Q&A: JUSTIN MCBRIDE

8 SECONDS TO GLORY

Justin McBride hopes to build a culture of winners with the Nashville Stampede

BY JENNIFER MCKEE

Justin McBride is a two-time Professional Bull Riders World Champion (2005 and 2007) with a record 32 career wins; he was the first rider to earn more than $5 million over the course of his career. McBride was inducted in PBR’s Ring of Honor in 2009. Since retiring from the sport, he has done color commentary on CBS network and CBS Sports Network for PBR’s “Unleash the Beast” series. In early 2022, McBride took on his latest role, head coach of the Nashville Stampede, one of eight founding teams that are part of the inaugural PBR Team Series.

What initially piqued your interest in bull riding?

It was something I was exposed to from birth. I was always around it, and what piqued my interest is when I actually got on a calf. I'd love to say a bull, but not a bull, like a little calf.

Do you remember how it felt the first time you got on a bull in competition?

I got on a bull in competition when I was 12 years old as an exhibition at a big amateur bull riding [event] in Nebraska. He was a big 1,400-1,500 pounder and I stayed on him, and everybody went nuts. I was little and this bull looked like Godzilla.

What was the best piece of advice you ever received?

Probably from my dad. He said, "You don't get hurt when you're trying hard," which obviously we know is not 100 percent accurate. But it is a really strong piece of advice. You get hurt way worse when you give up in a fight, when you become defenseless. His point was that as long as you keep trying, no matter what the situation you can get out of it. But when you give up and you don't try, you can get hurt really bad doing this. He told

me that when I was four or five years old. Those were the kind of things he told me about bull riding.

Walk me through your journey to becoming a world champion.

I had success as a kid. I had success in bull riding, but also in bareback riding. I did multiple events and was able to go to college on a full ride to UNLV. When I left college after one year, the PBR is where I went because the guys I really looked up to, admired, wanted to emulate and tried to compete against—and hopefully someday be able to beat—they started the PBR. I had some success early on, but had some growing pains as well. I had some learning to do. It was as much mental as it was physical for me. I had some close calls and didn't get it done for the first part of my career. Then I won my first one [PBR World Championship] in 2005 and won in 2007. Then I retired in 2008.

What’s changed about the sport from your first competition to today?

The goal is still the same, right? You gotta ride a bull for eight seconds. Guys pay a lot more attention to the bulls and really study the bulls more than they did in my generation. A big part of that is the access to video. You can find video of any bull out there through different means of social media and guys sharing videos.

What’s the most important skill a bull rider should have?

I don't think you can narrow it down to just one, but if I had to throw one out, I would say balance.

What are some of the mental preparations a bull rider must make?

First and foremost, a rider has got to overcome the fear. Unlike any other sport, you're dealing with a 2,000-pound animal or thereabouts, so it is dangerous. It's a little bit uncontrollable at times. That's the first mental obstacle; after that, I think it's having an understanding of what you're doing and mentally trusting in that.

What do you carry with you from being a bull rider to being a coach?

Coaching and bull riding are the same for me. It's figuring out how to be at your best. I want these guys to figure out how to be the best versions of themselves they can be. And that was the way I approached bull riding. I tried every time I rode to be the best version of myself that I could be on that given ride.

How did your broadcasting career prepare you for your coaching career?

Maybe it will help me to communicate my message better. I have had to try to find a lot of different ways over the last 10, 12, 15 years, whatever it's been now, of saying the same thing over and over and trying to make it interesting in order that people could understand what I was talking about.

What’s your vision for the team?

My vision is to build a winning franchise. That's the goal at the end of the day. It's more than just winning a game. It's winning championships and building a culture of winners, and that's something that takes time. We've got a great ownership group to do it with. I can't imagine trying to build a winning program with any other group than the Nashville Stampede and the Morris family.

How does the new PBR Team Series enhance the fan experience?

It makes it very easy to follow for new fans. It gives all fans something to sink their teeth in. Your favorite guy might be on a certain team. Well now you've gotta keep cheering that whole team on for your favorite guy to have a chance to win anything. So, I think you start getting invested in teams. You'll see fans start picking out personalities and decide they like that team or dislike a certain team because of it. You're gonna see rivalries start to form. There are a lot of big personalities in the sport of bull riding...and I think fans are gonna find people that they can relate to.

I WAS LITTLE AND THIS BULL LOOKED LIKE GODZILLA.”

– JUSTIN MCBRIDE ON THE FIRST BULL HE RODE IN COMPETITION