By Kelly B. Robbins
Smooth Operator The Heart of a Champion
The sun has set on the life of the amazing two-time PBR World Champion Bucking Bull 001 Smooth Operator. On Sunday, February 13, 2022, owner Chad Berger announced his passing on Facebook. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of 2019 and 2020 PBR World Champion Bucking Bull Smooth Operator. He had the heart of a champion, and he sure did prove it. 001 made eight trips to the PBR World Finals, recorded 130 outs, and had an 89.9% buck-off percentage. He was the oldest bull to win a World Championship, and he earned two of them! It’s not very often a bull like him comes along, but we were extremely honored to have him and experience the exciting ride he took us on! He will be missed.”
in 2019 and at ten years old in 2020. Smooth Operator became the fifth back-to-back champion, joining Dillinger (2000-2001), Little Yellow Jacket (2002-2004), Bushwacker (2013-2014), and SweetPro’s Bruiser (2016-2018). According to Probullstats.com, Smooth Operator retired with some impressive stats. He had an 89.92% buck off percentage and was ridden just 13 times in 129 outs. His average ride score was 90.9. He had 40 round wins and seven rider round wins.
Smooth Operator was also owned by Clay Struve, and Julie Rosen. Chad was named the PBR Stock Contractor of the Year for the eleventh time in 2021. This was the eighth consecutive title, and both are a PBR record. “Winning that never gets old,” Chad said. “It is an honor to win that award, because the bull riders decide that. It tells me they like the job we are doing and the bulls we bring. But winning that award is a total team effort. I owe it all to our team. I’ve got the greatest team around me. I owe it to my partners Clay Struve and Julie Rosen, to my wife, Sarah and family, and my bull men, Delbert Nuse and Rex Meier. I owe it to Juan Gonzales and the guys at home that do all the work. This is a team and I’m just the head coach. They do a phenomenal job. I couldn’t do this without them.” Smooth Operator was retired after the 2021 PBR World Finals in Las Vegas in November. It was his eighth PBR World Finals qualification, and a PBR record. “I could tell at the Finals that something just wasn’t quite right with him,” Chad explained. He then revealed that Smooth Operator passed away from cancer. Smooth Operator was the oldest two-time Yeti World Champion Bull in PBR history, winning back-to-back titles at nine years old
Humps-Horns.com · 16 · April 2022
