Bull Profile: Mossy Oak Mudslinger

The Pro Bull Rider - 01/02/2007
by James Drew

It took six years, but the sentimental favorite finally walked away with the prize.

Ten-year-old Mossy Oak Mudslinger, one of the greatest bulls in PBR history, is the 2006 PBR World Champion Bull, according to a vote of the top 45 bull riders on the planet.

For years, the dark brown brindle had played bridesmaid to other top bulls. As Washita Mudslinger in 2001, he finished as runner-up. The next year, he finished second to the legendary Little Yellow Jacket.

"That was the year I felt we should have won it," said Dillon Page, co-owner of Page and Teague Bucking Bulls. "Mudslinger was ridden only once that year and he threw off Chris Shivers after a 7.6-second ride in Phoenix that everyone said would probably have been the all-time points record if he'd made the whistle. That was his year, but after Little Yellow Jacket was named the World Champion Bull, I walked up to his owner, shook his hand and congratulated him. The riders had spoken."

Choosing the best bull is an art, not a science. Every judge, every rider, every fan has his or her own criteria. And there simply is no way to objectively rank these animal athletes. Any number of factors – buck-off percentage, qualified rides per out, average mark, even completely subjective judgments about drive and heart — can affect the way a bull is valued.

Greg Potter drew Mossy Oak Mudslinger for the fourth time in Round 2 of the 2006 PBR World Finals. Potter had never "made eight" on the bull but scored 89.75 points on him to become the last bull rider to post a score on Mudslinger.

"It means a lot," Potter said. "This is one of the greatest bulls of all time. Everybody likes him and everybody wants to draw him. From the time he first runs into the chutes, he gives you a fair shot every time. You make a mistake, you're on the ground.

"In my career, I have never, ever seen a bull as good as that bull. Even on bad days, he was still good. He's been a great bull all year. Yeah, there have been ranker bulls out there, but it still comes back to the point that he was THE bull everyone wanted to get on. You can't say that about Dr. Proctor or Pandora's Box."

For the record, Mossy Oak Mudslinger weighs 1,575 pounds, had 93 PBR trips and was ridden 27 times. Perhaps his most amazing statistic? Riders who made the whistle on the champ scored an average of 92 points. In 2006, the average score was 91.6, so a case can be made that the bull hasn't lost much juice over the years.

That's enough to make the cowboys fans, but a large part of Mudslinger's legend is his popularity with the fans. Mudslinger merchandise rolls off the shelves at the PBR's warehouse. Over 100 Wal-Marts nationwide sport a coin-operated Mudslinger kiddie ride. Run a Google search of the bull's name and you'll get over 4,300 hits.

It's no surprise that during the official retirement ceremony in Las Vegas, misty eyes dotted the crowd.

Of course, being the World Champion Bull doesn't always guarantee a top performance at the Finals. A less-than-stellar showing in the early rounds convinced Lambert to hold the champ out of the final go on Sunday.

As Lambert explains, "Putting a bull in the short go is based on what they did at the Finals — that week." World Champion finalists Dr. Proctor and Pandora's Box were held out of the final round for the same reason.

"Saturday night, I thought it'd be kind of cool for (Mudslinger) to go out with some of his sons who had moved up from the Classic event," said Lambert. "I thought it was a great time to end it."

Still, Mudslinger didn't disappoint. His final trip, on Saturday night, Nov. 4, at the Thomas and Mack Center in Round 6, may rank among his finest ever. He launched world leader Guilherme Marchi, helping Adriano Moraes win his third world title.

"He still has outstanding days, he just can't put them together all the time," said Page, who along with son H.D. and partner Tom Teague collected a trailer, buckle and $20,000 bonus for the honor. "I actually wanted to retire him last year, but with Little Yellow Jacket and Blueberry Wine retiring in 2005, I was talked out of it. I'm glad we waited until this year.

H.D. was blunt. "In my opinion he is the epitome of what a bucking bull should be," the younger Page said. "He's become a bull rider's favorite day in and day out. He's just an honest competitor."

Honesty seems to be a watchword when it comes to the bucking brute. Rider Cory McFadden once said that "there's nothing dirty about him. He gives you a hard and honest trip every time."

Dillon Page said the veteran bucker has earned himself a long and restful retirement.

"We'll build him a two-acre area he'll stay in when he's on cows. He won't be doing anything competitively ever again. He's a part of our family, and he's been a big reason we are where we are today. I'll always respect Mudslinger."

Mudslinger's retirement means his sons will continue to add to his stellar legacy. Numerous sons of Mudslinger's are bucking at several levels of competition from the ABBI Classic competitions; Built Ford Tough PBR tour series; or selected for the PBR Finals. A short listing includes: 251 Johnny Be Good, 04 Break Up, 761 MudFlap, 322 Dirty Doug, 325 Hot Stuff, 10 Vortex, 143 Washita Wrangler, Mud Duck, Copperhead Slinger, 288 Big Sexy, 206 Mr. Mud, 240 Calico Kid, C28 Livin Large, 242 Cloud Nine, and 286 Casanova.

The Bull of the PBR Finals and winner of a trailer and $12,500 bonus was David Bailey's Lucky Strike. At least that's what everyone thought, until a thorough audit of the results revealed an unprecedented tie.

Frontier, Teague, and Ron White's Scene of the Crash overcame a one-tenth of a point disparity in the original calculations to share the honor. His owners will also receive $12,500, a Big Tex Trailer, and a Gist trophy buckle.

Son of the great Gunslinger, Lucky Strike, 5, an 1,800-pounder, was born to buck.

"He's a pretty amazing animal," Bailey said. "He hasn't bucked in the PBR much, but he's not a sleeper or an overnight sensation. It doesn't take too many people to see a rank bull for the word to get out, and Cody (Lambert) sure knows him."

In fact, Lucky Strike has six career PBR Built Ford Tough Series trips — three at the 2005 World Finals and three at the 2006 World Finals — and he's six for six in buckoffs.

In 2005, he ejected Wiley Peterson, Ednei Caminhas and Jared Farley. In 2006, Matt Bohon, Colby Yates and Brian Canter hit the dirt. None of the trips lasted more than a few seconds.

"When he threw off Matt the first night, that gave him some momentum," Bailey said. "Matt was real proud of his draw. All Lucky Strike does is buck. There are no belly rolls and there is nothing dirty about him. He'll give you a fair shot in the chute, but when the gate opens you better have your riding britches on. When he turns back right or left, he kicks straight over his head like a bareback horse. It's fun to watch."

Canter liked his short-round draw but knew he'd have to be perfect to ride Lucky Strike.

"He's a big old strong bull. He's a bucker," Canter said. "He sure did buck with me. He went around to the right and pulled me over his shoulder, and that's all she wrote. But I'd love to draw that bull again and try to ride him jump for jump. You ride that bull, you're gonna win first. He's the biggest bull out there, and I've never seen that bull run off. He always turns back and he's always rank."

Scene of the Crash finished the season among the top five for the coveted title of 2006 Mikel Moreno PBR World Champion Bull. He was ridden once during 2006 by Reserve World Champion Guilherme Marchi for $90,000 during the Mossy Oak Shoot Out at the Greensboro Built Ford Tough Series event in September.

The PBR's High Money Bull for 2006 was Chief, owned by Bo Davis and Don White. Riders took home $16,500 on the bull during the regular season, and Cory Rasch stuffed another $20,000 in his pocket thanks to a 90.5-point, Round 5 win on Chief.

"He's 9, and he's got one more year left in him," said Davis, who along with his partner won a trailer and $7,500 bonus. "He is just so solid and so consistent, he does the same thing every time — right in the gate and to the right.

"Yes, he's somewhat rider friendly, but you cannot stub your toe at all or he'll toss you. The top guys will ride him unless they make a mistake. He's absolutely a dream bull and goes about 1,750 pounds.

"I'd be the most famous stock contractor in the world if I had 10 of him."

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