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The Bud Light Cup Series (BLC) was the first tour and in its first year was the only tour of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). When other tours were created, it became the major league tour of the PBR.
This series ran from 1994 through 2002. It was the inaugural and only tour at its time of inception, as the PBR started their inaugural season in 1994. [1] [2] This series became the elite series of the PBR. The entire series was telecast on TNN. [3] Each event used three judges – except for the PBR Bud Light Cup World Championships, which had four – with two typically scoring up to 50 points each, and a reserve judge to provide a tiebreaking score if needed. Two-day events featured two preliminary rounds in which the top 45 bull riders who each rode one bull per night; the top 15 riders by score from these preliminaries rode in a short go-round, called the Built Ford Tough Championship round in 2002, on the second night. The rider who had the highest score total from his three rides was the event winner. One day events followed the same format but only had one preliminary round. [4]
Riders were drawn for each bull ahead of an event and then posted a few days prior. By 2002, Livestock Director Cody Lambert was working with a minimum of 20 stock contractors in order to have around six contractors featuring approximately 75 bulls at each event. [4] Upon conclusion of the PBR's regular season, the 45 bull riders who had earned the most money in Bud Light Cup Series and Challengers Tour events combined qualified for the PBR Bud Light Cup World Finals in Las Vegas. The Qualifier Standings showed which riders were in the hunt for a berth to the Bud Light Cup World Finals. Once the finalists were at the World Finals, however, the World Champion was determined by Bud Light Cup Points won throughout the season.
The points system was a very thorough one that ensured the most consistent rider of the season was proclaimed the champion. Bud Light Cup points were awarded only at Bud Light Cup events. They were calculated by using the ride score and adding any bonus points for the Standings position in each round and the event overall position. The World Champion Bull Rider title and the gold buckle went to the rider with most Bud Light Cup points. [5]
| Bonus points are awarded for each round | Bonus points are awarded for overall event | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st place | 100 points | 1st place | 300 points | |
| 2nd place | 90 points | 2nd place | 270 points | |
| 3rd place | 80 points | 3rd place | 240 points | |
| 4th place | 70 points | 4th place | 210 points | |
| 5th place | 60 points | 5th place | 180 points | |
| 6th place | 50 points | 6th place | 150 points | |
| 7th place | 40 points | 7th place | 120 points | |
| 8th place | 30 points | 8th place | 90 points | |
| 9th place | 20 points | 9th place | 60 points | |
| 10th place | 10 points | 10th place | 30 points | |
Source: [5]
After a small series of PBR-sanctioned events with Bud Light as the primary sponsor took place in 1993, the organization had its first official season with a year-end world finals event in 1994. There were eight regular season events, as well as the World Finals. The world championship race was based on points won throughout the season. The regular-season stops ranged from one-day to three-day events. There were 30 contestants in each stop. All would ride in the regular long rounds, then the top 15 riders with the highest combined scores returned to the Championship Round.
The inaugural PBR World Finals took place at Las Vegas, Nevada's MGM Grand Garden Arena. There were 46 contestants at the two-day event. All would ride in Rounds 1 and 2, then the top fifteen point-earners competed in the Championship Round. Throughout the years, more events were added to the PBR schedule.
The 1995 season was the first and only one in which the world championship race was based entirely on money won throughout the season. This was also the year that the PBR's first minor league tour, the Touring Pro Division was introduced, making the televised Bud Light Cup Series the PBR's elite series.
There were now 30 contestants at the World Finals: the top 20 money-earners from the Bud Light Cup Series, as well as the top 10 money-earners from the Touring Pro Division. It was a six-round event where all contestants rode in the first five rounds, then the top fifteen point-earners rode in the Championship Round.
Starting in 1996, the PBR reduced the maximum number of go-rounds in an event from four to three (meaning now, two long rounds and the Championship Round). Also, the number of riders on the BLC series increased from 30 to 45, and the top 45 money-earners based on money won at all PBR-sanctioned events would qualify for the World Finals. Also, the world championship race returned to a point system.
The World Finals was now a five-round event where all contestants rode in the first four rounds, then the top fifteen returned for the Championship Round.
This was the first season where a million dollars in total prize money would be offered at the World Finals.
Starting with the BLC event in Billings, Montana, the PBR adopted a half-point scoring system in their events (whereas in prior seasons they scored rides in whole points), a change that would remain in place until the end of the 2005 Built Ford Tough Series season (when a quarter-point system would be implemented full-time).
After five years at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the PBR World Finals moved to Las Vegas' Thomas and Mack Center.
A new rule was put in place, called the "World Champion's Exemption", where former PBR world champions could compete in as many or as few elite series events as they chose (while still needing to qualify for the World Finals by earning enough money like all other riders).
Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to buck off the rider.
Ty Monroe Murray, is an American nine-time World Champion professional rodeo cowboy. He was one of the top rodeo contestants in the world from the late 1980s to early 2000s. He is one of the co-founders and a board adviser of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). From 2005 to 2020, he was also a regular color commentator for several televised PBR events.
Christopher Lee "Chris" Shivers is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding, and competed on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He turned pro in 1997, and won the PBR world championship in 2000 and 2003.
The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional bull riding organization headquartered in Pueblo, Colorado, United States. It is the largest bull riding league in the world, sanctioning hundreds of events every year in the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Australia. Over 500 bull riders from said countries, as well as others hold PBR memberships.
James Burton "J.B." Mauney is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. At the very beginning of his career, he rode in both the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) and Championship Bull Riding (CBR) circuits, before deciding to ride full-time in the PBR in early 2006. He won the PBR Rookie of the Year title that same year and was a top contestant in said organization for several years; eventually winning the PBR world championship in 2013 and 2015. During the last few years of his career, he competed full-time in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He is considered one of the greatest bull riders of his generation.
The Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) was the Premier Series tour name of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) competitions from 2003 through 2017.
Michael "Mike" Lee is an American professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in bull riding. He was the 2004 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) PBR World Champion. He competed consistently in said organization from 2001 through 2017. However, he announced his retirement from the PBR in November 2017. He then competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), Championship Bull Riding (CBR), and Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding Tour (THBR) circuits, but later mainly rode in regional semi-professional bull riding organizations for the next five years. In the summer of 2022, he announced on his Instagram page his return to the PBR.
Luke Snyder is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding, and competed in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He was the 2001 PBR Rookie of the Year, and the 2001 PBR World Finals event champion. Since 2022, he has been the co-head coach of the Missouri Thunder during the PBR Team Series season.
James Sharp also known as Jim "Razor" Sharp is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. In 1988, he became the first bull rider in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA)’s National Finals Rodeo history to successfully ride each of his 10 bulls during the champion-crowning event. The record-breaking performance earned Sharp his first of two PRCA World Champion Bull Rider titles. He rode professionally for nearly 20 years, and was a co-founder of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). He is considered among the most talented bull riders in history.
Championship Bull Riding, Inc. (CBR) was a professional bull riding organization that was based in Weatherford, Texas, United States.
Dillinger #81 (1995-2004) was an American bucking bull owned by the Herrington Cattle Company. He won the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Champion Bull title in 2000 and 2001. He was bestowed the PBR Brand of Honor in 2012, the second bull to receive the honor after Little Yellow Jacket won the inaugural award in 2011. Today, he is ranked first in the ProBullStats historical ranking of bucking bulls in the sport of bull riding.
Mossy Oak Mudslinger #790 (1997–2012) was an American bucking bull. He was the 2006 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Champion Bull. He began his bucking career at age three. His owners retired him after the 2006 season ended, while he was still in his peak. He died in 2012 when he was almost 15 years old. His owners buried him on their ranch. In 2017, the PBR honored him with the Brand of Honor.
Red Wolf #112 was an American bucking bull. He won the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Bull of the Year title in 1996 as well as other honors throughout his career. He bucked until 2000 when he was 12 years old, considered an old age for a bull to buck, and he did it at a very high level. He bucked more than 100 times at all levels, which very few bulls manage. In 2013, he was inducted into the Professional Bull Riders' Brand of Honor. He is also known for the accidental death of bull rider Brent Thurman.
Bonner Bolton is an American fashion model and former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He won the 2007 world championship for the now-defunct Championship Bull Riding (CBR) organization. He also competed in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) and Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) circuits. He placed fourth at the PBR World Finals in 2015. He performed as a stunt double for Scott Eastwood in the movie The Longest Ride, being the only one of four doubles who managed to make a virtually eight-second ride on the PBR top ranked bull Rango for an ending scene. His bull riding career was cut short by a neck injury sustained during a dismount from a bull he had just finished making an 8-second ride on at a PBR Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) event in January 2016. He sustained a break to his C-2 vertebra. Bolton was temporarily paralyzed, but made a full recovery. The parent company, IMG, of the PBR made an offer to contract him as a fashion model in May 2016. Bolton now works steadily as a fashion model.
Bruiser #32Y was an American bucking bull. He is the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Champion Bull for 2016, 2017, and 2018. He is one of only two bucking bulls to win the title in three consecutive years. He is also the 2017 Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) Bucking Bull of the Year. Bruiser and Bodacious are the only bulls to win both titles and they also did it in the same year: Bruiser did it in 2017 and Bodacious in 1995. Bruiser is the PRCA Reserve Bucking Bull of the Year in 2015. Bruiser tied for the PBR title in 2016 with two other bulls, and the tiebreaker went to him. Bruiser won the 2017 PBR title in a close race against Pearl Harbor. Bruiser won the title outright in 2018. Bruiser is also the American Bucking Bull (ABBI) Classic Final winner in 2015. He also won several other notable titles. SweetPro's Bruiser was retired from competition in 2021 at the age of ten. He died at age 11 on May 17, 2022.
James William Harris, known as J.W. Harris is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He competed on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), Championship Bull Riding (CBR), and Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuits. He won the PRCA bull riding world championship four times at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR). Harris is the first bull rider since Don Gay to win four PRCA world bull riding titles. He is also the first since Gay to win three of them consecutively. Harris was also the 2014 PBR Rookie of the Year. In 2022, he was inducted into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame.
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Jess Lockwood is an American professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in bull riding, and competes in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuit. He joined the PBR in 2015 and was named Rookie of the Year in 2016. On November 5, 2017, he became the youngest PBR World Champion. He won his second PBR world championship on November 10, 2019. He also became the youngest bull rider to win two PBR world championships.
Sage Steele Kimzey is an American professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in bull riding. For most of his career, he competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), winning seven bull riding world championships. He also competed in the now-defunct Championship Bull Riding (CBR) organization, where he won three world championships. Since 2023, he has ridden for the Carolina Cowboys during the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Team Series season. As of 2024, he competes full-time in the PBR.
José Vitor Leme Batista is a Brazilian professional rodeo cowboy who specializes in bull riding. He is the 2020 and 2021 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Champion, and holds the record on the bull Woopaa for the highest-scored ride in PBR history with 98.75 points. During the PBR Team Series season, he rides for the Austin Gamblers and has won the PBR Team Series Regular-Season MVP title in 2022 and 2023.
