PUEBLO, Colo. – The only rider inside the Top 35 of the world standings who has more PBR World Finals qualifications than Sean Willingham (12) is two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney (13).
Willingham may not be notching his 13th qualification this season, but he is not ready to give up on his passion just yet.
The 38-year-old confirmed in Fairfax, Virginia, last week that he indeed will return for an 18th season in 2020 once he recovers from a broken left leg he sustained on March 24.
“Why not come back?” Willingham said. “I still love this sport. I haven’t been around it since the injury. Being here and just being around everybody makes me crave it. This is not something that I just woke up and said, ‘Hey, I still want to ride bulls.’ I never thought about not riding or about giving up, especially after the injury.”
Willingham had originally planned on 2019 being his final season, but things have gone awry since Wileywood Blue stepped on him six months ago following a 7.14-second buckoff.
Willingham underwent surgery in Kansas City with the plan of returning to competition in 12 weeks.
However, his leg has yet to heal completely and he is now going to need another surgery on Oct. 15.
The Summerville, Georgia, native consulted with Dr. Tandy Freeman after meeting with multiple doctors, including a specialist in Atlanta who tested Willingham’s vitamin D levels.
“We did bloodwork and my vitamin levels were perfectly fine,” Willingham said. “So it looks like we are doing surgery again. They said it is not going to be nearly as bad as the first one because it has already started to heal some. They will go in and unscrew it. They made it sound like they are just going to change a tire. No big deal. Put it back in there with a bigger rod and then I will be able to walk on it right away.”
Willingham said renowned surgeon Alan Jones in Dallas will perform the surgery next month.
The 12-time PBR World Finals qualifier was still displaying effects of his broken leg in Fairfax. Willingham had a significant limp in his step, clearly hindered by his injury, but he still had a smile about returning next season.
“Here we are,” Willingham said. “I have been out the whole year almost. I still crave it. I still want to ride bulls and compete against these kids and see how well it goes. I want to go another year and finish off in Vegas like it is supposed to be done.”
Willingham originally was going to retire following this year’s season-opener in New York, but later decided to ride full-time this year.
Willingham and his wife, Kayla, discussed this summer the possibility of him returning next year.
“Everyone is like, ‘Holy shit, is Willingham never going to retire?’” Willingham says with a laugh. “’He says he is retiring, but he never does.’
“Definitely this year was going to be it, but hey, life happens. This is a dangerous sport, you never know what to expect. I unfortunately come up on the worst end of the things and broke my leg.”
Willingham had qualified for every World Finals from 2003-2014, except for 2012, before a laundry list of injuries began in 2015. He battled a dislocated hip, broken neck and torn left groin before finally returning to the World Finals last year.
Willingham will turn 39 years old next May. He has 368 qualified rides, including 14 90-point rides, in 348 career events on the PBR’s top level.
Gary Richard was 40 years old when he qualified for the 2002 World Finals, so it isn’t out of the realm of possibility for Willingham to qualify for a 13th time.
Still, he will have his work cut out for him.
Willingham was ranked No. 38 in the world standings at the time of his broken leg this winter, so he has zero injury exemptions at his disposal for next year.
Instead, Willingham will have to work his way up the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour ranks as he did in 2018.
“I will just work my way through the ranks like everybody else does, or like I have done in the past,” Willingham said. “It is not a big deal, especially with the new points system. I am not worried about going to any of those.
“I will go to the Velocity, win a couple and you guys will see me before you know it after the first cut. Maybe before. Hell, we will see when I can get better.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko