Toughest Cowboy
Toughest Cowboy presented by Jagermeister
News Release
Contact: Ann Bleiker – 719-226-2009 (office)
March 2, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Eubank eliminates Murphy, Toughest Cowboy title and deed to Jäger Ranch up for grabs
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Playoffs of the 2008 World's Toughest Rodeo featuring Toughest Cowboy presented by Jagermeister didn't lack for excitement at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn. All season the competitors have ridden two broncs and a bull in a single night in a head-to-head competition televised nationally on Fox Sports Network. Now down to the top eight cowboys the importance of a win was never so vital. The format for the Playoffs were simple – win and move one step closer to answering the question, "Who will win Jager Ranch?" Lose and kiss your hopes of winning the ranch goodbye.
The rodeo revolution kicked off with the best match-up of the season, the top seeded cowboy Bandy Murphy of Weatherford, Okla., matched against the eighth seeded Chad Eubank of Cleburne, Texas, who re-entered the competition following an injury to B.J. Schumacher in St. Paul, Minn. Murphy knew he would have his work cut out for him with the talented Eubank back in the line-up. The first win went to Eubank after he posted a score of 84 points in the bareback riding compared to Murphy’s 81-point ride.
Down 1-0 the Home Depot cowboy looked to pull even with the Super Clean cowboy in the saddle bronc riding. However, when the judges had finished tabulating the scores it was Eubank edging Murphy by four points. There was still hope for Murphy, who had led the standings all year, as he entered the bull riding. Murphy needed to outdistance Eubank by eight points to not only win the bull riding but pick up a bonus win in the aggregate. If Murphy could tie Eubank 2-2, then Murphy would get the ultimate win based on his higher seeding from the season.
With the stage set for a dramatic finish, the chute gate opened for Eubank where he took care of business and posted an 87-point ride. As a result, Murphy would need to post a 95-point ride on Rock Hound in order to get the bull riding win, the bonus win, and keep his hopes alive for a chance at riding for Jäger Ranch. The Oklahoma cowboy had a very impressive bull ride and the judges marked him a season high 90 points, but he fell five points short of surpassing Eubank in the aggregate and his season came to a crashing halt in a matter of eight seconds.
For Eubank, the win gave him new life and greatly increased his chances of moving one step closer to owning Jager Ranch.
"It was an important win for me and it felt so much better because I had my grandmother, my aunt and uncle and my dad here tonight to watch me," said Eubank following his dramatic win in Nashville. "The win came at the right time, right place and in front of the right people, so it was very special to me. People ask me about the ranch, but I try to just take it one ride at a time and whatever happens, happens."
Shane Proctor of Powell, Wyo., who entered the Playoffs as the second seed was matched against seventh seeded Jared Green of Socorro, N.M. Green jumped out to the early lead picking up the win in the bareback riding after edging Proctor by three points. It was another close event in the saddle bronc riding with the win going to Proctor this time with an 84-point ride to Green’s 81. So it all came down to the bull riding and Proctor needed a "W" to advance to the Championship round. Despite fighting the flu, Proctor was able to get the win over Green outscoring him by 21 points and taking the match 3-1. With Murphy eliminated, Proctor becomes the odds on favorite to win the ranch.
With two spots secured in the Championship round, two more remained to be filled. In the third match of the night it was Erik Wolford of Clinton, Mich., against Clovis Crane of Lebanon, Pa. Wolford, who is sponsored by Wrangler jumped out to the early lead picking up wins in both the bareback and saddle bronc riding with scores of 82 and 80, respectively. Crane was down 2-0 heading into the bull riding but that didn’t deter the Jägermeister cowboy. After an early exit in the bull riding for Wolford it was Crane who picked up the win and when the scores were tabulated, Crane also picked up the win in total points. So the match was tied 2-2 and being that it was the Playoffs the tie had to be broken. The tiebreaker in this instance went back to the overall season standings and it was Wolford who got the ultimate win to advance to the Championship round in Columbus, Ohio.
Trey Broussard, who was coming off a big win in St. Paul, needed another big win in Nashville to keep his hopes alive for winning Jäger Ranch. Broussard, of Estherwood, La., was matched against Nelson Tsosie of Farmington, N.M. Tsosie, the B&W Trailer Hitches cowboy, picked up the first win after outscoring Broussard by 14 points in the bareback riding. However, the Dodge cowboy wouldn’t go away that easy and came back to win the saddle bronc riding. With the match tied 1-1 heading into the final event of bull riding, it was anyone’s game. Broussard covered his bull and tallied 83 points, setting the bar pretty high for Tsosie. Unfortunately for Tsosie, he was bucked off his bull well before the eight second whistle and the bull riding and match win went to Broussard.
With that the field was set for the Championship Round in Columbus with Proctor, Wolford, Eubank and Broussard all in contention for the 2008 Toughest Cowboy title and one of them will ultimately answer the question, "Who will win Jäger Ranch."
Toughest Cowboy presented by Jagermeister is revolutionizing the sport by introducing an exciting and innovative format to audiences across the United States. Unlike other rodeos where riders usually compete in just one discipline, Toughest Cowboy is an unprecedented test of endurance as all competitors must ride in three disciplines in one night (Bareback Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding and Bull Riding). The events feature head-to-head matches throughout the season leading to the playoffs and championship…ultimately crowning someone the Toughest Cowboy Champion.
Jagermeister, the country’s best selling shot brand and top selling imported liqueur, is the first presenting sponsor of the Toughest Cowboy rodeo competition and tour in 2008. The Champion at the end of the season will be awarded the deed to the beautiful Jager Ranch located in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
The next stop on the Toughest Cowboy tour will be the Championship Round from Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Be sure to catch all the exciting action from Columbus on Fox Sports Network (FSN) weekdays in primetime and Saturday at midnight. For more information on this one-of-a-kind event and for the latest television schedule visit www.toughestcowboy.com.
Tournament 8 Results
Nashville, Tenn.
Match 1
Chad Eubank, Cleburne, Texas vs. Bandy Murphy, Weatherford, Okla. – 3 wins to 1 win; 251 total points to 247 points; Eubank advances to championship
Match 2
Jared Green, Socorro, N.M. vs. Shane Proctor, Powell, Wyo. – 1 win to 3 wins; 174 points to 195 points; Proctor advances to championship
Match 3
Clovis Crane, Lebanon, Pa. vs. Erik Wolford, Clinton, Mich. – 2 wins to 2 wins; 199 points to 190 points; Wolford advances to championship*
*Tiebreaker reverted back to season standings and Wolford had the higher season total
Match 4
Trey Broussard, Estherwood, La. vs. Nelson Tsosie, Farmington, N.M. – 3 wins to 1 win; 198 points to 141 points; Broussard advances to championship
Nashville winner: Chad Eubank
Cowboys advancing to Championship Round
1. Shane Proctor, Powell, Wyo.
2. Erik Wolford, Clinton, Mich.
3. Trey Broussard, Estherwood, La.
4. Chad Eubank, Cleburne, Texas
About Grit Rock Rodeo
Grit Rock Rodeo is one of the largest producers of live and televised rodeo events in the world. Grit Rock Rodeo owns the World’s Toughest Rodeo, a national touring rodeo that consists of World’s Toughest Bulls and Broncs and Toughest Cowboy. Toughest Cowboy, a revolution in the sport which featured 8 cowboys riding 3 times in a performance, was carried in 2007 on Fox Sports Net nationally on Sunday nights. Grit Rock Rodeo also owns the license rights to the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour, which is the premier Tour of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. The 2007 Wrangler ProRodeo Tour and the Ariat Playoffs of the Tour aired nationally on Fox Sports Net and CBS Sports.
www.toughestcowboy.com
www.prorodeotour.com
www.bullsandbroncs.com
About AEG
AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, owns or controls a collection of companies including facilities such as STAPLES Center, Toyota Sports Center, Toyota Park, NOKIA Theatre Times Square, NOKIA Theatre at Grand Prairie, Hollywood’s El Rey Theatre, Seattle’s WaMu Theatre, Minneapolis’ Target Center and the just opened The O2, a 28-acre development located in the eastern part of London along the Thames River which includes a 20,000 seat arena and over 650,000sf of leisure and entertainment use; sports franchises throughout the world including the Los Angeles Kings (NHL), Los Angeles Riptide (MLL) and three MLS franchises in addition to overseeing privately held management shares of the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA). AEG developed and operates The Home Depot Center, a $150 million national training facility on the Campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson, California designated as an “Official U.S. Olympic Training Site” by the United States Olympic Committee that includes major facilities for soccer, tennis, track & field, cycling, lacrosse, rugby, action sports, beach volleyball, basketball and other sports.
The company's live entertainment division, AEG LIVE is one of the world's leading concert promotion and touring organizations that has recently promoted national tours on behalf of artists such as Prince, Bon Jovi, Kenney Chesney and Cheetah Girls as well as producing "A New Day…" starring Celine Dion appearing exclusively at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace and the international museum tour of King Tut's artifacts.
AEG is overseeing the development of L.A. LIVE, a 4 million square foot / $2.5 billion downtown Los Angeles sports, residential & entertainment district featuring NOKIA Theatre L.A. LIVE, a 7,100-seat state-of-the-art live theatre, a 54-story, 1001-room convention center "headquarters" hotel, Club NOKIA at L.A. LIVE, a 2,200 capacity live music venue, a 14-screen Regal Cineplex, "broadcast" facilities for ESPN, along with entertainment, restaurant, residential and office space and additional arenas, O2 World, on a 45-acre site in the heart of Berlin, Citizen’s Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California, Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri and in Las Vegas, Nevada.
www.aegworldwide.com
www.toughestcowboy.com
