Jerome Davis (bull rider)

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Jerome Davis
Born (1972-08-10) August 10, 1972 (age 51)
Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States
Alma materOdessa Junior College
Occupation(s)Professional bull rider, stock contractor
SpouseTiffany Davis[1]

Jerome Carson Davis (born August 10, 1972) is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding.[2] He competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), in which he won the 1995 PRCA bull riding world championship. He also competed in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), of which he was one of the founding members of said organization.

Early life[edit]

Jerome Davis, nicknamed "Jethro", was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His father was stationed there while serving in the U.S. military.

Six months after his birth, Davis moved back with his family to the Davis Family Ranch in Archdale, North Carolina, where he grew up and has lived his entire life.

When asked as a young child what he wanted to become when he grew up, Davis always responded, "I want to be a bull rider".[3]

Career[edit]

Davis got on his first bull at the age of eleven. He won his first bull riding buckle as a freshmen in high school. He was also a calf roper and team roper during his high school days. He competed at the 1989 National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR) in Pueblo, Colorado, and was the 1990 North Carolina State High School Bull Riding Champion.[3]

Davis attended Odessa Junior College in Odessa, Texas.[3] In 1992, he won the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association bull riding title at the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in Bozeman, Montana.[4] That same year, he turned pro and joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).[3] He was also one of the 20 co-founders of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) that year.

In 1993, Davis also began competing in the Bull Riders Only (BRO) circuit. That same year, he was cast as a stunt double in the film 8 Seconds, about the life of PRCA world champion bull rider Lane Frost. Davis qualified for his first National Finals Rodeo (NFR) that year.

In 1994, Davis founded the Southern Extreme Bull Riding Association (SEBRA), which would become one of the top regional semi-professional bull riding organizations in the United States for contestants trying to work their way up to the professional level.[5]

Davis would qualify for the NFR five times in his career, from 1993 through 1997. In 1995 at the NFR, he won the PRCA bull riding world championship, having won the most money of any bull rider in the PRCA that year.[3] He also won the NFR bull riding average title.

Davis qualified for the PBR World Finals from 1994 through 1997.

On March 14, 1998, at the Tuff Hedeman Championship Challenge, the annual Bud Light Cup event in Fort Worth, Texas, Davis drew the bull named Knock 'Em Out John during the first round. Five seconds into the ride, the bull made a big lunge forward and Davis was jerked down, causing his head to collide with the bull's head and knocking Davis out. The unconscious Davis then landed head-first into the arena dirt, breaking his neck. The wreck resulted in Davis becoming permanently paralyzed from the chest down.[6][7] He was first in the PBR world standings at the time of the incident.[3]

Career highlights[edit]

Personal life[edit]

Davis and his fiancée Tiffany Brady were scheduled to be married in April of 1998. However, as a result of Davis' injury, the wedding was postponed and they were eventually married on October 17, 1998.[3]

Post-career[edit]

Since the end of his bull riding career, Davis and his wife Tiffany have raised bucking bulls on the Davis Rodeo Ranch in Archdale, North Carolina, and haul them to several PBR events each year. They also put on several events at the Davis Rodeo Ranch Arena every year, including the PBR-sanctioned Jerome Davis Invitational, which has been held annually since 2000.[8]

In 2022, Davis became the head coach of the Carolina Cowboys; one of eight founding teams of the PBR Team Series, which debuted that year and runs from the summer to autumn. The Cowboys won the fifth event of the 2022 PBR Team Series season at Gambler Days in Austin, Texas; the hometown event of rival team, the Austin Gamblers.[9] The Cowboys were eliminated after the second day of the Team Series Championship at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ended up finishing in sixth place at the conclusion of the inaugural PBR Team Series season. The Cowboys were eliminated after the first day of the 2023 PBR Team Series Championship and ended up finishing in seventh place for that season.

Honors[edit]

In 1998, Davis was inducted into the PBR Ring of Honor.[10]

In 2018, he was inducted into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bonham, Nick (May 16, 2010). "Bull-riding greats honored". The Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  2. ^ "Paralyzed Rider Is Back in Saddle". Los Angeles Times. May 8, 1999. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Meet Jerome". Jerome Davis. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  4. ^ "Rodeo". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. January 19, 1996. p. 58. Retrieved January 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  5. ^ "What is SEBRA?". Southern Extreme Bull Riding Association. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  6. ^ "Professional bull rider Jerome Davis seriously injured in Fort Worth". www.users.erols.com. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  7. ^ "Rodeo Star Paralyzed In Bull-Riding Spill". News & Record. March 16, 1998. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  8. ^ "Davis Rodeo Ranch events". www.jeromedavis.com. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  9. ^ "Carolina Cowboys win 2022 Gambler Days". Professional Bull Riders. August 28, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  10. ^ "PBR Ring of Honor". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  11. ^ "Bull Riding Hall of Fame inductees". The Bull Riding Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 29, 2024.

External links[edit]

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