Little Yellow Jacket

Little Yellow Jacket (1996 - 19 September 2011) was a three-time Professional Bull Riders (PBR) "Bull of the Year", winning the title in consecutive years from 2002-2004. His three consecutive titles has made him unmatched by any bull in the history of the PBR.^[1][2] He was the son of Yellow Jacket and the grandson of Wrangler Rivets.^[3][4]

PBR career

Little Yellow Jacket made his debut in the PBR in the year 1999^[4], and went to his first PBR World Finals that year. ^[5] He went on to become the World Champion bull three consecutive times (2002-2004).^[1] He also finished runner-up to World Champion bull Dillinger in 2001.

At the end of his career, Little Yellow Jacket had a buck off rate of 83.53%, with an average buck off time of 2.66 seconds.^[6][7] Before his death, the bull was scheduled to be the inaugural inductee in the PBR's Brand of Honor, and would be honored in a ceremony at the 2011 PBR World Finals.^[8]

Historic rides

On April 24, 2004 at the Idaho Center in Nampa, Idaho, former World Champion bull rider Michael Gaffney scored 96.5 points on Little Yellow Jacket, tying the PBR record.^[4] At the World Arena in Colorado Springs in 2003, 2000 PBR World Champion Chris Shivers had a chance to ride him for $1,000,000, but was bucked off in less than two seconds. Instead, the bull's owners received $50,000.^[2][8]

Physical attributes

Little Yellow Jacket was a dark red Brangus bull.^[7] He weighed about 1,800 pounds (820 kg) and had one horn pointing upward and one downward.^[9]

Retirement and death

Little Yellow Jacket's owners, a partnership of Joe and Nevada Berger, Bernie Taupin, and Tom Teague, retired him an the end of 2005.^[10] In 2006, Little Yellow Jacket was inducted into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. During his final years, Little Yellow Jacket lived as a stud bull at a ranch in North Dakota. Little Yellow Jacket died in Graham, North Carolina on September 19, 2011, at the age of 15.^[8][4]

References