Teague will receive Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award

PUEBLO, Colo. - The Professional Bull Riders is pleased to announce that the 2012 recipient of the Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award is Thomas L. Teague.

"Jim Shoulders played a significant role in the PBR, and Tom Teague is a deserving recipient of this award," PBR Chairman and CEO Jim Haworth said. "Tom's role in our sport stretches from the boardroom to the bull pens, and without his involvement, we would not have achieved the success that we have."

Teague will be honored along with Mike White and Ross Coleman, who are being inducted into the PBR Ring of Honor, as part of the PBR Heroes & Legends Celebration on Oct. 23 at South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas. The ceremony will also include the presentation of the Sharon Shoulders Award, and the presentation of the Brand of Honor Award to Dillinger.

Presented for the first time in 2011, the Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a non-bull rider who has made a significant contribution to the sport. The award is named for Shoulders, the celebrated cowboy and bull rider, who was inducted as a member of the first class of the PBR Ring of Honor in 1996. Shoulders won 16 World Championships during his career, including seven bull riding titles. PBR co-founder and Livestock Director Cody Lambert notes that Shoulders was also one of the top stock contractors, who owned some of the greatest stock to ever participate in pro rodeo, including Tornado, one of the most famous bulls of all time.

"Everyone in the sport of rodeo, and especially bull riding, is better off because Tom got involved with the sport."

"I couldn't believe it," said Teague, who wrote a book report on Shoulders when he was in high school. "I am honored to receive an award named after Jim Shoulders. He was a great guy. I had the opportunity to sit next to him at one of our events, and he knew my bulls as good as I did. What a wonderful guy. Jim Shoulders is a hero to me, and someone who epitomizes the Western way of life.

"I think he is a lot like Richard Petty. Richard Petty won more than 200 races, which is a record that won't be broken. Jim Shoulders won 16 world championships, and I don't think anyone will top what he did as a cowboy."

Teague became a stockholder and member of the PBR Board of Directors in 2000 when he paid $3.1 million to help the PBR secure its television rights. He also played a key role in helping the PBR begin its partnership with NBC, which televised the first PBR event in 2001, and has televised regular-season Built Ford Tough Series events and the PBR Built Ford Tough Finals since 2002.

"Tom Teague stepped in and made an investment in the PBR that was the beginning of a long and very successful relationship," Lambert said. "If Tom hadn't stepped in when he did, we couldn't have done what we've done the last several years. Everyone in the sport of rodeo, and especially bull riding, is better off because Tom got involved with the sport. He's meant that much, and hasn't been recognized. We are getting the chance to say thank you, and explain how much he has done."

The North Carolina native is also one of the PBR's most recognizable stock contractors. His bulls have won the World Champion Bull title seven times in the past 10 years, and he has served as a board member for American Bucking Bulls, Inc. He was one of the owners of three-time World Champion Bull Little Yellow Jacket, who was the inaugural recipient of the Brand of Honor in 2011. He eventually purchased complete ownership of Little Yellow Jacket, so the legendary bull could live longer in a warmer climate. He raised Bones, who won the World Champion Bull title and the Mike Moreno Bull of the PBR World Finals in 2008 and 2010. He was also half owner of Mossy Oak Mudslinger, who won the World Champion Bull title in 2006 when Teague and Page Bucking Bulls was named Contractor of the Year. He also had half interest in Big Bucks, who won the World Champion Bull title in 2005.

 

Born in 1941 in Burlington, N.C., Teague was the son of a tenant farmer. He says his family was poor, but never went without food or had to accept government aid. He began his business career selling seeds when he was in the first grade, and later added a newspaper route. He attended Elon College, but did not finish his freshman year. He began working as a salesman, first for Blue Crown spark plugs and then the Yellow Pages. After selling a Yellow Pages advertisement to a truck leasing company, the owner offered Teague a job.

He joined Salem Equipment Leasing Company in 1966, and started the full-service leasing operation, which subsequently became Salem Leasing Corporation. Salem Leasing Corporation and Salem Carriers, Inc., which is engaged in full-service truck leasing and dedicated contract carriage, are wholly owned subsidiaries of Salem Holding Company. Teague is president and majority owner of Salem Holding Company.

Teague is a partner in Invemed Associates, a New York investment banking firm, and is also active in the National Truck Leasing System, having served as chairman and as a director. He has served on the boards of Baby Superstore and the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation, as well as the Winston-Salem, N.C., boards of Bank of America and First Union National Bank. Teague lives in Winston-Salem, N.C., with his wife, Penny. He owns ranches in Graham, N.C.; Leon, Iowa; Artesia Wells, Texas; and Crystal City, Texas. He has three sons.

South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa is the Official Host Hotel of the PBR Legends Reunion. The special event on Oct. 23-24 will again officially begin the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals. Fans will have an opportunity to meet their favorite riders, as every rider who has competed since the PBR began has been invited to Las Vegas.

PBR Founders and Ring of Honor members who are confirmed to attend include Clint Branger, Cody Custer, Jerome Davis, David Fournier, Lambert, Scott Mendes, Ty Murray, Aaron Semas and Jim Sharp.

PBR World Champions scheduled to attend and who will participate in a special interactive session with fans are Troy Dunn (1998), Cody Hart (1999), Chris Shivers (2000 and 2003), Ednei Caminhas (2002), Mike Lee (2004), Guilherme Marchi (2008), Kody Lostroh (2009), Renato Nunes (2010) and Silvano Alves (2011). For more information on the PBR Legends Reunion, including an up-to-date list of confirmed attendees, please visit Reunion.PBR.com.

The PBR Ring of Honor was created in 1996 to recognize those who have had the most profound impact on bull riding, both in and out of the arena. The 36 members share a common bond of courage, strength and victory. They have shown their dedication and support, while playing a significant role in helping professional bull riding become what it is today. Honorees include Shoulders, PBR founding fathers Murray and Lambert, three-time PBR World Champion Adriano Moraes, two-time PBR World Champion Justin McBride, and PBR World Champions Troy Dunn and Michael Gaffney. The Ring of Honor, the PBR's equivalent of a Hall of Fame, is more than a fellowship: Each inductee is presented with a ring handcrafted of diamonds and gold bearing the PBR logo, the recipient's name and the year he was honored.

The PBR will host a golf tournament to benefit Special Olympics Nevada on Oct. 23 from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. The PBR Heroes & Legends Celebration Reception will be held from 6-7 p.m. at South Point Las Vegas, and will be immediately followed by the PBR Heroes & Legends Celebration from 7-8:30 p.m. The ceremony will include the induction of the 2012 Ring of Honor members, and the presentation of the Brand of Honor, the Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Sharon Shoulders Award. The South Point Arena and Equestrian Center will play host to the ABBI Back Seat Buckers Finals with performances at 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. Following the Back Seat Buckers performances, South Point Las Vegas will play host to the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals Kickoff Party.

Past riders will join the competitors in the 2012 World Finals for the Ultimate PBR Bull Rider Meet & Greet on Oct. 24 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at South Point Las Vegas. Prior to the Meet & Greet from 10-11 a.m., fans will have the opportunity to hear PBR World Champions talk about what it is like to earn the belt buckle that every bull rider dreams of obtaining.

The Brand of Honor and the Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award were each presented for the first time in 2011. The Brand of Honor is awarded to a bull for exemplary performance, while the Jim Shoulders Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a non-bull rider who has made a significant contribution to the sport.

Created by the PBR Board of Directors in 2009 to honor women who have made a difference in the life of a bull rider and contributed to the sport, the Sharon Shoulders Award honors its namesake for her support and encouragement of her late husband, Jim Shoulders, the celebrated cowboy and bull rider who was inducted as a member of the first class in the PBR Ring of Honor in 1996. 

PBR Legends Reunion ticket packages are now available for $175, a savings of $150. The package includes tickets to the PBR Heroes & Legends Reception, the PBR Heroes & Legends Induction Ceremony, the ABBI Back Seat Buckers Finals, the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals Kickoff Party, the PBR World Champions Forum and the PBR Ultimate Meet & Greet. The package also includes VIP access to the PBR World Finals Pre-Party at the Cox Pavilion, and tickets for Rounds 1 and 2 of the PBR World Finals on Oct. 24 and 25.

Fans that have already purchased tickets for the PBR World Finals can purchase a PBR Legends Reunion add-on package for $100, a savings of $155. The package includes tickets to the PBR Heroes & Legends Reception, the PBR Heroes & Legends Induction Ceremony, the ABBI Back Seat Buckers Finals, the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals Kickoff Party, the PBR World Champions Forum, the PBR Ultimate Meet & Greet and VIP access to the PBR World Finals Pre-Party at the Cox Pavilion.

Legends Reunion ticket packages can be purchased now at the Thomas & Mack Center box office, www.UNLVTickets.com, and by telephone at (866) PBR-SHOW.

The World Finals are where the PBR World Champion will be crowned and awarded the coveted championship buckle and a $1 million bonus. The richest bull riding event in the world, the World Finals has a total purse of more than $2 million.

The World Finals are Oct. 24-28 at the Thomas & Mack Center. Bull riding begins at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday and at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. Tickets are available now at the Thomas & Mack Center box office, www.UNLVTickets.com, and by telephone at (866) PBR-SHOW.

South Point Las Vegas is offering special room rates of $65 and $105 until Aug. 31. To redeem the special rate, please telephone (866) 791-7626 and use the code FAN1021, or c lick here.

PBR Legends Reunion Tentative Schedule

Tuesday, Oct. 23
7 a.m.-2 p.m.               PBR Celebrity Golf Classic benefiting Nevada Special Olympics (separate cost)
4-5:30 p.m.                  ABBI Back Seat Buckers Finals - Section 1
6-7 p.m.                       PBR Heroes & Legends Celebration Reception (Refreshments/Hors d' Oeuvres)
7-8:30 p.m.                  PBR Heroes & Legends Celebration
9-10:30 p.m.                ABBI Back Seat Buckers Finals - Section 2

Wednesday, Oct. 24
10-11 a.m.                   PBR World Champions Forum at South Point Las Vegas
11 a.m.-1 p.m.             Ultimate PBR Bull Rider Meet & Greet
4-6 p.m.                       PBR World Finals Pre-Party at the Cox Pavilion
6 p.m.                          Round 1 of PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals

Thursday, Oct. 25
4-6 p.m.                       PBR World Finals Pre-Party at the Cox Pavilion
6 p.m.                          Round 2 of PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals

About the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR)
The PBR is the world's premier bull riding organization. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of the PBR. In just two decades, the dream of 20 bull riders has become a global sports phenomenon that is televised worldwide. More than 100 million viewers annually watch primetime PBR programming on networks around the world including CBS, CBS Sports Network, NBC, and NBC Sports Network. The PBR has awarded over $100 million in prize money and 25 riders have earned over $1 million, including Justin McBride with $5.5 million - the most of any Western-sports athlete in history. Nearly 2 million fans attend Built Ford Tough Series and Touring Pro Division events each year. For more information on the PBR, go to www.pbr.com, or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at http://twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at http://www.YouTube.com/PBR.

Follow Jack Carnefix on Twitter @JackCarnefix.