OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The road forward in Oklahoma City begins with a Rhodes few saw coming.
On February 20, two-time World Champion J.B. Mauney and the Oklahoma Wildcatters mutually agreed to part ways ahead of the 2026 PBR Teams season—closing the franchise’s opening chapter with appreciation.
For CEO Brandon Bates, the decision wasn’t about rewriting history. It was about building on it.
“JB was such a great athlete,” Bates said, emphasizing the respect still firmly intact. “We’re building on that foundation.”
That foundation—laid by one of the most decorated riders in PBR history—gave the Wildcatters their identity. But as the organization looks toward its third season, the focus shifted from establishing presence to sustaining progress.
And that called for a play from a page in the playbook no PBR team had turned to yet.
The search that followed wasn’t quick, and it certainly wasn’t narrow. Oklahoma City cast a wide net, working through “tons and tons of interviews” in pursuit of a coach who didn’t already exude the 1991 Chicago Bulls championship culture, but could cultivate it within the team.
In a league still largely defined by its stars, the expected move was anticipated to be another familiar name. Another legend. Another résumé built inside the PBR arena.
But the Wildcatters went the other way.
Out of all the candidates, Rhodes separated himself as a methodical, goal-oriented leader—someone who already had a clear, back-of-the-napkin roadmap in place, both short term and long term.
“When we interviewed a lot of people, there wasn't a ton of people with a really defined plan,” Bates said. “And that plan didn't have to be extravagant, but at least you come with one being like, ‘look, here's my structure.’”
Rhodes didn’t just come with structure—he’d spent nearly three decades proving it works.
For 29 years at Western Texas College, Rhodes quietly built one of the most consistent pipelines in collegiate rodeo. His résumé is stacked—16 national champions, 12 reserve champions, and 28 College National Finals Rodeo appearances—but the real impact is found in the riders who left his program ready for the next level.
Among them is Andrew Alvidrez, now competing in the PBR Teams league—a testament to the many riders who didn’t just pass through Rhodes’ system, but were shaped by it.
Just as important as who he’s coached is how he’s coached them.
Rhodes’ approach doesn’t begin with mechanics. At this level, those are already built. Instead, it starts where most rides are won—or lost.
The mind.
Former rider Alvidrez put it simply:
“He is a great coach, who pushed his bull riders to focus on the mental game. One of my favorite books came from Greg—With Winning in Mind.”
That book, authored by Olympic champion Lanny Bassham, opens with a line that captures the edge Rhodes has sharpened for nearly three decades:
“It doesn’t matter if you win or lose… until you lose.”
It’s a philosophy that fits a sport where confidence can be the difference between eight seconds and eating dirt.
The Wildcatters aren’t asking Rhodes to teach riders how to ride.
Instead, he has the opportunity to build on the talent already in the locker room, while also creating a pipeline from the college level into the PBR—developing riders and shaping a consistent culture along the way.
What comes next is consistency, growth, and building something that lasts.
Rhodes approaches that responsibility the same way he has for nearly three decades—as a coach who invests in his riders beyond the arena, often treating them with the same care and accountability he gives his own two kids. And even as he prepares for this next chapter, he’s still committed to the one he’s been leading since 1996, finishing out the Western Texas College rodeo season through May.
But from the moment he accepted the new role, he’s been all in—connecting with riders, evaluating talent, and, as Bates described, “living in this space” even before his official start date.
That date—May 1—marks the formal beginning. But the shift is already underway.
Because this move wasn’t just about filling some big boots—it was about thoughtfully shaping what comes next.
The Wildcatters are taking a new road, with their first homestand under new head coach Greg Rhodes set for July 31–Aug. 2 at Wildcatter Days inside Paycom Center in Oklahoma City—marking the team’s second event of the season, but their first on home turf, and an early chance to set the tone.
Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media