PBR Ring
of Honor: The PBR Ring of Honor
is reserved for a very rare few who stand out from the rest in the arena
and out. It symbolizes not only greatness, but years of dedication and
selfless service to the sport. The PBR Ring of Honor
is crafted on Super Bowl scale of diamonds and gold, and is awarded to
the special few who’ve truly gone out of their way to make a difference.
“If it wasn’t for guys like Jim Shoulders and Larry Mahan, we wouldn’t have had anyone to look up to. There are a lot of great cowboys and bull riders. These guys took time out when they didn’t have to to give back to the sport. They visited with fans, and were very unselfish. That’s rare, and we want to recognize it.” In 2002, Ty Murray, Denny Flynn and Daryl Mills were honored with the PBR Ring of Honor at the PBR Finals. Ty Murray: “Some say nine gold buckles says it all, but nine gold buckles and the Ring of Honor barely even scratch the surface,” said PBR Vice President and longtime Murray traveling partner Cody Lambert. “No one knows how great Ty is because there’s no one to compare him to. What he’s done is unbelievable. There’s never been anyone like him, and there never will be. No one’s had a bigger impact on the sport than Ty Murray, and the Ring of Honor means nothing without Ty Murray. He’s what the Ring of Honor is all about.” Murray found receiving this prestigious award a whole lot easier than presenting it to Lambert a few years back upon his retirement. “When they asked me to present Cody’s ring to him it was like shooting your best horse,” Murray said. “I couldn’t even talk; I just started crying. “I loved every minute of my career. This (Thomas and Mack Center) building has been a special place for me. The reason the Ring of Honor means so much to me is because of the other guys who have it.” Fellow 2002 recipients Flynn and Mills both have special ties to Murray and various parts of his career. “When I was a kid I took a piece of paper and a pen, and made back numbers,” Murray recalls. “I’d have my mom pin them on me, and I’d jump around in the back yard and pretend I was Denny Flynn or Jerome Robinson (a past Ring of Honor recipient). “The two things that really make this special to me is that it’s voted on by your peers, which really makes it neat, and what it symbolizes. Look at the list. Those are the guys I grew up idolizing.” Murray of Stephenville, Texas, Flynn of Charleston, Ark., and Mills of Pink Mountain, British Columbia, Canada joined past PBR Ring of Honor recipients Harry Tompkins, Jim Shoulders, Larry Mahan, Donnie Gay, Hedeman, the late Lane Frost, Jerome Davis, Ted Nuce, Clint Branger, Wacey Cathey, Cody Lambert and Jerome Robinson. “To be included in that list for me would be like a kid who plays football being on the same list as Roger Staubach (CHECK SP), Joe Nameth and Joe Montana,” Murray said. “There are lots of great cowboys who didn’t win world championships. Cody is, without a doubt, one of the greatest cowboys of all time.” Murray’s spending his post-retirement days at his ranch, and rides every day with renowned horseman Craig Cameron. “Being a great horseman is a never-ending quest,” said Murray, now 33. “Learning how to really communicate with a horse so it feels like his legs are your legs is an art. It takes a lifetime, and at the end of a life you still haven’t learned it all.” Denny Flynn: “When I was a kid, when you looked in the dictionary under ‘cool’ you found Denny Flynn,” said PBR President Hedeman. “Denny was a pretty boy who always had the prettiest girl, and I wanted to be just like him. Denny was always so impressive, and he loved to ride bulls. From a talent standpoint, no one will argue that he was one of the best in his era. In fact, a lot of people will argue that he was the very best in his time. He wasn’t willing to travel as hard as the others, but Denny could ride the rank ones.” Flynn was at his farm in Arkansas when Hedeman called with the news that he’d be honored at the Finals. “When Tuff told me that I’d have liked to fall over,” Flynn said. “It thrilled me to death. Having guys slap me on the back and say I was their hero is like winning a gold buckle to me. At my age (51), the respect of those kids is priceless.” The likes of Hedeman, Lambert, Frost, Sharp, Branger and eventually Murray were the young guns coming into the sport as Flynn was on his way out. “I’ve
followed the PBR ever since it started, and I always wanted to be a part
of it,” Flynn said. “I sure wish I could be young again and
really be a part of it, but I’m so proud for the young guys coming
on. For me to be inducted into the Ring of Honor is a dream come true
for me.” Flynn’s a cattle rancher, and loves to rope. He and Lynn produce two major team roping events each year in Fort Smith. Though he never traveled much, Flynn won every major rodeo there is. In fact, in 1985 alone he topped Houston, San Antonio and Cheyenne, and qualified for the NFR after competing at only 35 rodeos. Still, he only earned a fraction of what today’s bull riding superstars are making. “I’m glad these guys are getting paid for what they do,” he said. “Because I know what they’re going through, and there’s nothing easy about it.” Daryl Mills: In 1993, after losing
the month of July to a serious facial injury that required four metal
plates and a bone graft, Mills rode eight of 10 bulls to win the NFR average.
He set an NFR bull riding earnings record, and finished second to Murray
for the world championship by a scant $95. “My goal was to be a world champion,” said Mills, 34. “I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. I never did plan on being a bull rider for long. I just wanted one thing, and that was a gold buckle. I walked away because I’d accomplished the goal I wanted.” Mills, who’s a cattle rancher in remote Pink Mountain, is in the process of buying his grandfather’s ranch. He and his wife, Bonny, are raising their daughter, Fallyn, who’ll be 3 in February, in a gorgeous river valley in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains “I’ve
always wanted that ranch and a family of my own,” Mills said. “I
didn’t want to ride bulls just to be a bull rider. I wanted to ride
bulls to be a champion. And I wanted to leave on top of my game and be
remembered for where I left off.” “The PBR is an example of the top athletes sticking together and taking a very high-energy sport to its potential,” Mills said. “I’m very proud of the PBR. How could you not be? It’s amazing, and we all see it just getting bigger and better.” As for the Ring of Honor, “It’s one thing to ride a bull or win a gold buckle with your athletic ability,” Mills said. “To be given an award of this prestige from the bull riders themselves means more than words can express.” |