SULPHUR SPRINGS, Texas – The smile is infectious. The talent is unmistakable.
But what makes Cord McCoy so popular among fans of the Professional Bull Riders organization is the effort he puts out every time. And whether he rides for 90 points or is bucked off, the Oklahoma cowboy tries to always leave the arena with a smile, which is a drawing card for thousands upon thousands of bull-riding fans.
“I just love what I do,” said McCoy, who is scheduled to compete both Friday and Saturday at the Texas Heritage National Bank PBR Challenge presented by Priefert Ranch Equipment at the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. “Not everybody gets to do something they love for a living.”
McCoy is also good at his job, one of the top bull riders in the sport. For three straight years, he’s ridden bulls at the championship, the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas. The year before that, he qualified among the top 15 bull riders in ProRodeo to compete at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
And every time he nodded his head and attacked the most aggressive sport known to man, he did so with an enthusiasm of a kindergartner on his first day of school.
“I’m living my dream,” said McCoy, who will appear at Texas Heritage National Bank at 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday and at the Circle E Western Store from 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday.
He dreams pretty well. Besides all the accolades and the opportunities to make a living doing what he loves, his caring nature leads him to sign more autographs, visit with fans longer, share his life with others. He considers himself blessed in that regard.
He even considered himself blessed earlier this year, when injury and struggles knocked him off the PBR’s premier tour, the Built Ford Tough Series. He rehabbed a nagging shoulder strain and returned to action in time to win his own event, the Cord McCoy Invitational in Ada, Okla. Since then, he’s been on a hot streak that has him 30th on the money list and has him in fantastic position to qualify for this year’s PBR World Finals.
He returned to the Built Ford Tough Series to the applause of hundreds of thousands of bull-riding fans and immediately made an impact.
But he doesn’t stop there. He’s paid two entry fees to compete in the Texas Heritage National Bank PBR Challenge presented by Priefert Ranch Equipment on both nights in hopes of making as much money as possible, further securing his spot among the PBR’s elite. That means if all goes well, he will attempt to ride four bulls, giving himself twice as many chances to win the thousands of dollars in prize money that’s up for grabs at the civic center.
But that’s Cord McCoy bull rider. He’s also a stock contractor, helping run the family’s McCoy Ranches bull herd, which will feature some of the firm’s top young bucking bulls in the American Bucking Bull Inc. competition that’s also part of this weekend’s festivities.
“I’ve been around this all my life, and I can’t imagine doing anything else,” McCoy said. “When you follow your heart, you can’t go wrong.”
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