NASHVILLE, Tenn. – At the 2024 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Teams New Rider Draft Wednesday evening in Nashville, Tennessee, the Florida Freedom selected teenage phenom John Crimber (Decatur, Texas) with the No. 1 overall pick. The selection created a rarely seen dynamic in professional sports, with Crimber now set to ride for his father, Florida Freedom Head Coach Paulo Crimber.

“I’m excited to get rolling and bring a championship to Florida,” Crimber said moments after being selected. “It’s an honor to join the Freedom alongside my dad, he’s been there my whole career, and I don’t think much is going to change, except he might get on my butt a bit more for falling off.”

“I couldn’t be any happier,” Head Coach Paulo Crimber added. “All of the riders we selected, came right in order. We were certainly blessed to still have each one available when our turn came around. We focused on talent, toughness and youth. I am excited to see how the new season starts.”

“I am honored to have helped make this happen for the PBR family, the Freedom family, and the Crimber family,” said Florida Freedom Owner and General Manager Heath Freeman. “We have assembled a strong team and now let’s win a Championship.”

Crimber was sensational in his rookie season in 2024 on the elite Unleash The Beast, falling just short of the 2024 PBR World Championship in his quest to become the youngest gold buckle winner in history. The 18-year-old generational talent won one premier series event and added five runner-up finishes during the regular season, going 29-for-66 as he covered a torrid 43.93% of his animal athlete opponents.

While he was narrowly denied the World Championship, Crimber was electric in his World Finals debut, finishing second while logging the high-marked ride of his career, a mammoth 95 points atop Ricky Vaughn.

The Florida Freedom also held the No. 6 overall pick, which they used to draft Eric Henrique Domingos (Pérola, Brazil).

As the draft continued to unfurl, the Freedom added Yan Vitor Santos Cunha (Assis, Brazil) with the No. 16 overall pick in Round 2 and Gavan Hauck (Bandera, Texas) with the No. 26 overall pick in Round 3.

The Florida Freedom formally concluded their 2024 PBR Teams New Rider Draft by passing on the No. 36 overall pick in Round 4.

The Florida Freedom’s complete roster now includes:

Caden Bunch (Tahlequah, Oklahoma) Elizmar Jeremias (Anapu, Brazil) Thiago Salgado (Naviraí, Brazil) Joao Lucas Campos (Porto Feliz, Brazil) Alex Cerqueira (Iguatemi, Brazil) Conner Halverson (Gordon, Nebraska) Casey Roberts (Munford, Alabama) John Crimber (Decatur, Texas) Eric Henrique Domingos (Pérola, Brazil) Yan Vitor Santos Cunha (Assis, Brazil) Gavan Hauck (Bandera, Texas)

The Florida Freedom will welcome the league for their homestand, PBR Freedom Days, on August 2-4, 2024, when the team debuts in its new home, Amerant Bank Arena, in Sunrise, Florida.

The bull riding action begins at 7:45 p.m. ET on Friday, August 2, 6:45 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 3, and 1:45 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 4.

Three-day ticket packages are available, offering fans a 20% discount on select price levels.

Tickets for the event are on sale now and start at $20, taxes and fees not included. They can be purchased online at SeatGeek.com and PBR.com, at the Amerant Bank Arena Box Office, or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.

For more information about the Florida Freedom visit https://pbr.com/teams/florida-freedom, Florida Freedom on Facebook, @flfreedompbr on Instagram, or @FLFreedomPBR on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media