News

The Professional Bull Riders Inc. (PBR) congratulates Mike Lee (Decatur, Texas) for claiming the $100,000 championship title at the 2008 Calgary Stampede held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on July 3-13, 2008.

Lee returns to the United States $114,583 richer. This prize money will count towards qualifier dollars for the 2008 PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals presented by Wrangler on Oct. 31-Nov. 2 and Nov. 6-9, 2008, in Las Vegas.

“I wanted to stay on all my bulls and it worked out for me. I feel very blessed,” Lee said. “I’m going to use the money to pay off my house and now I can afford to spend a little extra time at home with my wife and our twins.”

Lee joins a prestigious list of previous Calgary Stampede champions, including Oregon Superstar Ross Coleman (Molalla, Ore.), three-time PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes (Sao Paulo, Brazil), former PBR Rookie of the Year and PBR World Finals Event Winner J.W. Hart (Overbrook, Okla.), and nine-time World Champion and PBR Co-Founder, Ty Murray (Stephenville, Texas.)

The Calgary Stampede also proved lucrative for PBR fan favorite Matt Bohon (Cole Camp, Mo.) who earned $44,583 in prize money. The earnings will put the Missouri cowboy back on the elite Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) following the next cut after Glendale (Ariz.) on August 1-2, 2008. In the mean time, Bohon will be competing this weekend in Tulsa, Okla. at the Express Classic as an alternate due to his new ranking in money qualifier standings.

“My year hasn’t gone as planned — I was hoping to be in contention for a world title. Then I got on a slump, and it started getting brutal," stated Bohon. “When I got cut for the Built Ford Tough Series, it was a relief. I had to get back to the basics. Now I’ve been staying on enough bulls to regain by confidence, and I’m ready to ride at the top again.”

Calgary Stampede Bull Riding Results: 1) Mike Lee (Decatur, Texas) 428.5 points, $114,583; 2) Wesley Silcox (Payson, Utah) 327 points, $9,000; 3) Matt Bohon (Cole Camp, Mo.) 316.5 points, $44,583; 4) Brian Canter (Randleman, N.C.) 260.5 points ,31,583; 5) Tyler Thomson (Black Diamond, AB, Canada) 249.5 points, $13.171.