Brittan making name for himself

Thursday, Nov. 30, 2000 | 12:47 p.m.

PRCA

In only his fourth year as a professional bullfighter, Lance Brittan, 25, fended off four former world champions to win the 1999 world title at one of the toughest Wrangler Bullfight Tour Finals in history.

The Kansas native who makes his home in Windsor, Colo., entered his second Wrangler finale leading the bullfight world standings with $22,134 in 1999. He more than doubled that figure at the championships, held Dec. 6-9 in conjunction with the '99 National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, by placing in all four rounds.

His Finals earnings of $32,439 earned him his first world championship with $54,573. In 1998, during his first Las Vegas appearance, Brittan finished the year fifth with $26,237. He earned a measly $7,651 at the Finals, and only scored in the 80s once. At the '99 Finals, it was a different story.

"This year compared to last year, my bullfighting has really come a long way," said Brittan. "I've really grown and learned a lot. My bullfighting just seems like it's a whole different class of bullfighting this year."

A world championship class, in fact.

Brittan started the Finals off right, chalking up a whopping 87-point first-place effort in the first round with Harper and Morgan's top fighting bull of the NFR, Electric. Ironically, the same bull helped 1998 world champ Jerry Norton win the first round in '98. Brittan placed fourth and second in the next two rounds before putting an exclamation point on the week. He won the fourth and final round with 86 points against Borba and Sons' Red Rocket. The score was seven points better than second-place Greg Rumohr's 79. The $2,703 difference between first and second place in the round clinched the title for Brittan by about $2,400 over Rumohr.

Brittan's first world title may be even more special because he had to compete against veterans who, combined, owned half the world championships ever won.

"Rob (Smets) is a champion," said Brittan. "Anyone who doesn't try to emulate him is crazy because he knows what he's doing.

"I have a lot of people out there that I really respect, like Donny Sparks, Greg Rumohr, Leon Coffee; some of these guys helped me out. But even if they don't know they are helping me, I'm watching them. I learn a lot from watching people ... I have a lot of heroes."

Brittan joined all-around and calf roping world titlist Fred Whitfield and barrel racing champ Sherry Cervi as the only NFR competitors to carry a lead into Las Vegas and come out with a world title.