WELCOME, N.C. – Drafted as the No. 2 overall pick in the Supplemental Draft, 2016 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World Champion Cooper Davis will make his Team Series debut for the No. 3 Carolina Cowboys (8-5) this weekend in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, when the team makes its hometown debut Sept. 9-11 inside LJVM Coliseum.
Davis, who was removed from Injured Reserve on Sept. 2, has been sidelined since Jan. 2022 when he sustained a torn labrum and rotator cuff, while also breaking his shoulder capsule, during the Unleash The Beast tour stop in Sacramento, California.
The 28-year-old will ride in the second position for the Carolina Cowboys when they take on the No. 4 Missouri Thunder (7-6) on Friday, September 9 at the start of the three-day PBR Cowboy Days homestand.
“The leadership and grit Cooper Davis brings to the Carolina Cowboys really takes us to another level,” said Carolina Cowboys General Manager Austin Dillon. “It’s been exciting watching him help coach, but I know how bad he’s wanting to ride. Captain America is back -- get your popcorn ready.”
In addition to winning the coveted World Champion buckle in 2016 and the prestigious PBR World Finals in 2015, Davis’ long list of accolades includes 10 additional premier series event wins and 15/15 Bucking Battle victories. Of those victories, Davis notably won the 2019 premier series event in nearby Greensboro, North Carolina, capping his golden finish with a monstrous 92.75-point ride aboard Chiseled.
Known as “Captain America,” Davis has also excelled for Team USA in the PBR Global Cup, including leading the contingent to victory at the inaugural edition of the country vs. country event in 2017 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Davis ranks 14th all-time on the 90-point rides list, having logged 33 thus far in his career. He is 10th in all-time earnings, having netted more than $3.27 million to date in his PBR career.
The complete starting lineup for the Cowboys (CAR) vs. Thunder (MO), the final game on the opening day of competition for PBR Cowboy Days, is:
Cody Teel (MO) vs. Shakira (JR Phillips)
Mason Taylor (CAR) vs. Jeremiah (Martinez Bucking Bulls, LLC)
Andrew Alvidrez (MO) vs. Hunter (Dozier Cattle Co./Martinez Bucking Bulls)
Cooper Davis (CAR) vs. Happy Gambler (Sho-Me Rodeo)
Callum Miller (MO) vs. Contusion (Sho-Me Rodeo)
Boudreaux Campbell (CAR) vs. Show Me Homie (Jo-Z Bucking Bulls/K-C/Spark-lin Acres)
Adriano Salgado (MO) vs. ZZ Top (Lucas Manning Bucking Bulls)
Wingson Henrique da Silva (CAR) vs. High Country Hitman (High Country Solutions/JR Phillips)
Colten Fritzlan (MO) vs. The Undertaker (Cornwell Bucking Bulls/Riley Bucking Bulls/PCP Bucking Bulls)
Daylon Swearingen (CAR) vs. Smooth Kat (Cornwell Bucking Bulls)
For a complete breakdown of all the starting lineup for the opening round of games at PBR Cowboy Days, click here.
Promoting Davis was one of two transactions made by the Carolina Cowboys since winning the most recent regular season event, PBR Gambler Days in Austin, Texas, where they went a perfect 3-0 in game play and dominated the Bonus Round to earn a maximum 8 bonus points.
The Cowboys also traded Ramon de Lima to the Austin Gamblers for a second-round pick in the 2024 PBR Team Series Draft and cash considerations.
Lima was signed to the Gamblers protected roster, and consequentially, Conner Halverson was placed on the team’s practice squad. Lima will join the starting lineup for the Gamblers on the opening day of PBR Cowboy Days when they play the Kansas City Outlaws. He will ride as the team’s closer, matched up with Patches (Sho-Me Rodeo).
“Ramon is an absolute beast,” said Gamblers Head Coach Michael Gaffney. “He’s a dependable veteran rider who will help add depth to our roster. We’ve had our eye on him since the draft and believe he’s going to be a great addition to the team.”
“We want to thank Ramon for his time with the Carolina Cowboys,” Dillon added. “He gave us maximum effort in all categories. We wish him the best with his new team.”
Lima is a five-time PBR World Finals qualifier who has twice finished inside the world’s Top 20, including a career-best No. 8 ranking in 2018. No stranger to the team-format, Lima has twice been selected to ride for Team Brazil at the PBR Global Cup, including the 2018 team that won in Sydney, Australia.
After concluding the 2022 individual season ranked No. 18 in the world, Lima was initially drafted in the fourth round by the Carolina Cowboys. Prior to being traded, Lima went 3-for-11 for the Cowboys.
Additionally, the Cowboys moved Cannon Cravens to the practice squad from the protected roster, and Ednelio Almeida was removed from Injured Reserve on Sept. 6 and placed on Carolina’s protected roster.
Elsewhere in the league, five additional teams also made transactions following the conclusion of PBR Gambler Days in Austin, Texas. Those roster changes are:
- Arizona Ridge Riders dropped Tyce Willis and Josh Steele making them unconditional free agents.
- Missouri Thunder removed Marcelo Procopio Pereira from Injured Reserve and listed him on the team’s protected roster. Thunder rider Leandro Machado was moved from the protected roster to the practice squad. Clayton Sellars was placed on Injured Reserve as of Aug. 28 and is unable to compete in at minimum Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Alvaro Alvarez Aguilar was signed as a free agent to the team’s protected roster on Sept. 1.
- Nashville Stampede signed Cladson Rodolfo as a free agent to the practice squad on Aug. 29. The team also elevated Matt Triplett from the practice squad to the protected roster and moved Lucas Fideles Souza from the protected roster to practice squad.
- Oklahoma Freedom placed Jess Lockwood on Injured Reserve on Aug. 29, and he is unable to compete in at minimum Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
- Texas Rattlers promoted Ednei Caminhas from the practice squad to the protected roster. Brady Oleson was placed on Injured Reserve as of Aug. 30 and is unable to compete in at minimum Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Stay tuned to PBR.com and follow the league on all social media channels at @PBR for the latest on the PBR Team Series.
The bull riding action for the 2022 PBR Team Series’ Cowboy Days at LJVM Coliseum begins at 7:45 p.m. ET on Friday, September 9, 6:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 10, and 1:45 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 11.
Tickets for PBR Cowboy Days are still available, and start at $20, taxes and fees not included. Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com and PBR.com, at the LJVM Coliseum Box Office, or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.
The Carolina Cowboys will also hold a daily, free-to-attend, family-friendly fan festival at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds, featuring racing activations, musical performances, cowboy church, local vendors and more.
The Cowboy Days fan festival will open at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, September 9, with programming featuring a race-day theme in homage to Carolina Cowboys’ team operator Richard Childress Racing, and a performance from Cody Webb.
The Carolina Days fan festival will continue Saturday, August 10 at 2:00 p.m. Saturday’s marquee programming will feature a classic car show as curated by American stock car racing personality and long-time Richard Childress Racing staffer Chocolate Myers, and the musical stylings of Elvie Shane.
The final day for the PBR Carolina Cowboy Days fan fest will begin Sunday, September 11 starting at 10:00 a.m. Cowboy Church will commence at 11:00 a.m. on the Tractor Supply Co. broadcast trailer, led by Robby Dilmore, while also featuring bull rider testimonials and remarks from Childress.
For more information on Carolina Cowboys, visit https://pbr.com/teams/cowboys/, Carolina Cowboys on Facebook, @carolinacowboyspbr on Instagram, or @CARCowboysPBR on Twitter.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
