Former UNLV rodeo standouts McBride and Coleman still part of festivities at PBR World Finals

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011 | 2:05 a.m.

Justin McBride and Ross Coleman won’t be competing in this year’s PBR World Finals at the Thomas & Mack Center, but the former UNLV rodeo teammates will be close to the action and doing their best to promote the sport.

After all, it’s a sport that has been very good to them.

McBride, who captured the Professional Bull Riders title in 2005 and 2007 before retiring in 2008, is a color commentator for the event’s broadcasts on Versus and NBC. To say he enjoys coming back to Las Vegas, where in 1998 he was a collegiate bareback champion, is an understatement.

“This is a place where dreams are made and destroyed for bull riders,” said McBride, who has a PBR record 32 career wins and was the first bull rider to reach $5 million in career earnings. “This is the World Series. This is the Super Bowl. This is as exciting as it gets in our sport.”

Coleman, who didn’t qualify for the Finals, is retiring after 13 years on the circuit and will be honored during the event for his contributions. His new role in bull riding is working for Back Seat Buckers, a breeding program that allows anyone to become a stock contractor and invest in bulls. And, you can’t ask for a better advocate.

“I guarantee all the people showing up in Las Vegas this will be the best of the best,” Coleman said of the 42 bull riders competing Wednesday to Sunday for a share of $2.2 million.

Whenever McBride and Coleman would make appearances together at sponsor autograph sessions or meet-and-greets, Coleman always seemed to draw the most attention. While McBride was one of the best competitors in the world, it was Coleman who frequently stole the show.

“(Coleman) has been a big part of the growth of the sport,” McBride said. “He is a such a great guy. That is his biggest attribute. When we did (the appearances), he was always a guy who could draw more fans back to the arena. Great riders come and go, but great people stay forever. Ross is one of those great people.”

Coleman, 32, wasn’t too shabby of a competitor, either. He is the Cal Ripken Jr. of bull riding, becoming the first in PBR history to compete in 300 events, record 800 outs and earn 400 qualified rides. Considering the bumps and bruises affiliated with this extreme sport, his ability to continuously compete for 13 years is a significant achievement.

“When you are passionate about something (bull riding) like I am, nothing else matters,” Coleman said.

Long before McBride and Coleman where traveling partners on the PBR tour, they were college roommates at UNLV. Each stayed one year before turning professional, but calls their time in Las Vegas memorable. UNLV had one of the best rodeo programs in the nation, receiving a majority of its funding through the Gaughan family — the current South Point owner’s dedication to the sport is evident with its South Point Equestrian Center.

“We pretty much had the best (college) team you could ever have,” said Coleman, who won the all-around title in 1998 at the college national finals.

McBride added: “We had a great time at UNLV. I know I can speak for Ross on this: Being at UNLV helped both of us getting to our professional career. The experience and the resources we had here made us so much more prepared.”