BFTS Tickets on Sale for Eugene, Oregon

PUEBLO, Colo. – The world’s Top 35 bull riders will converge on Matthew Knight Arena, the home of the University of Oregon Ducks, on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 1-2 for the PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) Wrangler Long Live Cowboys Classic, part of the elite Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS).

This is the only chance in 2016 that the Pacific Northwest will be able to witness electrifying 8-second rides and heart-stopping wrecks as the PBR’s gutsiest cowboys risk it all against the sport’s top bovine athletes.

Ticket prices for the two-day event range from $15 to $101 and go on sale today.  They can be purchased at the Matthew Knight Arena box office, online at matthewknightarena.com or via phone at 800-WEB-FOOT (932-3668) or 800-992-TIXX (8499). The Wrangler Long Live Cowboys Classic will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1 and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 2.

For an enhanced PBR experience, fans can now purchase PBR Elite Seats, which provide a behind-the-scenes look into the toughest sport on dirt. This once-in-a-lifetime experience includes early entry; tickets to a premium seating section; a catered reception; a 60-minute, backstage tour by a PBR Host, featuring a PBR 101 presentation and visit with the sport’s fiercest bulls; and the opportunity for photos and autographs from the top PBR stars. After the event, PBR Elite Seat ticketholders also will be given premium dirt access, where they can get their complimentary 8 Seconds PBR program, Elite Seat lanyard and other memorabilia autographed by the Top 35 bull riders in the world.

The PBR Elite Seats are available for $350 and can only be purchased by contacting the PBR Customer Service Department at 800-732-1727.

After the event’s 35 athletes take on their bovine opponents in Round 1 on Saturday, fans also will be able to enjoy the excitement of the PBR’s 15/15 Bucking Battle. A special round of competition, the 15/15 Bucking Battle features the Top 15 men in the world facing the Top 15 bulls in the competition for a chance to earn additional money and valuable PBR world standings bonus points which are needed to win the $1 million PBR World Champion title.  The 15/15 Bucking Battle will air on CBS Television Network on Sunday, Oct. 2 at either 3-4 p.m. ET or 5-6 p.m. ET. Please check local listings for more details.

The PBR visited Eugene with its Touring Pro Division for three years after Matthew Knight Arena opened in 2011, offering Oregon fans a chance to see the sport’s up-and-coming talent. This year, all of the stars of the BFTS, the Top 35 bull riders in the world, will compete at OU’s arena in the Wrangler Long Live Cowboys Classic.

Two-time and reigning PBR World Champion J.B. Mauney is expected to compete, alongside three-time World Champion Silvano Alves (2011-12, 2014), 2008 World Champion Guilherme Marchi and 2004 World Champion Mike Lee.

Also riding in Eugene will be hottest young guns the PBR BFTS has seen in years, including the leading 2016 PBR Rookie of the Year contender, 20-year-old Derek Kolbaba of Walla Walla, Washington, 18-year-old phenom Jess Lockwood (Volborg, Montana), Melton, Montana’s Nevada Newman and 2015 PBR World Finals event winner Cooper Davis (Jasper, Texas).

The Wrangler Long Live Cowboys Classic is the 23^rd stop on the 2016 BFTS schedule. The BFTS is televised every week on CBS, CBS Sports Network – the home of the PBR and networks around the world. This season the PBR on CBS has seen a 20 percent increase in viewership over the same events in 2015, according to Nielsen. BFTS telecasts are produced for the PBR under a multi-year agreement with David Neal Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company led by 34-time Emmy® Award winner and Peabody Award winner David Neal, who serves as executive producer.