Bodacious #J-31 (1988 – May 16, 2000) was an American bucking bull. He was known throughout the rodeo world as "the world's most dangerous bull". He was also known as "the greatest bull ever to buck". During his rodeo career, he was the 1994 and 1995 Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) Bucking Bull of the Year, as well as the 1995 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) World Champion Bull. He and Bruiser are the only bulls who have won bucking bull world championship titles in both organizations.

Bodacious is best known for his serious injury to bull riding icon Tuff Hedeman. Not long after, Bodacious also seriously injured Scott Breding. His owner, Sammy Andrews, then retired Bodacious. In 1999, Bodacious was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame, and in 2017 into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame. In 2019, the PBR inducted Bodacious into the Brand of Honor, which is part of the PBR's Heroes and Legends Celebration, the PBR's unique way of honoring outstanding individuals and livestock in the sport of rodeo.

In 2023, Bodacious was ranked No. 30 on the list of the top 30 bulls in PBR history.

Early life

Bodacious, born in 1988 on the Merrick Ranch in the Arbuckle Mountains of Oklahoma, was a Charolais/Brahman crossbred known as a Charbray. Bodacious was born a unique yellow color, when a rancher named Jess Kephart came by McCann's auction yard in Canton, Oklahoma, and the PRCA in 1991. D&H Cattle Company is a well-known and respected stock contractor. However, both father Dillon Page, and son H.D. Page were both professional bull riders prior to being stock contractors and bull breeders. Later the Pages bred and hauled Bodacious' progeny. In 1991, H.D. attempted Bodacious three times. The first time Page attempted Bodacious was in Edmond, Oklahoma, in an IPRA-sanctioned rodeo.

Terry Don West is best known for riding the infamous bull Bodacious. He also has five world champion bull rider titles between the PRCA, IPRA and BRO. West had attempted Bodacious four times and gotten a qualified ride twice. In 1991, at a PRCA event, future two-time PRCA bull riding world champion Terry Don West rode Bodacious for West's first of two qualified rides. His ride went down in history as the first qualified ride on the as yet unknown bull, and the prize money bore that out, as West won only $181. His ride was the first qualified ride, yet it was not the first qualified professional ride.

One day when Sumner was watching the bull roam around his pasture near Goltry, Oklahoma, he realized he might have a major league bull. He contacted his friend Sammy Andrews of the Andrews Rodeo Company in Addielou, Texas, He bucked for four years in the PRCA, from 1992 to 1995. He also bucked for three years in the Bull Riders Only (BRO) circuit from 1993 to 1995.

Bodacious bucked under two other names at the prime of his career. For a time, he bucked as "Skoal's Bodacious" when the Skoal tobacco company was sponsoring him. Later, he bucked as "Dodge Bodacious" when he was sponsored by Dodge Trucks as a "spokesbull." The name Dodge Bodacious even appears on some of his PRCA awards and media material. In GQ Magazine, he was described as, "the fiercest competitor of his generation...lethal, a legend, the Michael Jordan of barnyard brutes... a combination of Babe Ruth, Secretariat, and Sonny Liston."

Bodacious bucked on the PBR Premier Series at least five times, and scored over 45+ points all but one of those times. He has an 80% buck off rate on the Premier Series alone.

Since Bodacious' death, fans and journalists debate whether Bodacious was really the best bucking bull.

<blockquote>It's probably true that the bull scared cowboys into allowing themselves to be slingshotted. Every bull rider's worst fear is getting jerked down onto a bull's head, and cowboys who stayed on Bodacious beyond the first two jumps usually got hurt. Of the bull's 127 wins, more than a few were likely the result of cowboys deciding to let him... But if you ask top cowboys, the hype got hooked to a bull that deserved most of it. "I don't have fond memories of him, but Bodacious was the best ever," says Cody Lambert. Tuff, who tried the bull four times, rode him the third and almost died the fourth, says Bodacious was one of the rankest bulls of all time, even though "by the end he was basically a cheap shot artist who would Sunday punch you." Sammy says the bull's fame has to do with timing. Bodacious was a world-class athlete, but more important, he came along as TV was providing the sport with more coverage, he got tried by the best and, let's face it, he was amazing to watch... "Lord only knows, rodeo needs heroes," says Sammy. And in the big yellow bull that intimidated even the best, it has apparently found one to hold onto

Andrews took Bodacious to the 1992 PRCA's National Finals Rodeo (NFR) that year in Las Vegas, Nevada. Andrews was nervous about the night that Jim Sharp had drawn Bodacious. At that time, Sharp was already a two-time world champion. Sharp expected to ride this bull who was much better than average, but whose full reputation had not been established yet. After Bodacious came out of the chute, he turned back, then he threw Sharp off pretty hard because Sharp made "two-and-a-half flips in the air". At the Tuff Hedeman Championship Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, Bodacious bucked off Gilbert Carrillo in the first round and Scott Mendes in the championship round. And at Bullnanza-Nashville in Nashville, Tennessee, Bodacious bucked off Canadian rider Jason Keeley in the championship round.

Later that year, Tuff Hedeman participated in the 1993 BRO World Finals, in Long Beach, California. He remained resolute in his determination to get a qualified ride on Bodacious.

At Houston, PRCA World Champion bull rider Cody Custer also attempted Bodacious for the first time. Custer acknowledged he was nervous and said this was "probably the biggest challenge in my life". Bodacious burst out of the chute, and then he jumped to the side once. Then he charged forward, which sent his rear legs over Custer's head. "For a moment, it looked as if Custer could withstand the force", but then he was thrown, a horn nicking his cheek. Custer only made two seconds on the bull. "I don't know," Custer said later, stunned, "He does something to get your feet behind you."

At an elite Bud Light Cup (BLC) event, Bullnanza in Guthrie, Oklahoma, the bull bucked off Jim Sharp in the championship round. A few events later, Bodacious (identified on TV under the name Intrepid) bucked off California bull rider Sean McRoberts in under three seconds at the Boyz & the Bullz event in Rancho Murieta, California. Later on at Bullnanza-Nashville in Nashville, Tennessee, Scott Breding bucked off Bodacious just short of the eight-second whistle, costing him the event win. Then later that year at a second PBR event in Guthrie, Oklahoma, 1994 PRCA World Champion bull rider Daryl Mills bucked off Bodacious. Finally, at the inaugural PBR World Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the championship round, Clint Branger (who had successfully ridden the bull one year prior) bucked off Bodacious just shy of the requisite eight seconds. This buck-off ultimately cost Branger the 1994 PBR World Champion title. Also, at the 1994 Bull Riders Only World Finals in Denver, Colorado, Bodacious bucked off Brent Thurman during the championship round, just shy of reaching the eight-second mark.

1995: PBR World Champion Bull

Bodacious bucked on the PRCA and PBR circuits in this season. In February 1995, according to the cowboys, Bodacious "learned a new trick, a sort of stutter hop on his front legs, followed by a faster, more powerful lift with his head". In Lufkin, Texas, at a PRCA event, Bubba Dunn took Bodacious on for a second time, and he scored 93 points. During this ride, Bodacious "creased the brim of Bubba's hat and bruised his cheek". Dunn felt lucky those were his only injuries that day. "Bo was psychotic. He didn't like people", said Cody Lambert. "If you were on his back, he wanted to hurt you."

In February 1995, at the PBR's Bullnanza event in Guthrie, Oklahoma, Clint Branger rode Bodacious.

In 1995, at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo in San Antonio, Texas, Terry Don West took on Bodacious for a fourth time at a PRCA event. Despite his injuries in the past, he made his second qualified ride on the bull, scoring 87 points and earning $10,365. This time he wore a protective vest. and bucked off the bull in 1.70 seconds. Bodacious was given a bull score of 44 points, a relatively low score. In the first round of the same event earlier, a cowboy recorded only by his last name of Willard drew Bodacious. He bucked off the bull in 1.60 seconds. The judges decided this short buckoff qualified for an outstanding bull score of 48 points.

In September 1995, during the championship round of a PBR event, also in Guthrie, Oklahoma, Jerome Davis drew Bodacious. He was bucked off the bull in 6.60 seconds, who was given a bull score of 46 points. Tuff Hedeman drew Bodacious in the championship round. His confidence was high, his riding percentage was high, and he was the point leader by "an insurmountable three hundred points".

Then, in the ninth round of the NFR two nights later, bull rider Scott Breding drew Bodacious. Breding had attempted Bodacious two times before.

1996: Final rodeo

Though officially retired, Bodacious did buck at a few non-sanctioned events in 1996 before being permanently retired. One such out came at the now defunct Original Coors Showdown Rodeo in Phoenix, Arizona, against bull rider Bryan Barker, whom the bull proceeded to buck off in under three seconds, earning a bull score of 48. This was his last known outing at a rodeo.

1997: Las Vegas showdown

The 1996 BRO World Championships were held April 3–5, 1997, at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Despite some injuries, Terry Don West was intent on riding a bull named Woolly Bully on finals night. Not only did West manage to ride the bull for eight seconds, but he turned in a 91-point score. "This, tonight, is a dream come true," West said of that night's ride which won him the 1996 Bull Riders Only world championship title. Bull rider Shane Thurston came in second place with an 84 on the bull Nitro. Thurston and West made the only qualified rides in the championship round. West was reported as saying he would ride the infamous bull Bodacious in a sponsored match for the Bull Riders Only Championship in April 1997. The plan at that point was to bring the bull out of retirement to face West or another cowboy if West was not signed up by BRO officials in time for the week of October 3–5. The event was planned to take place in Las Vegas.

Retired in 1995, BRO planned a big event to bring him out of retirement in 1996 and have a special matchup with a bull rider. Although the bull was retired due to injuries he was causing riders, many want to see him buck again for another ride. It was planned to have him buck at the BRO World Championship in Las Vegas. The then rider in the works to match up with him was Terry Don West, who just won the PRCA bull riding champion title. "I don't think anyone craves getting on that bull," said West recently. "But if the money's right, that would be the reason I would want to get on him. We're in negotiations, and I'm sure there are other guys wanting a shot at him, too. But I think the fans out there would love to see me matched up with him." The president of BRO, Shaw Sullivan, assured everyone that Bodacious would not be put into a draw. "It'll be a match," Sullivan said. "With West matched against him, it would be the rankest bull in the world and the rankest bull rider." The event was planned to be held at the Thomas and Mack Arena. It was to be broadcast by the Fox Television Network to 100 million homes.

Bodacious was to be brought out of retirement one final time in the spring of 1997.

"I hope this is the last time they buck that bull. He will kill somebody," said West, who was the reigning PRCA World Bull Riding Champion at the time. West nervously climbed into Bodacious' pen for a photography session at Harrah's. The bull was accompanied by a familiar cow and two calves to keep him calm. "He'll tear the pen up," West said. "When I got in there, he gave me a look, saying 'Don't get no closer. You'll pay for it.'" Throughout Bodacious' career, hall of fame rodeo announcer Bob Tallman referred to him as "the yellow whale" due to his color and size.</blockquote>

The key to this was that Bodacious was such a skilled jumper he could jump higher than the top bar of the chute, resulting in many riders being bucked off on the first jump. "Bo's first jump when he left the chute resembled a roller coaster ride," said Sammy Andrews' wife Caroline. "Bodacious could kick and roll and he learned how to unseat a rider. Bodacious really liked to get in the air. And every time he jumped, he usually brought a bull rider forward," putting riders in position to injure them with his head.

On January 23, 2013, the PBR published an article about the greatest bulls where they took a survey of bull riding fans and the two most mentioned bulls were Bodacious and Little Yellow Jacket. On June 29, 2015, the PBR published an article about the memorable bulls of the PBR and listed Bodacious "as one of the most famous bulls of all time." He and Bushwacker are similar in terms of popularity.

The ProRodeo Hall of Fame chose Bodacious in 1999 as their sixth member; there are only seven bulls inducted as of 2017. Bo joins such exceptional bulls as Pacific Bell, Red Rock, Oscar, and Jim Shoulders' Tornado. Mostly, those bulls had long careers. However, Bo's short professional career lasted only four years. In that time, he bucked off 127 of 135 riders. Bryan McDonald, the PRCA bull riding director who sets the pens for the NFR, commented that Bo was ranker than any of those bulls. "Pacific Bell could hook the crap out of you. Mr. T and Red Rock, they were both smart and wouldn't hurt anyone. Bodacious, he was murderous." In 1994 and 1995, the top cowboys voted him as the PRCA Bucking Bull of the Year. In 1992, '94, and '95, he was elected Bucking Bull of the NFR. and the Spyderco Bodacious folding knife.

Post-bucking career

Breeding

Bodacious spent his retirement on the Andrews Rodeo Company Ranch.

In 1992, Tallman and Andrews were venting about dishonest bull breeders "who advertised bulls by famous sires like Oscar or Red Rock, when in actuality the bulls came from some obscure sale barn". Naturally buyers were refusing to pay top dollar for bulls whose sires and lineage could not be verified. Andrews believed a verifiable bloodline was necessary in order to garner the trust of buyers. Tallman had studied genetics and had incorporated it into his own breeding program. So in 1996, he and a partner started Buckers, Inc. It used DNA testing to verify a bull's parentage. Bodacious became the test case for this model: "every stock contractor in the business wanted a bull as rank as Bodacious&mdash;especially if they were certain the calf was a legitimate son". Buckers registered and certified records of Bodacious' progeny resulting from semen collection. They also started collecting other top bulls' semen too. By 2003, Buckers had 11,000 cattle registered. Randy Bernard, the CEO of the PBR, was so impressed that he bought out Buckers and renamed the company to American Bucking Bull. He sold 19 shares of the ABBI for $25,000 apiece. The first bucking bull registered on the ABBI is Bodacious as he is the first bull in the Buckers, Inc., database. His ABBI registration number is 1000078. When Bodacious died in 2000, he had 23 sons who had professional outs. This earned him the top spot on the all-time producing sire's list at that time. Bodacious also sired Bo Howdy, who debuted in 2002 as a PBR bull. The bull won the PRCA Bucking Bull of the Year title in 2016. "Midnight Bender does not have a reputation of injuring and alienating cowboys. But like Bodacious, Midnight Bender bucks with an attitude and some altitude". According to Andrews, the bull spent a lot of time in the air and kicked hard. The bull gave quite a show when he bucked, and the riders all liked him. At times the bull was reminiscent of Bodacious in some of his movements, even the difficult ones. But Andrews claimed this bull was rideable. He ranked in the top 20 on the Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) in 2016 and was very close to being a world champion bull contender. Beau was a sizable bull, like his sire, weighing in around . He was not quite as fast as his sire, but was fast enough to be a Championship round bull.

In 2002, the PRCA awarded the Andrews Rodeo Company the Stock Contractor of the Year award. His ability to produce quality stock is earmarked by his hall of fame bull, Bodacious, and his history of producing great bucking stock, both bulls and broncs. In 2008, the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame inducted Sammy Andrews. He appeared as a celebrity guest at Harrah's Las Vegas and the Silverton Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The most recent merchandise is the Bodacious figurine toy. Created in 2017, Bodacious the bull comes with a bull rider, bull rope, and stand. It was approved by Andrews Rodeo Company on March 5, 2017.

His television appearances included a profile on the Fox TV program "Guinness World Records Prime Time."

  • 2× PRCA Texas Circuit Bull of the Year (1993, 1994)
  • 3× PRCA Bucking Bull of the NFR (1992, 1994, 1995)
  • 1995 PBR World Champion Bull
  • 1999 ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductee
  • 2017 Bull Riding Hall of Fame inductee
  • 2019 PBR Brand of Honor inductee
  • 2020 Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame inductee
  • No. 30 on the Top 30 Bulls in PBR History (2023)

References

Bibliography

Sources

  • J31 Bodacious (ProBullStats website)
  • Lyrics to the Ballad of Bodacious
  • American Bucking Bull, Inc.
  • Andrews Rodeo Company Facebook page

YouTube videos

  • Tuff Hedeman x Bodacious 95.00 pts
  • Bodacious - The Bull Riding Hall of Fame Induction 2017 Speech by Sammy Andrews
  • World's Most Dangerous Rodeo Bull - Bodacious
  • Bodacious the Bull
  • Bodacious slams Tuff Hedeman
  • Clint Branger vs Bodacious - 95 PBR Guthrie (92 pts)