One year ago, superstar bull rider’s career ended at Lewiston

A year ago, superstar bull rider J.B. Mauney crawled on the back of Arctic Assassin at the Lewiston Roundup and waited for the gate to open.

In the blink of an eye, the Texas cowboy somersaulted high off the bull’s back and landed on his head as the crowd gasped. It would prove to be the last professional ride of his storied career.

Determined to walk on his own, the legendary bull rider staggered out of the arena with the help of bullfighters. “I just broke my f---ing neck,” Mauney said as he waited for medics and an ambulance ride to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center.

When recently contacted by the Lewiston Tribune for an update, Mauney said he’s “good to go,” and “still messing with bulls every day.”

Now 37, Mauney is the head coach of the Oklahoma Wildcatters in the Professional Bull Riders Team Series, a role he thoroughly enjoys.

“I won’t be back at the Roundup this year,” Mauney told the Tribune. “I’m coaching a PBR team now, and getting the same rush when they stay on a bull as I did when I was riding.”

In other interviews, Mauney says coaching is the most fun he’s had and “can still walk straight when it’s over.”

Mauney lives in Stephensville, Texas, with his wife and young son. When he’s not coaching younger riders, he’s mending fences, working with bulls, and keeping busy with a never-ending list of chores on bucking chutes and pens that are now known as Bucktown.

In addition to his family, the bull that ended his career now lives on Mauney’s XV Ranch, which is about 90 minutes southwest of Fort Worth.

“Yeah, he retired me,” the bull rider says, “and now he gets to retire with me. We’re both doing fine.”

Mauney said he easily could have been paralyzed or dead after Arctic Assassin launched him into the air at the Roundup. He was already dealing with injuries when he signed up for what would become his final professional ride.

In past interviews, Mauney described the moment he knew his neck was broken. “It felt like somebody stuck a hot knife right in the back of my neck,” he told another reporter.

After being released from St. Joe’s last September, he went home to recuperate and announced his retirement to the world. Rodeo fans across the globe responded with heartfelt gratitude for the unparalleled skills he had demonstrated at rodeos, such as the Lewiston Roundup, for more than two decades.

Mauney has always been known for his toughness and work ethic. He’s won world titles, racked up more than $7.4 million in prize money, and was inducted into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame in May.

When he showed up to compete in Lewiston last year, he was wearing a black shirt adorned with sponsorships and smoking a Marlboro. He nonchalantly walked under the bleachers to greet the other bull riders and check in. The crowd instantly recognized him.

“That’s J.B. Mauney,” a Lewiston rodeo fan said in awe. “He’s the most famous bull rider in the world.”

After his short but life-changing ride, Mauney quickly “burned down” a cigarette while wearing a neck brace at a picnic table as he waited for the ambulance. He was shaky, but otherwise calm.

“It was always going to happen like this,” Mauney later told a reporter. “I knew that. Something was going to have to happen where they told me I couldn’t ride anymore.”

With all of the changes over the past year, Mauney wants to assure Roundup fans he’s “doing good, and just playing the cards I got dealt.” He appreciates everyone’s support, including the Roundup directors and the medical team at St. Joe’s.

One thing is for sure: He’ll never forget Lewiston, Idaho.

Sandaine can be reached at kerris@lmtribune.com.