NAMPA, Idaho - P.D. "Catfish" McAllister never had a chance to meet his grandson J.B. Mauney.

He died 34 years ago this month.

But today in Mooresville, N.C., those who are old enough to remember McAllister take one look at Mauney and see the likeness of the former professional baseball player, who as a double amputee refused to give up on life.

Last month, when Mauney decided to return to the Built Ford Tough Series using his opposite hand, his mother Lynne recalled being asked by one of her father's friends if the young bull rider knows where he gets "it" from.

"He knows," she replied with a smile. "I'm my daddy's daughter, and he's his momma's son."

McAllister's teammates from the 60s see Mauney around town or on television, and they agree: "He's Catfish up one side and right down the other."

'He's Catfish up one side and right down the other.'

McAllister was quite a ballplayer.

An arm injury ended his minor league pitching career after only one year. But he simply switched from pitching to shortstop - he could still hit and run the bases better than most - and he played semi-pro ball for both the Mooresville Moors and the Statesville Owls. He also played in nearby Landis, N.C., and Knoxville, Tenn.

An ankle injury in 1967 led to blood clots that cost him his leg. Less than three years and 14 major surgeries later, he had the other one amputated for the same reason.

He wasn't yet 40 years old.

In an era when the loss of one leg - let alone two - was close to a death sentence, McAllister remained active.

He was an avid fox hunter and fisherman right up to the time of his death, which is how earned the nickname "Catfish." He not only found his way around the nearby rivers and creeks, but he never lost his love of sports, or the desire to participate in baseball.

When he could no longer play, he umpired games, calling balls and strikes from his wheelchair positioned right behind home plate. He coached three little teams and never missed watching the Mooresville American Legion team. In fact, he even traveled with the team to away-games.

Shortly after McAllister's death in 1978, Len Sullivan, a sports columnist for the Mooresville Tribune, called McAllister "an inspiration to everyone." In a column published a week after his death, Sullivan wrote: "His lust for life continued until recent weeks, when his big, gentle heart began giving out."

In a profile published in The Daily Independent, two months after of his McAllister passed, Norma Howard described the man she remembered.

"He had light brown hair flecked with gray, a barrel chest and powerful sunburned arms… but no legs. His face was healthily tanned, and smile-lines etched the corners of his eyes. It was definitely not the face of an invalid."

'An inspiration to everyone.'

Mauney has read those articles.

He's heard stories shared by his mother and grandmother.

The 25-year-old has even heard McAllister's pals reminisce about games long past. McAllister would encourage his teammates to play as hard late in the game as they did when he threw the first pitch, whether the score was out of reach or not.

Mauney didn't start riding the rankest bulls in the world with his right hand after breaking his left because of the stories about his grandfather. He switched because, like his grandfather, the desire to win far outweighs the option to quit.

Just as people are captivated by what McAllister accomplished in the last eight years of his life, they are inspired by his grandson's riding a short-round-caliber bull like RMEF Gunpowder & Lead.

For the third week in a row, Mauney will compete using his right hand, as his left hand continues to heal from the moment when Ragin JT stepped on it at a Built Ford Tough Series event in Kansas City, Mo.

This week, in the 15/15 Bucking Battle, he's drawn Bad Blake.

Mauney, who is ranked fifth in the world standings, is hoping to score points, rather than sit out until after the summer break. There's a world title on the line.

The 15/15 will be broadcast on CBS at 4 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon. The Mother's Day broadcast will feature a special profile of the comparison of a grandfather and grandson cut from the same cloth.