Teel is Coleman’s Quarterback in the Huddle for Missouri Thunder
By: Justin Felisko
Anaheim, Calif. – Cody Teel was sitting in the locker room at T-Mobile Center when he and his Missouri Thunder teammates were going through the list of potential bulls for Championship Sunday at Outlaw Days.
One of the bullpens that could potentially be randomly assigned to the Thunder featured Kid Knapper.
Kid Knapper had knocked Teel out during the 2022 PBR World Finals and pinned and hooked Teel underneath the arena fencing at Dickies Arena.
Teel, who also previously rode Kid Knapper for 91.5 points at the 2021 PBR World Finals, let out a bashful chuckle as he often does.
“Boys, if we ever draw him again, I am going to have to take him,” Teel said.
Three hours later, coach Ross Coleman told Teel he would be getting his revenge on Sunday when the Thunder squared off against in-state rival Kansas City.
“That was a little sooner than I expected,” Teel told PBR.com with a laugh. “I had to follow up and prove it. Thankfully, it worked out.”
Teel went on to help the Thunder secure an impressive 257.75-253.5 victory over the Outlaws last week by riding Kid Knapper for 88.5 points.
The Thunder will look to build off that momentum Friday night in a battle for first place in the PBR Team Series standings when they take on the Arizona Ridge Riders in a battle between 4-1 teams.
Fans can catch all the action live on RidePass on Pluto TV beginning at 10:45 p.m. ET. The Thunder then play the Carolina Cowboys (3-2) on Saturday night (9:45 p.m. ET).
“Absolutely,” Teel said. “We got three down against Kansas City, and it really helped our cause heading to Anaheim. Everybody is really fired up. That was the most energy we have had so far. Three quality bull rides and two great efforts. That was the most fired up we have been so far.”
Coleman pulled Teel’s bull rope prior to the ride, and he then watched on from dirt level to see Teel put the exclamation point on the Thunder’s fourth victory to start the season.
“I love everything about that bull ride right there,” Coleman said. “I guarantee I could have probably walked under that bull with how high he jumped right there. How big time he dropped. Cody Teel is the real deal cowboy. That brought back big-time goosebumps. That reminds me of the old Mossyoak Chute Out stuff back in the back. Big rampage. Big ole scary bulls back in our day. That is a big, rank, scary bucker. Big-time bucker.”
The Thunder drafted Teel in the third round of the 2022 PBR Team Series Draft, presented by ZipRecruiter, and Coleman was “shocked” to get a veteran leader with a gold buckle on his roster that late in the draft.
It has been almost a decade since Teel won the 2012 PRCA bull riding championship, but it doesn’t seem that long ago to Teel.
“It feels like yesterday,” Teel said. “It just goes really quickly, and you have to make the most of it, make the years count.”
Coleman knows he and fellow coach Luke Snyder can be fiery, passionate leaders. That kind of energy could potentially get some of their younger riders a little too fired up, but that is where Teel can be that calming presence.
There are never too many highs or too many lows with the 30-year-old.
Coleman, in fact, compared Teel’s role on the team to that of a veteran NFL quarterback. Every coach needs that voice in the huddle.
Teel is the only rider in his 30s on the Missouri roster.
“Me and Luke can talk bull riding until we are blue in the face, but it is more important to me that a guy like Cody Teel is around talking and explaining it to the guys,” Coleman said. “Yes, we are the coaches, but we need the coach in the huddle. He is our Tom Brady in the huddle. That is so important to me because, I swear, when it comes to bull riding, you have to be talking about it. You have to be learning and you have to be open-minded.”
Don’t expect Teel calling himself Tom Brady anytime soon, though.
Teel appreciates the kind comparison from his coach, but one of the humblest men in the locker room is not ready to boast his chest out or break into a passionate speech inside the locker room.
“Honestly, no, I don’t see myself like that, but I’ve taken on the role of mainly trying to able to (learn how to share my) thoughts and experience. Being able to put that in words, finding a way to put that in words, I’ve been trying to focus on that. When people ask me for thoughts and opinions, I try to be prepared to give a response that’s just easy to get across and it’s strictly from the experience, winning, losing, and those kinds of things. I say all the time, ‘I’ve won really big in my career, and I’ve lost really big too.’ Big moments, but you can learn from them. You try not to repeat it but try to embrace what you learned.
“I’ve just kind of accepted it for what it is, I’ve been doing this over 10 years now. I’ve been in the PBR for over six now, so it’s just kind of where we’re at now. I’ve kind of reflected on my career in the process and like I said, being able to put things into words and to have it be meaningful when I say it so that I don’t feel like I’m offering my opinion or being overbearing or anything. I like to be able to give people information that’s worth something, not just gibberish.”
Rather, Teel wants to lead by example, which starts and ends with hitting the 8-second mark more times than dropping to the dirt and doing what is best for the team even when you are not climbing inside the bucking chute.
“I’m not a ‘rah-rah’ guy,” Teel continued. “I’m just going to continue to do what I do. It’s not something you can force or try to fake it, because people see through that, so I just do what I do. I’ve been respectful of this Teams deal. If you need to be somewhere, be there on time, just stuff outside of the arena and continue to do the things I do in the arena, win or lose. Learn from it and don’t pitch a fit. If someone can pick something up, I’m willing to help.”
Teel is 1-for-3 in three games this season, and he will draw into the lineup again on Friday night to square off against Money (22-3 all levels). Money has bucked off seven riders in a row at all levels of competition.
“This teams deal is really cool,” Teel concluded. “It’s a lot different, everything about it is different so far, except the bull riding. So far, it’s been a really fun experience getting to rally round a group of guys going into the weekend. You’re not in it alone – if you get bucked off, you might still end up winning or you can ride and still get a loss. It’s a whole different dynamic and you’re sharing that emotional roller coaster with five or seven other guys.”
Photo courtesy of Todd Brewer/Bull Stock Media
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