Champions were crowned, history books were rewritten, and 2024 will live on in the annals of PBR history forever.
By Darci Miller
FORT WORTH, Texas – The 2024 seasons are officially in the books, and we can confidently say this year was a banger. We witnessed a historic world title run, retirements, career milestones, the Austin Gamblers finally climbing the mountain, and so much more.
Here are 24 moments we’re thankful for in 2024, and we wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
A Rookie of the Year race for the ages
2024 was truly the season of the rookie. Cassio Dias and John Crimber led the world title race, but we also had breakout stars like Kaiden Loud, Caden Bunch, Clay Guiton, Marco Rizzo, Cort McFadden, Leonardo Castro, Julio Cesar Marques, Paulo Eduardo Rossetto… and seven-time PRCA bull riding world champion Sage Kimzey. It was arguably the deepest rookie class in PBR history, and our hats are off to all these incredible riders.
Cassio Dias wins seven events
Cassio Dias proved he was a star during the 2023 PBR Camping World Team Series season, but the 2024 Unleash The Beast was where he truly made his mark on the sport. Dias won a whopping seven UTB events, one shy of tying the record for most event wins in a single season. It was an incredibly dominant performance, especially when no other rider won more than two events. He became the fastest rider ever to three UTB event wins and had by far the best rookie season of all time.
“Every time, I can do better, I can do better, and (the bulls) don’t care about if I’m going to ride or not going to ride,” Dias told PBR.com in May. “I just try to ride for my confidence. That’s why I had big success and won those seven events. I ride some bulls that they don’t like to pick because they’re hard, and I try to push to be better. It don’t matter if they’re going to the right or going to the left or switch direction. I’m riding all kinds of bulls to prepare my mind.”
John Crimber makes his long-awaited UTB debut
John Crimber has been around the PBR since he was a kid, tagging along with his dad, Paulo Crimber, and riding mini bulls at the PBR World Finals. He blew the world away even before he was on the premier series, dominating the Challenger Series and PBR Canada, before making his UTB debut in Tucson, Arizona, to start the 2024 season. It’s not often an 18-year-old has a long-anticipated debut, but Crimber has lived up to the hype.
“It’s just another bull riding, but with bigger money and all that stuff,” Crimber said at the time. “I think it’s just another bull riding, and I don’t see it as another level. A lot of people said that, but today shut them up a little bit, I guess.”
Brady Fielder is the first Aussie to win a UTB event since 2015
Aussie Aussie Aussie! We’ve had some high-level Australian representation on the UTB in the last decade, but since 2015, none of them had been able to win an event. That is until Brady Fielder decided to change the game, going 3-for-3 in Manchester, New Hampshire, to earn his career-first UTB event win and the first for an Australian in nine years.
“The one ultimate goal is to become a World Champion,” Fielder said. “That’s what I’m here for.”
Sage Kimzey goes full-time on the UTB and wins the PBR World Finals
In the past, seven-time PRCA bull riding world champion Sage Kimzey has dabbled in the PBR, competing at the World Finals as a Velocity Tour invite in 2017 and the Monster Energy Team Challenge in 2020. In 2024, he finally went full-time on the Unleash The Beast, becoming the most decorated rookie the league has ever seen. He missed the bulk of the season due to injury, but he made his season count thanks to a PBR World Finals event win to close things out.
“It feels great, especially after the tough season that I’ve had,” Kimzey said in May. “It feels great to come in here and show what my talent can be.”
Dias’s rivalry with Man Hater…
If 2024 is any indication, Cassio Dias vs. Man Hater will go down in history as one of the greatest rider-bovine rivalries in league history. Facing off three times, Dias is a perfect 3-for-3 aboard Man Hater with scores of 93.75, 94.75, and 98.25 points – the last of those clocking in as the second-highest-scoring ride in PBR history. When these two are next to each other in the draw, prepare for fireworks!
When Dias was scored 98.25 points, Man Hater contributed a whopping 49.25-point bull score to the effort. But in his prior out, he’d done even better than that, bucking off Sage Kimzey in 2.41 seconds for a record-breaking 49.5 points. It’s the highest bull score in PBR history and a record that may never be broken.
“I haven’t even soaked in yet,” stock contractor Gene Owen said in September. “When Kate (Harrison) asked me some questions right behind the deal I was just speechless almost. It hadn’t soaked in. 20 years from now, it still may be the highest. Maybe not, but they’ll have a hard time beating it. And he’s not hardly done, so he may beat it himself.”
The night of 90s in Tulsa
The bull power is always great in Oklahoma, but in Tulsa back in January, it was absolutely off the charts. The bull riders used it to their advantage, erupting for seven 90-point rides in the championship round. It was an absolutely incredible performance that has it standing alone as the greatest short round in PBR history.
Speaking of rank bull power, no bovine has been better than Cool Whip for the last two and a half years. The last time he was ridden was in April of 2022. At the 2024 PBR World Finals, Cool Whip rewrote the history books by tying and then surpassing three-time World Champion Bushwacker’s legendary buckoff streak with his 43rd consecutive buckoff.
“He has that record forever,” owner Staci Addison said. “Not that it can’t be broken, and I can’t wait until the day it is broken, because that’s why we keep track of stuff. But until then, he’s the most buckin’-off bull ever. It’s unreal. I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around it.”
Cassio Dias overcomes broken back to win World Championship and Rookie of the Year
After winning seven UTB events and remaining atop the world standings for most of the season, Cassio Dias’s world title hopes were thrown into jeopardy at the World Finals – No. 2 John Crimber was riding lights-out, and Dias suffered a brutal wreck and was carried away with spinal fractures, broken ribs, a partially collapsed lung and a concussion. But he grit his way through two final days of competition at AT&T Stadium and did enough to secure a very, very well-deserved world title.
“I’m very thankful to have had the opportunity to achieve my dream and to have my name written in the history of the PBR,” Dias told PBR.com. “I feel very full because I know my dreams came true. I’m very happy and thankful for everything I achieved.”
Man Hater caps dominant season with world title
If Dias’s world title win was dominant, it was matched on the bovine side of the equation by his pal Man Hater. The bovine won nine Bull of the Event titles during the UTB/Teams season, scored north of 47 points three times, and finished the season with an average bull score of 46.55 points. He was, quite simply, the best.
“I get a little emotional, and I really try not to, but man, it was hard for me to keep it together at different times today,” Gene Owen told PBR.com at the time. “Almost overwhelmed. I’m a blessed man and God has always blessed me through my whole life, on numerous things. I don’t always understand why except that he loves me. I’m a child of God, and he blessed me. That’s all I know.”
PBR and Kid Rock team up to rock and ride at AT&T Stadium
Western sports have never rocked harder! To kick off the final weekend of the PBR World Finals, AT&T Stadium welcomed Kid Rock’s Rock N Rodeo, featuring six teams of rodeo stars competing for glory in tandem with a Kid Rock concert. The underdog Free Riders squad emerged victorious, but everyone was a winner on this wild night.
“People came to watch these guys and Kid Rock was a bonus,” Free Riders head coach Bobby Mote said. “The fact that all of these people got together to create this opportunity and the fact that the least likely team on paper was able to come and capitalize and do so well … I think it’s like a fairytale story to me and it was as fun as could be. It was a nail-biter that came down to the very last minute, but everybody did great, and we couldn’t be happier.”
Oklahoma Wildcatters and New York Mavericks join the PBR Teams fray
The PBR Camping World Team Series action began with the expansion draft in April, with two new teams—the Oklahoma Wildcatters and the New York Mavericks—joining the eight existing squads. This was a huge step for the new league, and the growth signaled that we’re only just getting started.
“Just watching this growth that the sport and Teams has had in the last couple years, I think it’s a moment in our history that can’t be overlooked for the sport,” Mavericks head coach Kody Lostroh said in February. “Sometimes it’s easier to look back at these moments and think, ‘Oh my gosh, that was a huge moment,’ but we’re living it right now. Any other young bull riders out there should pay attention to the opportunity that’s in front of them and work hard towards it, because we need you. We need you to leap.”
J.B. Mauney officially retires but returns to coach
Last September, two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney retired from bull riding due to a neck injury after competing on the rodeo circuit since 2021. He was back at the PBR World Finals in May to be honored for his incredible career, but it wasn’t goodbye: Mauney is the head coach of the Oklahoma Wildcatters and is officially back in the PBR fold.
“I always said I wanted people to remember me whether I won a world title or nothing,” Mauney told PBR.com. “That I was tough when I went at them every time, no matter what. As far as I can tell, that’s what I did with my career.”
The Austin Gamblers shock the world with a trade for Kaique Pacheco
The expansion draft wasted no time getting crazy. The Wildcatters selected 2018 World Champion Kaique Pacheco with the No. 1 selection – no surprise there. But Pacheco was quickly on the move again, with the Wildcatters shipping him to the Austin Gamblers in exchange for Austin Richardson and Cort McFadden. The Gamblers added Pacheco to a roster already stacked with two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme and Dalton Kasel and were officially ready to chase the PBR Teams Championship.
“It was different when we started, but I really like it,” Pacheco told PBR.com. “They are great guys, great riders, and I’m really happy to be part of that team now. I will give my best to try to help them.”
John Crimber gets drafted by his dad as the No. 1 pick
After the drama of the expansion draft, the new rider draft was a bit more predictable. However, that doesn’t mean it was boring! John Crimber was chosen in the No. 1 spot by the Florida Freedom, the squad helmed by his dad, Paulo Crimber. Maybe not surprising, but it made a little history as the first father-son duo to don the same team colors.
“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.”
Carolina Cowboys and Florida Freedom start the season with the highest-scoring game in Teams history
We knew this PBR Teams season would be different right from the jump. At the very first event of the season, the riders were in midseason form, and the Carolina Cowboys and Florida Freedom took things to a new level. As the two squads faced off, the Cowboys went 5-for-5, recording the third perfect game in Teams history, while the Freedom went 4-for-5. The 448-343.75 performance is the highest-scoring game in Teams history.
Home teams dominate the first portion of the PBR Teams slate
There’s no place like home, and the first chunk of the 2024 PBR Teams season proved that in spades. First, the Oklahoma Wildcatters kicked things off with a 2-1 performance at home. Two weeks later, the Florida Freedom matched that 2-1 showing on home dirt. The New York Mavericks then went 2-0 at home, and the Nashville Stampede went 2-1.
Eduardo Aparecido joins 400 club
Four hundred rides on the premier series is a milestone that only nine riders have reached. This season, Eduardo Aparecido became the latest, riding Dark Thoughts for 88.5 points to join the exclusive 400 club and cement his place in PBR history. He also got to celebrate with a cake with his Arizona Ridge Riders teammates in the locker room.
“I’m blessed for this, for this 400th bull (right) now,” Aparecido shared with Matt West during a postgame interview. “Thank you to my team for believing in me every day. And my coach, Colby Yates. I’m happy and blessed for this moment.”
Brady Fielder wins the inaugural Great 8 award
Brady Fielder had his coming-out party during the UTB season with his first career event win, but the PBR Teams season is when he really became a dominant force. The Texas Rattlers superstar became the first winner of the Great 8 award, given to the rider with the highest riding percentage and at least 20 outs. Fielder is just the third rider in PBR Teams history to finish a season with a 70% riding percentage, going 26-for-37 (70%).
“To me, it’s what I expect, and it’s what I do for a living,” Fielder said in October. “It’s an everyday thing for me. Bull riding comes to me fairly normal, so I expect to ride every bull I get on. I’ve always known I could do it and was feeling good about the season. I set goals with that expectation, to achieve those kind of things, and I just thank God for his guidance each and every day. It helps a lot.”
John Crimber sweeps PBR Teams MVP awards
John Crimber may not have won the 2024 world title, but he won just about everything else. The Florida Freedom superstar went 26-for-40 (65%) to win the regular-season MVP award, and then followed that up with a 4-for-4 showing in the postseason to win the PBR Teams Championship MVP award. And remember, all of this was in his rookie campaign.
“I really just left it all in God’s hands because he’s the one that, if it’s in His will, that’s the way it was going to go,” Crimber told PBR.com. “I just give all the glory to Him. I just tried to do my job every weekend, bull for bull. I went out this season the way I wanted to because I left nothing behind. No regrets for what I did, getting on the most bulls. I got on the most bulls out of everyone, and it’s just what I had to do.”
Kansas City Outlaws sneak into No. 1 seed on the final day of the season
The Carolina Cowboys held the No. 1 spot in the standings all season long, but it’s not over until the last game is played. Unfortunately for them, that last game was against the No. 2 Kansas City Outlaws, who had been playing catch-up all season and were just one game behind. The Outlaws dominated the final contest, locking down the No. 1 rank and the top seed heading into the PBR Teams Championship.
“To have the opportunity to be in that mix with Carolina – to say, ‘If you all win, you’re the champs. If we win, we’re the champs’ – there’s something special about that,” Outlaws head coach J.W. Hart said. “And to hold your own destiny in your own hands and not have to worry about another team winning or losing to move somebody for you is truly special. And just to get the high end of it, to come out on top of it, is just icing on the cake, really.”
PBR bids farewell to Silvano Alves
2024 saw the end of an era. In May, three-time World Champion and 2022 PBR Teams Champion Silvano Alves announced that the 2024 World Finals would be his last. And in October at the 2024 PBR Teams Championship, Alves stepped away from the sport for good, hanging up his spurs after one of the greatest careers in history.
“I feel good,” the newly retired bull rider said. “It was very emotional, but nothing sad. Just emotional, happy to look back at my career and God blessing my career. I had an amazing career, in the United States and in Brazil, my full career. It’s a blessing.”
The Austin Gamblers win it all after going all in
The Gamblers may have missed out on their third consecutive regular-season championship in 2024, but they got a pretty good consolation prize: the 2024 PBR Teams Championship. After losing their first game in Las Vegas and battling back through the Last Chance Game, the Gamblers went 13-for-15 in their next three games – including the squad’s first-ever perfect game – to lock down the title.
“I feel euphoria,” Gamblers head coach Michael Gaffney said. “Pure delight for the guys, because we’ve had a lot of funk this year. You never want to make excuses, but we’ve been through some funk. So for them to keep the faith and believe in themselves, and then have that little bit of a tough, tough go at it the first night to make it through the gauntlet, with Kaique clinching that for us… what’s the old saying? It’s not over until the fat lady sings.
At that, Gaffney laughed. “I don’t talk bad about fat ladies, but I’m sure glad that we’re where we’re at right now.”
