DIRTEATER WINS DALLAS PBR

Ryan Dirteater of Hulbert, Okla., won Saturday night’s Professional Bull Riders event at American Airlines Center in Dallas. He rode three bulls for a total of 259.75 points to pocket $49,244. 

        “It feels great to win,” Dirteater said. “I’m so glad my mom, my dad, and friends were able to be here to see it.”

        In the first round, Dirteater tied for first with 89 points on Cat Man Do, which is owned by #10 Bucking Bulls. He followed with an 87.75-point ride on Boyd/Floyd Bull Company’s Stiffler.

        He finished with 83 points on D&H Cattle Company’s The Geetus.

        J.B. Mauney of Mooresville, N.C., finished second in the event with 256 points.

        The following are results from Dallas: 1) Ryan Dirteater (Hulbert, Okla.) 259.75 points, $49,244; 2) J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, N.C.) 256 points, $15,106; 3) Ryan McConnel (Farmington, N.M.) 255.75 points, $9,085; 4) Austin Meier (Kinta, Okla.) 254.25 points, $6,648; 5) Brian Herman (Victoria, Texas) 178.25 points, $9,030.

        The following is the Built Ford Tough World Standings: 1) J.B. Mauney (Mooresville, N.C.) 2,120.25 points, $61.155; 2) Kody Lostroh (Longmont, Colo.) 1,943 points, $105,727; 3) Ryan Dirteater (Hulbert, Okla.) 1,570.75 points, $68,708; 4) Austin Meier (Kinta, Okla.) 1,544.25 points, $28,217; 5) Zack Brown (Santa Fe, Texas) 1,426.25 points, $36,048; 6) Kasey Hayes (Liberal, Kan.) 1,409.25 points, $25,292; 7) Mike Lee (Decatur, Texas) 1,336 points, $12,026; 8) Wiley Petersen (Fort Hall, Idaho) 1,331.25 points, $10,467; 9) Shane Proctor (Grand Coulee, Wash.) 1,284.75 points, $20,539; 10) Valdiron de Oliveira (Aparecida de Goiania, GO, Brazil) 1,267.5 points, $24,715.

        (The PBR World Champion is based on total Built Ford Tough Series points earned through the season.)

SHIRLEY GETS MARRIED, WINS

        This was a weekend Tim Shirley won't forget anytime soon.

        How do you beat a homecoming where you get married and earn one of your biggest career wins in your hometown rodeo within 24 hours?

            "It couldn't get any better," Shirley said Monday while on a brief honeymoon in Estes Park, Colo.

        "Not in my wildest dreams could I imagine something like this. I couldn't be any happier than I am right now. This wasn't planned at all. We just decided a month ago when we were getting married. We put it all together, and everything worked out perfect."

            Shirley, who was born in Denver and now lives 36 miles away in Conifer, married Mindy Downare on Thursday in Conifer.

        The following afternoon he was back in the Denver Coliseum in front of 8,221, to finish work on his first National Western Stock Show and Rodeo title, tying for first place in the bareback riding average with Dustin Reeves, of Owanka, S.D.

                Shirley won the second round with a 90-point ride on Big Bend Rodeo Company's Cajun Queen and then tied for fourth with an 82-pointer in the final round Sunday. That brought his three-head total score to 254 points, a figure matched by Reeves when he won the finale with an 87-point ride on Burch Rodeo Company's Pinball Wizard.

            "The last time I even won a check in Denver was my rookie year in 2001, so this was really special," Shirley said. "This is my hometown rodeo for sure. My brothers and I used to show steers at the National Western as boys. We had competitions to see which one of us would go to the stock show the most. To finally win a title here is very sweet."

            By custom, the ruling on who would receive the one available champion's buckle was decided with a coin flip, which was won by Reeves.

            "Even that worked out well," Shirley said. "Dustin forgot his belt when he came out from South Dakota, so he needed a belt and he didn't have a buckle. They (the committee) will send me a buckle in the mail."

                And besides, Shirley's total earnings for the rodeo came to an event-best $11,217. The buckle can wait. The earnings were enough to lift him into first place in the PRCA World Standings and build up the newlyweds' bank account.

            Shirley's fellow Coloradan, Josh Peek of Pueblo, also had a big weekend in Denver, albeit with some mixed emotions. Bouncing back from a disappointing outing at the National Finals Rodeo last December in Las Vegas, Peek won the calf roping three-head average and the all-around title while dividing his time in the arena with visits to a Denver hospital to see his grandmother.

            Peek dedicated his wins to his grandmother, who suffered serious injuries in a car accident on Thursday and is undergoing multiple surgeries.

        Peek only needed a time of 10.1 seconds or better in the final go to win the tie-down roping average and completed his run in 8.6 seconds to finish 1.5 seconds ahead of Tuf Cooper. Peek had total earnings of $13,158. 

            He won the all-around title because he also competed in steer wrestling.

            The high-money winner of the rodeo was barrel racer Nancy Hunter of Neola, Utah, who took home $16,357 after winning two rounds and the average (45.89 seconds on three runs). The other champions at Denver were steer wrestlers Curtis Cassidy and Jake Rinehart (12.7 seconds on three head), team ropers Chad Masters and Michael Jones (15.5 seconds on three head), saddle bronc rider Bradley Harter (247 points on three head) and bull rider Kanin Asay (264 points on three head).

MORTENSEN, DAVIS TO TOUR AFGHANISTAN

        Six-time World Champion saddle bronc rider Dan Mortensen and three-time NFR bareback rider Jessy Davis will be part of a rodeo-themed goodwill military tour of Afghanistan next month.

            The 10-day tour arrives in Doha, Qatar, on Feb. 24, and will visit U.S. military bases in Afghanistan between Feb. 27 and March 3, before the group returns to the United States on March 5.

            Each stop will feature autograph sessions, walking tours, hospital visits, question-and-answer sessions and possible rodeo demonstrations.

        Joining Mortensen, who retired last year, and Davis will be barrel racer Liz Pinkston and PBR bull rider Tater Porter.