The legendary PBR two-time world champion was retired in 2010 and enjoyed a comfortable life on owner Tom Teague’s property.
One of the all-time great bucking bulls, Bones retired at the peak of his abilities in 2010 after winning his second championship, and he would be coddled for the next 14 years by being cows.
Bones laid down, closed his eyes, and died quietly on the farm in North Carolina where he had lived a regal retirement. His age was twenty-one.
Although many consider Bushwacker to be the greatest player of all time in the sport, many also know Bones, who defeated Bushwacker in 2010 to win his second global title.
Owner Tom Teague of Bones, who has given up only five qualified rides in 43 PBR outings (a 90.7% buck-off percentage), instantly retired the 7-year-old. He desired the victorious exit for his beloved bull.
Teague remarked, “I got a lot of static because I didn’t take him to every event.” “Well, I would argue, a boxer doesn’t box every day. He was quite special, even though I adore all of my animals. I looked after him well.
The most well-known trip for Bones was not related to the yearly points race; rather, it was a $20,000 wager at the Built Ford Tough Series event held in February 2009 at Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena.
That was when Bones was 13-0. Some speculated that he was unrideable by cowboys. J.B. Mauney, a fellow North Carolinian, stated that he was not your typical cowboy.
Mauney made the whistle for 93.50 points, the highest-scored ride of Bones’ career.
In 2014, Bones would become the fourth bull given the sport’s highest honor for an animal athlete, the PBR Brand of Honor.
The bull’s name is a literal description of his former self.
Teague, a businessman from North Carolina, recalls that as a scrawny calf, he was called a “bag of bones.” Teague had opened his pocketbook and Rolodex to provide PBR the money and connections it needed to get on network television in the early years of the sport. In addition, he had a portion of the World Champion bulls Big Bucks, Mossy Oak Mudslinger, and Little Yellow Jacket.
Teague is a prosperous businessman who has an excellent eye for identifying and nurturing talent. Teague thought to himself, “Holy cow, this thing could be a small NASCAR,” as he took in the excitement, thrills, and crowd energy of his first bull riding event with his son Lacy.
He was curious as to who was in charge of this occasion. A rancher gestured to Randy Bernard, the PBR’s leader, who was wearing a white shirt. The two men struck up a conversation and grew close. Teague informed Bernard that he was open to investing in professional bull riding should any prospects arise.
Bernard contacted soon after, and Teague helped PBR regain its TV rights through an agreement that aired the sport on NBC and launched an enduring success story.
If it weren’t for Tom Teague, it’s highly likely that Richard Childress, the owner of the Carolina Cowboys and a legend in NASCAR, would not currently own a PBR team in the growing bull riding league.
He also saw potential – just as he was about to sell her – in the cow who’d give birth to Bones.
The cow leaped into a confined space containing the water pumps prior to it being formally put up for sale. She leaped like a reindeer to safety as plans were made to get her out.
“I told them to pull her out of the sale because I was going to get a calf out of her.” stated Teague. And that’s the origin of Bones. She had to be confined like a deer in a pen. She had a brahma-like appearance, was a fair big cow, and could jump.
There would never be another world-champion bucking bull born from the dam. She’d given birth to an athlete who was one in a million with Bones.
It didn’t appear to be anything like that initially.
When Bones was a year old calf, he looked tattered and disheveled. He was typically by himself and a loner. Teague kept him apart from the others and saw to it that he had plenty to eat.
Gaining strength, Bones reached 1,550 pounds and became a phenomenon known for his trademark jump of leaping high and then lowering his head to knock riders off their backs.
“Bones was incredibly athletic,” Ty Murray, a co-founder of PBR, stated. “You wouldn’t think a bull could physically do things the high and vertical things he would kick.”
Teague said, “I never imagined he’d become the bull he was.” What more could you ask for from a bull, then? I wanted him to win this one. I adore all of my pets, but he held a particular place in my heart.
At home, I put him in a dedicated pasture. Give him the best hay and alfalfa; feed him grain every day. Place a woman inside to provide him with company.
Teague Bucking bulls occasionally had more than one bull in the short round. In 2014, Teague departed from the stock contracting industry. He had one last bull, Bones.
Bones was still warm when Teague’s brother Randy discovered him sleeping soundly in the pen on Thursday morning. The earth was still all around him. There was no fighting or kicking.
He had left behind a long and wonderful life to go to the other side. On the farm, bones will be interred next to Little Yellow Jacket, the three-time world champion.
