FORT WORTH, Texas – As John Crimber prepared for his Round 3 matchup against Brown Bomber at the 2024 PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Eliminations at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, he got a text from Marco Rizzo.
His good friend is out of World Finals due to injury and was hanging out at the VIP dirt suites in Cowtown Coliseum.
So was Travis Hunter, a wide receiver and cornerback for the University of Colorado Buffaloes football team and John Crimber’s favorite player.
“Travis Hunter’s here,” Rizzo texted.
“I was like, ‘Holy crap. He is here watching. That’s awesome,’” Crimber said. “That guy right there, let me tell you. I’ve always watched him on TV and stuff, and I like watching his highlights. He just fires me up. So I was really excited.”
Hunter even came over to surprise Crimber while he was doing an interview with Kate Harrison on CBS Sports Network.
“That really fired me up, and I told him I was going to do the Heisman (celebration) for him, because I think he’s going to win the Heisman,” Crimber said. “So that was really awesome, just for him being here.”
Crimber did indeed call his shot, and he followed through on the promise of a celebration. He rode Brown Bomber for 89.25 points, hitting the Heisman pose afterward.
The celebration continued as Crimber tied for the Round 3 win with Daylon Swearingen, who rode Hoka Hey earlier in the evening for a matching score.
Not only was it Crimber’s first World Finals round win, it was his first qualified ride at a World Finals. He’d begun the weekend 0-for-2.
“It’s been rough these first couple rounds,” Crimber said. “Not the way I wanted to start my first World Finals. But my good buddy Marco Rizzo told me it’s all in God’s plan. It’s not our plan. So I’ve been trusting that, and it turned around today. I’m really excited to be coming back tomorrow.”
Excitement had been hard to come by for Crimber before Saturday night. He was visibly emotional leaving the dirt after his two prior buckoffs.
“I really don’t like showing my emotion like that, but I mean, this world title race, it’s heating up, and everyone’s riding good,” Crimber said. “That’s what made me upset – everyone else was riding good and I wasn’t doing too hot, so I really got upset. I just kept trusting the Lord’s plan. I knew He’s got something planned for me, and today it happened and I got to get my first qualified ride.”
Crimber had previously slipped to No. 3 in the Unleash The Beast World Championship standings after Eduardo Aparecido won Round 1 and overtook him. Now, however, Aparecido is 1-for-3 and behind Crimber in the aggregate, as is No. 5 Alan de Souza, who also rode in Round 1. No. 4 Dalton Kasel is 0-for-3 thus far at Eliminations.
No. 1 Cassio Dias is 2-for-3 and second in the aggregate behind Kaiden Loud and still leads Crimber by a comfortable margin – 582.5 points. Dias, however, was bucked off and stepped on by Norse God in Round 3. He’s been transported for further evaluation and is questionable for Round 4.
“Special night for me, but I’m pretty upset,” Crimber said. “Turned it all down that Cassio got hurt. After that, I was kind of bummed out. But it’s part of the sport. I’m praying for him as well. He’s going to be alright, though. He’s tough. He’s a cowboy.”
Regardless of what his competitors are doing, Crimber still has a job to do come Sunday afternoon and Round 4. He selected Ugly This (3-0, UTB) as his opponent in Round 4 (Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network).
“It’s a bull I’ve been on before,” Crimber said. “Joao Ricardo (Vieira) got on him today, and that’s my favorite bull, I think, here so far. So I just was like, you know what? Go 90 or go home, I guess. He’s bucked me off before in Little Rock, and I know exactly what I did wrong on him last time, and I’m just going to go out and do what I know how to do.”
Crimber’s next task will be the Championship Rounds at AT&T Stadium on May 18-19, where the 25 best bull riders will battle it out for a world title. But the 18-year-old rookie isn’t getting ahead of himself, and he’s preparing for tomorrow as if he were a seasoned veteran.
“I’ve been watching a lot of guys go out and have fun, but I’ve been going to my room and just kind of chilling,” Crimber said. “It’s what I’m going to keep doing, I guess. Not change nothing. It worked out tonight.”
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
