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Davis thinking about Championships in both PBR and PRCA

By: Justin Felisko
April 26, 2018

Cooper Davis is 11th in the PBR world standings. Photo: Andy Watson/BullStockMedia.com.

PUEBLO, Colo. – It had been almost four years since Cooper Davis last competed at a PRCA rodeo until he rode Eastside for 87.5 points Tuesday night at the Wharton, Texas, Xtreme Bulls event.

“I am sitting second right now,” Davis said. “It was good. It was my first rodeo since ’14. It was fun. I got to see a lot of people I haven’t seen in a long time. The kid I grew up with, Braden Richardson, he is just starting to go to them now pretty heavy and he was 88. He is like my little brother.”

Davis has become a PBR superstar in these last four years, winning the 2015 PBR World Finals as a rookie and the 2016 PBR World Championship the following season.

Recently, though, Davis has begun to get a little bit of a rodeo itch.

“Man, I don’t know,” Davis said earlier this month. “I really don’t know. I think it is something where I would like to make the NFR one more time. I don’t know.”

Davis reiterated that the PBR is still his No. 1 priority, but that he has hopes of working toward qualifying for the 2019 National Finals Rodeo.

“I say that is the goal,” Davis said. “It just depends how my body is feeling and if I am still having fun with it. That is the whole point of wanting to rodeo. To have fun and not have the pressure. Just ride bulls and not have a camera in my face. It can be something I am doing for fun rather than trying to go make a dollar every time.”

The 24-year-old doesn’t have any qualifications in the PRCA this year, so he is hopeful on having a decent part-time rodeo run this year that will put him in a stronger position to enter bigger rodeos in 2019.

“I am just going to get my qualifications back, and I will try and make the NFR next year,” Davis said. “I am not going to try and hammer it too hard this year anyway. Just enough to get my qualifications up and get into the Top 50 so I can go anywhere I want next year.”

Brennon Eldred qualified for the NFR and the PBR World Finals for the first time last season. Eldred knows it will take Davis some extra work, but he is confident Davis has the skillset to make a return trip to the NFR.

“Last year I had to go to strictly mainly the biggest rodeos I could and toward the end of the season I had to go to as many as I could,” Eldred said. “I got lucky and drew as good as I did at the big ones.”

Davis heads into this weekend’s PBR Columbus Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, 11th in the PBR world standings. He has bucked off seven consecutive bulls on the premier series as he continues to try and overcome an injury to the ring finger on his riding hand.

 
He has drawn Economic Impact (0-0, PBR UTB) for Round 1 and Red Bandana (27-7, PBR UTB) for the 15/15 Bucking Battle.

Fans can watch Round 1 exclusively on RidePass at 6:30 p.m. ET, while the 15/15 Bucking Battle airs Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday on CBS national television.

It is commonplace for Davis to have his wife, Kaitlyn, and their son, Mack, travel with him to events, and the rodeo trail is something Cooper would like Mack to experience before he gets to old and is in school full time.

“Mack is going to be able to go with me next year before he starts all of his school business,” Cooper said. “That is my thinking. I want to bring him some before he goes to school. If I wait too long, I won’t be able to bring him along.”

Regardless, Davis also isn’t thinking about just rodeoing for a good time.

Davis is certainly eyeing a trip to the NFR, and possibly a PRCA championship if he can pull off the ultimate double-duty.

Tuff Hedeman is the only bull rider to have a PBR World Championship (1995) and PRCA bull riding championship (1986, 1989, 1991) on his resume.

“I think it can be done,” Davis said. “Sage (Kimzey) has kind of cornered that market the last four years. Not by any means am I wanting to go in there and just take it from Sage, but it would be cool to put your name next to Tuff Hedeman as guys that have won both.”

Davis, who last qualified for the NFR in 2013, has tremendous respect for Kimzey’s accomplishments in the PRCA and the two are very, good friends.

The Jasper, Texas, native is looking forward to actually traveling up and down the rodeo trail with him during his non-PBR schedule.

“Next year I will go some with Sage,” Davis said. “Sage and I have gotten along for a long time, and we understand each other better than most people. Putting myself in the car with Sage would be nice. I will have him to help guide me in the entering direction. That can be a pain in the butt. He will know when to go and where to go. It would be a fun experience nonetheless.

“Heck, maybe I can convince Sage to come along here.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

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