By Joel Langton
Thirty Professional Bull Riders will be competing for $100,000 in prize money here in the PBR Built Ford Tough Invitational at 2 p.m. Feb. 13 and 14 at the Val Verde County Fairgrounds.
While a grand prize of $30,000 will help anyone’s bank account, their ultimate goal is on a $1 million pay day this event helps put them in contention for the PBR World Finals in November. PBR will hand out $100,000 during the event, attracting the world’s top riders to Del Rio.
The event will air on the CBS Sports Network at 10 p.m. Feb. 13 and 8 p.m. Feb. 14.
While many in Del Rio are excited to have this event here, PBR is just as excited. “The Unleash the Beast: American Root Edition brings PBR back to our roots,” said Sean Gleason, PBR CEO and Commissioner. “The chance to take the top 30 cowboys in the world to Del Rio is one any sports fan will want to see. So many cowboy stories involve Del Rio, so many riders have made their mark in the city, and we’re going to add another chapter in those history books here Feb. 13 and 14.”
While Del Rio is a long-time bull riding cornerstone, with George Paul’s storied legacy based from here, this is the first ever PBR series visit to Del Rio in years. Bobby Paul, the producer and owner of the George Paul Memorial Bullriding, said their event was one of the first to support PBR when Tuff Hedeman and 19 other bull riders started the tour.
“We were one of the first events after Tuff and those guys split off,” Paul said. So, for many years, PBR was a key part of the GPMBR.
The two eventually parted ways, and PBR is now owned by International Management Group/Endeavor, that owns events like Euroleague basketball, FA soccer, several triathlons, marathons, World’s Strongest Man competition, to name a few.
Saturday’s event will have 30 rides and Sunday will have 30 with a championship round of the dozen best riders.
The Top 12 will be the best of the best, as the event isn’t one riders can just sign up for.
According to PBR representatives, the top 28 PBR riders qualify, plus two from the Pendleton Whiskey Velocity tour. The Pendleton Tour features the best young riders trying to move up the ranks.
PBR looks amazingly different than it did when it made one of its first appearances in Del Rio with Tuff and his merry band of upstart riders, as its events are broadcast around the world and many of the riders are household names. The basic bull riding event the riders started many years ago has the glitz and glamour of a rock and roll show today.
Tickets can be purchased by phone by calling 1-800-732-1727 or online at PBRTIX.com. Adult general admission tickets start at $50, children 5-12 at $15 and ages five and under are admitted free. VIP box seats, closest to the thrills and spills of America’s original extreme sport, start at $65 per person.
