07.20.23 - Unleash The Beast
From the Vault: The highest-scoring rides in PBR history
The bovine counterpart of both rides, Woopaa, is featured in the latest installment of PBR Top 30, presented by Pendleton Whisky.
By Darci Miller
PUEBLO, Colo. – It’s the PBR’s 30th anniversary season, and all year long, PBR.com has been celebrating the league’s history and the legends of the sport.
But a milestone year like this one wouldn’t be complete without a definitive ranking.
Who are the best bulls in PBR history?
It’s a question PBR Top 30, presented by Pendleton Whisky, will officially answer. Each week this summer, head over to the PBR’s Facebook and YouTube pages to watch the latest episode and reminisce about the top riders and bulls the world has ever seen.
This week, the bovine countdown talked about some of the GOATS in spots No. 10-7.
Featured in this installment is 2021 YETI World Champion Bull Woopaa, who rewrote the PBR history books in his short career. In parts of just four seasons, he had an average bull score of 46 points, eclipsing 45 points 27 times in 38 outs (71%) and scoring more than 47 points six times.
Woopaa even had two bull scores of 48 points or higher, both coming against two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme.
“Woopaa – everybody knows,” Leme said. “Me and him, we have a history.
“Woopaa, he made my career. I can say it’s going to be impossible to forget him. He’s the bull with the first, second and third biggest scores in history.”
It’s those top two scores that PBR.com’s From the Vault series looks at today. Leme and Woopaa set a new highest score in PBR history twice in 2021, just 100 days apart, making it an iconic stretch that will live on forever.
Leme records highest marked ride in the history of PBR (7/31/21)
TULSA, Okla. – Sports history was made Saturday evening in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) event at BOK Center. In a showdown of titans, reigning World Champion and current No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil) faced off against No. 1-ranked bull Woopaa (Barker Bulls/Hookin’ W Ranch), covering the powerful bull for the highest-marked ride ever in the league’s 28-year history, scored 97.75 points.
The league’s previous high score was 96.5 points, achieved four times. Michael Gaffney (Albuquerque, New Mexico), the 1997 PBR World Champion, was the most recent to accomplish the feat, riding three-time YETI PBR World Champion Bull Little Yellow Jacket (Berger/Teague/Taupin) for 96.5 points in Nampa, Idaho, in 2004.
“This is awesome -- it is hard to explain,” Leme said from the dirt moments later. “It is one of the best days of my life, of my career riding bulls.”
Leme wants to one day celebrate history-making ride with statue of Woopaa (7/31/21)
TULSA, Okla. – Thirty minutes before Jose Vitor Leme would make history inside Tulsa’s BOK Center, he stood on the back of the bucking chutes and admirably stared at his upcoming 8-second dance partner.
Leme smiled at his “buddy” as he likes to call Woopaa.
Woopaa – the No. 1 bull in the world – proceeded to twitch his right ear towards Leme’s direction. Woopaa then turned his head to look at him, almost as if making a nod of affection to the 24-year-old bull riding sensation.
“I was trying to talk to him through his head,” Leme said. “I told him, ‘Hey we have to do our job today. You do your best. I will do my best. We will be 96, 97 points together.’’
Leme and Woopaa teamed up for not just their best dance on Saturday night during the PBR Express Ranches Classic, presented by Pit Boss, 15/15 Bucking Battle, but for the greatest ride in PBR history.
TULSA, Okla. – 2020 Rookie of the Year Boudreaux Campbell had hoped he would be the one to re-write the record books a few days ago when he matched up against YETI No. 1 bull Woopaa at Last Cowboy Standing.
Campbell wasn’t complaining, though, after riding Woopaa for 95.25 points as he went on to win a $20,000 ride score bonus, and a total of $46,520.71, in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The 22-year-old then knew when he saw Leme matched up against Woopaa in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the PBR Express Ranches Classic, presented by Pit Boss, that something special may occur between two of the top athletes in the sport on Saturday night.
Sure enough, Campbell was not wrong.
Leme went on to ride Woopaa for a PBR-record setting 97.75 points, and the marquee ride sent the back of the bucking chutes inside the BOK Center, and the majority of the locker room, into a state of euphoria.
LAS VEGAS –Jose Vitor Leme (Ribas do Rio Pardo, Brazil), who singlehandedly rewrote the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) record books in 2021, put a giant exclamation point on the greatest single season in league history Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas. Conquering the year’s YETI World Champion Bull with the highest-marked ride of all time, Leme won the 2021 PBR World Championship and PBR World Finals event title.
Shattering the league’s all-time high-marked ride record, Leme covered Woopaa (Barker Bulls/Hookin’ W Ranch) for a monstrous 98.75 points en route to again being anointed the PBR World Champion, becoming just the second back-to-back titleholder in league history.
LAS VEGAS – Larry Barker was on the back of the bucking chutes Sunday afternoon in T-Mobile Arena when he walked up to the newly minted two-time PBR World Champion Jose Vitor Leme.
Barker knew Leme was in a ton of pain because of his partially torn right groin and core muscle injury, but Woopaa’s owner also still believed Leme and his bull could team up to make history at the PBR World Finals.
“Let’s go break the record, Jose,” Barker whispered to Jose before grinning.
Leme responded with his own smile, masking the pain radiating throughout his right abdomen, and said, “Yes, sir.”
Could Leme take a victory lap and celebrate his second consecutive World Championship by breaking his own PBR record aboard Woopaa 100 days after previously riding him for 97.75 points in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and win his second career World Finals event title?
“Honestly, I didn’t think about that before Larry say that because something really special has to happen to break 97.75 points,” Leme said. “I didn’t know if I could do that again, but I hoped I could.”
LAS VEGAS – Jose Vitor Leme had a towel on his forehead and his face could not hide the excruciating pain he was in as he was propped up on a table inside the PBR Sports Medicine room at T-Mobile Arena.
Leme had to be carried to the room by the sports medicine staff after riding Top Shelf for 91.25 points in Round 5 of the 2021 PBR World Finals. Thirteen hours earlier, when he rode WSM’s Jive Turkey for 92.5 points in Round 4, the No. 1 bull rider in the world had aggravated a core muscle injury that kept him out of the final five events of the regular season, and his injury had gotten significantly worse on Championship Sunday.
As he laid on the table with a bag of ice wrapped around his right groin waiting to learn if he had clinched a second consecutive World Championship, Leme, barely able to speak, looked up at Dr. Tandy Freeman and smiled slightly.
“Sorry for having to make you work today, doc,” Leme said before chuckling.
Leme may have been in agonizing pain, yet even in this moment he didn’t appear worried or concerned one bit.
He was only thinking about finishing out his goal of becoming the second rider in the PBR’s 28-year history to win back-to-back World Championships.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media