride was the 16^th 90 of his career.

Dirteater left the sport a year and a half ago following 264 rides in 692 attempts (38.15%) on the premier series. Dirteater, who debuted on the premier series in 2007, won nine events, including three during his career-best season in 2016. Dirteater finished fourth in that year’s world title race courtesy of a career-high 33 qualified rides in 74 attempts (44.59%).

“I have been on a handful of bulls these past few months,” Dirteater said. “I just haven’t posted anything. I was doing this on the DL. I got on my first one probably at the end of January. We have been practicing, but I just hadn’t posted anything because I wasn’t in the best shape that I would like to be, especially when you retire. When you are up here you need to be in top condition. I just needed to get on something to see how I feel.

“I am not going to lie, I was sore after that first one,” Dirteater said. “I was sore for a week. Oh man, my arms were sore. My legs were sore. I got on another one a week and a half later, same deal. I was sore for another week. I just kept working out and working on my mind. That is what you have to do. You have to stay focused up here. You have to work out every day and be mentally ready. I kept getting on and kept getting on. I rode a handful and bucked off a handful.”

When Dirteater decided to walk away from the sport in 2020, part of it was because he felt he had nothing left to accomplish outside of winning a world title.

Dirteater is still content with all of his individual accolades in the PBR, but now he wants to add a different achievement to his prestigious resume – a PBR Team Series Championship.

Dirteater does not plan on riding at any Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour or Unleash The Beast events in the coming weeks to show potential teams what he has left in the tank. 

“I am going to stay local,” Dirteater said. “I am going to just keep getting on bulls and posting some videos. I just want to do it for the team aspect. I am not too old. Joao (Ricardo Vieira) is 37. I don’t want to go out and chase an individual world title. I tried that and I didn’t do it. Now it is time for a team championship and that is what I am doing it for.”

Dirteater said he has not formally talked to any coaching staffs as of Friday night, but that will likely change now that news of his return is public. While some teams were aware of the Dirteater rumors, Dirteater knows some may have thought he was not serious.

Now that he is legit serious, where does he think he could be drafted on May 23 at the 2022 PBR Team Series Draft, presented by ZipRecruiter?

“Oh, I won’t be a first-round pick,” Dirteater concluded. “I will probably be towards the end of the draft. Will see. They can look back at my resume and do their research and ask how I feel. I will tell them the honest truth. The coaches are there to do their job and are going to pick the best guys going, but I know I can help a team win. I am ready.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media