Each and every bull rider and viewer was familiar with the moniker “Bushwacker.” The ‘Greatest Bull of All Time’ may have died calmly and peacefully on July 2. Quite the reverse of how he had lived. It was hard to believe how gentle the burnt-rust coated bull really was, given his talent in the arena and the fierceness of his bucking manner.
Reindeer Drippin’ was Bushwacker’s father, and Lady Luck, who was born of Diamond’s Ghost, was his mother. The bloodline was almost sufficient to make Bushwacker the champion he was, but people who knew him well understood that it was a man called Kent Cox and his heart that made him what he was. Bushwacker’s pedigree might have been sufficient to make him a skilled bucking bull without those two missing elements, but it was undoubtedly insufficient to crown him the “Greatest of All Time.”
Only three individuals rode Bushwacker for the entire eight seconds. The bull was only three years old and learning the ropes when the first two incidents occurred. There was no success for the cowboys after he learned to “feel” what the riders were doing. Bushwacker had 42 buck-offs in a succession, which made him a bull that the crowd enjoyed seeing and the cowboys feared having to draw. That is, excepting J.B. Mauney.
Thirteen times. Mauney took a seat aboard Bushwacker thirteen times. Additionally, the bull was branded with the number 13. It was 2013. At last, Mauney’s successful endeavor to ride Bushwacker took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In Tulsa, Oklahoma, there are thirteen letters, in case you were wondering. At last, Mauney succeeded. He didn’t take longer than absolutely necessary—not even a tenth of a second—but he did receive a score in the end.
It was a 95.25 point ride, but it wasn’t just any score either. The presenter has it exactly correct. “The greatest ever has been bested.” He was referring to the bull, though J.B. Mauney might have been the best as well.
The guy who embraced Mauney the most following his triumphant ride was none other than Kent Cox, the caretaker and trainer of Bushwacker. Bushwacker breathed his last on July 2. When he was eighteen, he quietly lay down, shut his eyes, and went to see his old friend Cox, who passed away in 2014. Bushwacker was in Julio Moreno’s pasture, his longtime owner. In 2011, 2013, and 2014, the PBR recognized Bushwacker as a three-time World Champion. Over his PBR career, he set a record with 64 buck-offs in 66 outs.
Muhammad Ali and the bull were compared by PBR Moreno. He wasn’t scared to display his confidence in the arena because he believed he was the best. A distinguished PBR athlete, he has also been labeled a “pop culture superstar” and has relished the notoriety that accompanied his success. The bull has been featured in Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, and ESPN the Magazine, among other publications.
