6 minute read
THE RETURN OF J.B. MAUNEY
AFTER A ROUGH RIDE, A RODEO RESTART
For J.B. Mauney, the last few years were nothing short of brutal.
Known as one of the best all-time riders in the history of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), the North Carolina native suffered a string of serious injuries that impeded his career. His most recent one, a shoulder re-injury that necessitated surgical intervention, put him out for more than seven months — the longest break in his 15-year career.
Though he tried to persevere and gave it his all, the blows would keep on coming for the two-time World Champion rider, who managed to make his way to the PBR World Finals 14 years in a row. Only two riders have made their way to more: 2004 World Champion Mike Lee (16) and 2008 World Champion Guilherme Marchi (15).
Even then, Mauney was no stranger to injury — he’s suffered dozens including a broken jaw, a broken collarbone and a near-fatal liver laceration in his decade and a half as a pro rider — it all comes back to an ill-fated 2017 ride that ultimately culminated in his temporary departure from the sport.
Photo By Andy Watson/Bullstockmedia.com
AN ILL-FATED ENCOUNTER
In July 2017, Mauney was on track to win the Calgary Stampede for the third time when an injury put everything he’d worked toward on hold. He’d hit eight seconds on Cowahbunga in what would be judged as a 90.5 ride, marking his second round win in four days. But when Mauney’s dismount didn’t go as planned, the bull stepped on the rodeo star’s shoulder. Fans watched in horror as medical staff carried Mauney away in a stretcher.
Because Mauney’s arm was extended at the time, the bull’s force pushed it so hard that it “knocked the bone off in the process,” according to PBR medical director Dr. Tandy Freeman.
Photo By Andy Watson/Bullstockmedia.com
Mauney later told a reporter for The Calgary Herald he broke the ball in his shoulder, tore his
bicep tendon, tore another muscle on the backside of his shoulder, and tore the capsule in his shoulder as well.
Even so, “It looked a lot worse than it really was,” he contended.
A surgery followed. Surgeons needed a screw with 13 anchors to properly reset the cowboy’s shoulder.
But even such a major surgery failed to deter Mauney, who simply called it “part of the game.”
Despite a projected six-month recovery window, he was back on his feet and riding again four months later. In November, he showed up ready to ride at the 2017 World Championships in Las Vegas, appearing for the 12th consecutive year.
Photo By Andy Watson/Bullstockmedia.com
A GOOD RUN OF BAD LUCK
Perhaps the move to return to the competitive circuit was a little bit too soon for the rider, who would then go on to experience a grueling couple of seasons. It’s no secret that Mauney took a hell of a beating in the years to follow.
Just a few months into his triumphant return, he tore his groin at an Unleash the Beast event in January 2018.
In April of that year, he broke his back in Sioux Falls, S.D. after the late Pearl Harbor bucked him off in 2.17 seconds. After taking a couple of months off to recover, he was back riding by June.
The 2019 season led to knee, ankle, forearm and rib injuries.
He even went as far as to ride at events in Texas and Oklahoma after being diagnosed with a broken fibula in January 2019. That injury occurred upon his dismount from Hou’s Bad News after an 88-point ride at the Sacramental Invitational. But the Texas and Oklahoma events proved too much. Upon aggravating a previous
ACL injury and realizing he was too hurt to continue, he took a few weeks off.
Photo By Andy Watson/Bullstockmedia.com
That break was short-lived as well as he climbed back into action within a month. In the weeks that ensued, the most resilient cowboy in the PBR managed to win the season’s seventh Unleash the Beast event with a seasonhigh 90.75 points on Big Black, going 3-for-3 despite his still-broken leg, torn ACL and MCL injuries.
But that November, a shoulder reinjury that took place in the bucking chutes at Round 1 of the 2019 World Finals Rodeo left him unable to finish the season. The shoulder was already giving him trouble as he’d also hurt it days before at the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals. Cursed with both a torn rotator cuff and a shoulder fracture, he reflected on the challenges of the previous few years. It was then that he finally chose to schedule a long-needed second surgery, which took place in January 2020.
He ended 2019 with a career low of 30th place in the world standings.
BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN
Photo By Andy Watson/Bullstockmedia.com
Mauney may be the most determined individual on the planet. When he returns this month, seven long months will have passed since he last entered the arena.
“It is 100 times better than it was before,” he told a PBR reporter in April. He also described the 2017 surgery “the worst thing that ever happened to me.”
In the April interview, Mauney also said his shoulder hasn’t hurt since the January operation, which involved cleaning up some of the scar tissue that had formed. Still, he’s chosen to be more cautious about returning than he was after the 2017 procedure. This time around, he made sure to wait the full recovery time before giving rodeo another go.
Though he was officially cleared to ride in mid-July, he didn’t immediately jump back into competition. Instead, he dutifully continued on in his role as a general manager of Team Boot Barn as part of the Monster Team Challenge, leading the group alongside captain Daylon Swearingen. Team Boot Barn made it to the series playoffs but failed to advance.
Via Twitter, Mauney shared he planned to participate in a few rodeos in early August before going full force into the second half of the Monster Unleash The Beast Tour, which kicks off on August 7 in Bismarck, N.D.
With just three months to make his way to the World Finals, he has his work cut out for him. But given his history of overcoming the odds, he certainly has the potential to pull it off.
Photo By Andy Watson/Bullstockmedia.com
THE UNSTOPPABLE COWBOY
Mauney’s proven time and again he’s one of the toughest there is. Time and again, he’s shown that as long as he’s capable of doing so, he’s going to be out there, giving it his all and chasing those magical eight seconds on the rankest bulls around.
Fans have high hopes for Mauney to bounce back in full form for a dominating performance and a World Championship run. Such a comeback would be nothing less than legendary, and would be a powerful testament to Mauney’s physical and mental fortitude.
Certainly, it’ll be a difficult journey for the veteran rider. But if there’s a single person in the entire PBR who can overcome such debilitating injuries, miss half a season and still make his way to the World Championships, it could only be Mauney.
Photo By Andy Watson/Bullstockmedia.com
Photo By Andy Watson/Bullstockmedia.com
Photo By Andy Watson/Bullstockmedia.com
