OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (April 14, 2025) – The PBR (Professional Bull Riders) today announced the 2025 class of Heroes & Legends inductees, marking the sport’s 27th Hall of Fame class and third group of individuals who have had an extraordinary impact on Western sports to be inducted into the PBR Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.
The 2025 Heroes & Legends Ceremony, recognized as a preeminent Western sports award ceremony, will be held on Thursday, July 10, prior to the Oklahoma Wildcatters homestand, Wildcatter Days scheduled for July 11-13 at nearby Paycom Center. The Wildcatters are one of 10 teams that compete in the groundbreaking PBR Teams league which transforms bull riding from an individual sport into team competition.
Two-time PBR World Champion and Oklahoma Wildcatters Head Coach J.B. Mauney will receive the coveted Ring of Honor, regarded as the highest honor for a professional bull rider following their retirement from competition. The Ring of Honor is presented to individuals who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the sport of bull riding, based on the core beliefs of the organization, including authenticity, toughness, respect, teamwork, and professionalism.
Considered by many as the greatest of all time, Mauney, a name synonymous with resilience, grit and freakish natural talent in the world of professional bull riding, won the PBR World Championship in 2013 and 2015, and recorded 538 qualified premier series rides in his career, second all-time in PBR, including 75 90-point rides. In 2009, he became the first rider to record a qualified ride on all eight of his bulls at the PBR World Finals.
Known as “The Dragon Slayer” for consistently choosing the most difficult bulls, the North Carolina cowboy famously ended Bushwacker’s then record streak of 42 consecutive buck offs in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2013.
Mauney is the highest–earning Western sports athlete in history. His career earnings in PBR totaled $7,419,474.90. Mauney’s 18-year professional career ended following a neck injury in 2023.
In 2024, Mauney began a new phase of his career, tapped to lead the Oklahoma Wildcatters as Head Coach. During the team’s inaugural season, they went 11-16-1 to conclude the regular-season No. 8 in the league.
Warren G. “Freckles” Brown will receive the Ring of Honor posthumously. A prolific rodeo competitor in the mid-1900s, Brown made history in 1962 when he won RCA bull riding world title at the age of 41, becoming the oldest athlete in the organization’s history to win a riding-event championship. Brown’s career was briefly put on pause when he travelled overseas to serve the United States military during World War II, first enlisting in the Army before being recruited to the CIA.
Despite suffering numerous critical injuries following his return to competition, including a brief period of paralysis in 1962 that required an emergency surgery and a 34-day stint in traction, in addition to his world title, Brown won the National Finals Rodeo average in 1967. During the 1967 National Finals Rodeo Brown delivered one of the most well-remembered moments in rodeo, becoming the first rider to cover the bull Tornado out of more than 200 who had previously attempted him.
The prestigious Brand of Honor will be presented to World Champion Bull Big Bucks. The PBR Brand of Honor, created in 2011, is the highest honor a bovine animal athlete can receive. The honor is based on the animal athlete’s display of consistent championship caliber performances and career statistical records.
Big Bucks etched his name in the PBR records books in 2005 when he was crowned World Champion, besting the likes of World Champions Adriano Moraes, Chris Shivers, Troy Dunn and Justin McBride en route to winning the title at the age of four. Big Bucks made his PBR debut in February 2004 and was a consistent force on tour until he retired at the conclusion of the 2008 PBR World Finals. During his career, he bucked 58 times and was ridden just three times, amassing a lifetime average bull score of 45.35 points.
Pioneering women’s rodeo athlete and broadcast personality Pam Minick will be honored with the Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing those who throughout their life and professional career have significantly contributed to the advancement of the sport of bull riding and rodeo.
Despite not being raised in a ranching family, Minick quickly found her home on horseback, excelling amongst both the 4-H and high school ranks en route to being the first woman awarded the Nevada Cowboy Association’s Rookie of the Year title. In the professional ranks, Minick, an accomplished barrel racer and roper, qualified for the Women’s National Finals Rodeo 16 times, and was the 1982 Women’s World Champion Calf Roper. Off the dirt, Minick was also the Turquoise Circuit Director and Vice President of the WPRA, in addition to serving as Vice President of Marketing for Billy Bob’s Texas for more than 30 years. She is credited for being a pioneer for women’s rodeo, helping shepherd in numerous advancements.
After being crowned Miss Rodeo America in 1973, Minick’s career began to blossom and in 1976 she made her broadcasting debut, tapped to cover LIVE rodeo broadcasts on CBS. Minick was the first woman to commentate rodeo on national television and went on to serve on broadcast teams for PBR events as well as NFR telecasts on ESPN, among others. Among her many lists of firsts, Minick’s was the first woman to announce the Houston Livestock Show in 1994. Her natural charisma and commanding presence behind the microphone captivated audiences and played a key role in boosting the sport’s popularity.
Legendary roper Roy Cooper will be honored with the Ty Murray Top Hand Award. Created in 2018, this honor is given annually to individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to enhance the sport of rodeo.
Known by many as “Super Looper,” Cooper, who overcame severe asthma as a child to pursue a career in Western Sports, put the rodeo world on notice in his first season in 1976, winning the Resistol Rookie of the Year, Tie-Dow Roping National Finals Rodeo Average Championship and Tie-Down Roping World Championship.
During his 37-seas career, Cooper won eight PRCA World Championships, including six titles in tie-down roping and one in steer roping, along with an all-around World Championship, in addition to making 19 appearances at the National Finals Rodeo in tie-down roping and 13 in steer roping. In 2000, Cooper became the first cowboy in PRCA history to surpass $2 million in career earnings.
As Cooper now enjoys much-earned retirement, his sons continue the family legacy, making history of their own in 2010 when Clint, Tuf and Clif became the third set of brothers to all qualify for the National Finals Rodeo in the same season.
Priscila Palermo will be honored with the Sharon Shoulders Award. Created in 2010, the Sharon Shoulders Award recognizes the great women of professional bull riding and Western sports, whose work, partnership, and faith have been as integral to the sport as the athletes themselves.
Palermo, the wife of three-time PBR World Finals event winner and 2021 Ring of Honor inductee Robson Palermo, was an anchor for the young couple when they moved to the United States in 2005. Palermo spoke English and was key to helping her husband’s blossoming career take off.
An accomplished barrel racer in her own right in Brazil, Palermo attended Texas A&M University following their move to the United States getting a Masters in Agribusiness.
Now a resident of the United States of more than two decades, she has transitioned into new supporting role with her husband named Assistant Coach of the Carolina Cowboys.
Heroes & Legends will begin with a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m. CT, followed by a seated dinner and the ceremony at 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, July 10 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Tables and tickets for the 2025 PBR Heroes and Legends Ceremony are on-sale now and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com.
The bull riding action for the 2025 PBR Camping World Team Series’ Wildcatter Days at Paycom Center begins 7:45 p.m. CT on Friday, July 11, 6:45 p.m. CT on Saturday, July 12, and 1:45 p.m. CT on Sunday, July 13.
Tickets for Wildcatter Days are on sale now, and start at $29, taxes and fees not included. They can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com and PBR.com, at the Paycom Center Box Office, or by calling PBR customer service at (800) 732-1727.
Three-day ticket packages are available, offering fans a 15% discount on select price levels.
Fans can also purchase a combination package including tickets to both Wildcatter Days and an individual ticket for the Heroes & Legends ceremony at Ticketmaster.com.
For more information about Heroes & Legends visit https://pbr.com/heroes-legends.
About PBR (Professional Bull Riders):
PBR is the world’s premier bull riding organization. More than 1,000 bull riders compete in more than 200 events annually across the televised PBR Unleash The Beast tour (UTB), which features the top bull riders in the world; the PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT); the PBR Touring Pro Division (TPD); and the PBR’s international circuits in Australia, Brazil, and Canada. In 2022, the organization launched PBR Teams—10 teams of the world’s best bull riders competing for a new championship—as well as the PBR Challenger Series with more than 60 annual events nationwide. PBR events are broadcast on CBS Television Network and Paramount+. PBR is a subsidiary of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), a premium sports and entertainment company. For more information, visit PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, X at X.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.
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