Melancon Looking Forward to Repeating Past Texas Success as Unleash The Beast: American Roots Edition Heads to his Home State
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – As Cole Melancon scanned the updated 2021 Unleash The Beast: American Roots Edition schedule in December, he saw a familiar town listed on the schedule.
Pecos, Texas, and Buck Jackson Memorial Arena.
The west Texas town claims to have held the world’s first rodeo on July 4, 1883, on its streets. The West of the Pecos Rodeo eventually grew into one of the most historical rodeos through the years, and the rodeo was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2008.
Melancon, a two-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier, is very familiar with Buck Jackson Memorial Arena, which has hosted the annual springtime rodeo since 1936.
The 26-year-old split the victory in the bull riding there in 2019 with Daylon Swearingen after previously finishing second in 2018.
“I try to go to Pecos every year,” Melancon told PBR.com this offseason. “It is just a really good rodeo besides it being normally hot as crap there, but it won’t be hot there this time of year. It is an oil field town, and there are thousands of people there for work. There ought to be a pretty good crowd there.”
Pecos will be hosting the Unleash The Beast: American Roots Edition on Feb. 20-21. The UTB’s next three events, in fact, will be held in Melancon’s home state of Texas. The PBR’s primary tour is on hiatus this weekend before resuming in Del Rio, Texas, at the historic Val Verde County Fairgrounds on Feb. 13-14.
Melancon leads the PBR with three round wins on the Unleash The Beast and is the No. 6-ranked bull rider in the world standings. He is 3-for-7 this season, but all three of his qualified rides resulted in round wins – 87.25 points on Dang It, 88.5 points on Bottom’s Up and 88.5 points on Soup in a Group.
The Paris, Texas, native cut his teeth in the PRCA before joining the PBR tour full-time in 2020, and he has goals of making a run at both the 2021 PBR World Finals and 2021 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
Before the PBR season began, Melancon went 2-for-3 to win the Texas Circuit Finals in Waco, so Texas has already treated him nice this year.
Melancon is taking advantage of the UTB off-weekend, and he is in the draw Friday night at the Rodeo Rapid City PRCA event in South Dakota.
He is also planning to take the next step in his PBR career in 2021 following a 10th-place finish in the final 2020 world standings.
Melancon sat atop the Rookie of the Year standings from the moment he won his debut event at Iron Cowboy last February in the iconic STAPLES Center, only to see the prestigious rookie buckle snatched out of his grasp by 2020 PBR World Finals event winner Boudreaux Campbell.
And he made sure to go down swinging.
Campbell needed to ride his final bull of the season to win the Rookie of the Year title on Championship Sunday inside AT&T Stadium following Melancon’s career-high 92.25-point ride on 2018 PRCA Bull of the Year Spotted Demon.
“Man, I love Boudreaux,” Melancon said. “We grew up together. I am very proud of him. I knew he was back there, and I am not going to say I was worried about him. I honestly didn’t think he could get enough points. This is my first year too, so I didn’t know. Then after the first night, I had seen it was possible. That kid rode lights out, and I wish nothing but the best for him.”
Campbell is currently out of competition recovering from wrist surgery on his free hand.
Melancon wound up going 3-for-5 at the World Finals, finishing in fourth place overall for a $94,611.11 paycheck. He concluded the season with the third-highest earnings ($313,791.07) in the PBR behind only 2020 World Champion Jose Vitor Leme and Campbell – the 2020 World Finals event winner.
“It is a blessing for sure,” Melancon said. “I am glad that I came in there and finished up the season how I started it when I got on tour. I just hit a rough spot. I came in hot and started great; then I was just average for an average bull rider. It was aggravating, and I was happy to go in there and have good Finals. It wasn’t a great Finals because I could have rode two more bulls and not had a problem with Boudreaux catching me for Rookie of the Year. I had a good Finals, and I just happy I was able to show up and show out and let everybody know, ‘Hey, I still am capable of doing what I said I was going to do.’ Boudreaux just showed up and had a better weekend. That is all it is.”
Melancon and Spotted Demon have a strong history together. He had previously ridden Spotted Demon for 89.75 points when he won Iron Cowboy in downtown Los Angeles. He is only one of two rookies in PBR history to win a PBR Major since the Majors were launched in 2015.
Julio Moreno and Dallas Schott retired Spotted Demon following the 2020 PBR World Finals and the NFR. The 12-year-old bull went out in style at the NFR, bucking off Tyler Bingham and 2020 NFR average winner and last weekend’s Okeechobee victor Colten Fritzlan.
“I love that bull, and just back in February that was the bull I rode to win $100,000 and to win the Iron Cowboy,” Melancon said. “I am happy to go out with a ride at the Finals, and a big ride, and it is awesome to say I was the last guy to ride that bull.”
Melancon, who finished 23rd in the final PRCA standings ($40,898.18), watched all 10 rounds of the NFR on TV and attended the NFR in person for one round.
The second-year PBR pro said he is even more fired up for 2021 after missing out on the NFR.
Melancon knows he must be better than his 14-for-51 (27.45%) 2020 UTB season, and he expects himself to be that much better in 2021.
“Watching the NFR just lit a fire in me, too,” Melancon said. “I am ready to get back at it in both associations and go make both Finals this year.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
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