N E W S R E L E A S E

N E W S &n= bsp; R E L E A S E

Cord McCoy Invitational

For information = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; (660) 254-1900

Contact Ted Harbin = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; media@pbftour.com

Cord McCoy ready= to return from rib injury

ADA, Okla. – Tahonta’s Shadow got= the better of Cord McCoy in Oklaho= ma City during the Feb. 13 first round of the Express Classic, dropping the bull ri= der to the Ford Center dirt.

Then the bull really let the veteran cowboy have it.

“He hit me with the h= orn right in the front of my chest,” said McCoy, who on May 29-30 will ho= st the Cord McCoy Invitational at the Pontonoc County Agri-Plex in Ada, just a stone’s throw from his home in Tupelo.

The original diagnosis was = likely a broken rib, but that’s been downgraded to a separated or misplaced ri= b.

“Basically, where the bull’s horn went in, it separated,” said McCoy, who’s dea= lt with his fair share of injuries in his career. “The good news is, it’s just going to be pain. I don’t have to worry about a part = of my rib doing some other damage like puncturing a lung or anything.”

The pain’s fairly substantial, just a week after the wreck. So McCoy wasn’t able to make the Feb. 20-21 event in Anaheim, Calif., and the Feb. 22 event in Glendale, Ariz.<= /st1:place> He expects to return to action Feb. 27-March 1 for the Enterprise Rent-A-Ca= r Invitational in St. Louis and the following weekend at the Kansas City Invitational.

“If it’s just p= ain, I can deal with that,” said McCoy, a five-time International Profession= al Rodeo Association champion – including two coveted all-around titles.=

He has gone from being a fa= vorite son to his home state of Okla= homa to being a fan favorite worldwide. His smile comes easy, whether he rides f= or 90 points or is bucked off at the buzzer. That’s why so many fans have fallen for the red-headed wonder.

The Cord McCoy Invitational= will be part of the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Tour, and money won in Ada will count tow= ard qualification to the PBR World Finals, which take place each fall in Las Ve= gas. The top 45 cowboys on the money list at the end of the regular season quali= fy for the year-end championship, and McCoy has played on the PBR’s bigg= est stage each of the last three years.

In addition to the Cord McC= oy Invitational featuring the best bull riders in the sport, the event is part= of the Extreme Bull Sports and will also feature the top cowboys in the Professional Bullfighters Daisy Protection Bullfight Tour, a competition th= at focuses on the basics of good protection bullfighting.

Tickets will go on sale tow= ard the end of April, first of May. The Pontotoc County Agri-Plex will seat about 5= ,000 fans, so it will be imperative for those interested in seeing some of the greatest cowboys battling the toughest bulls in the business to get their tickets in advance.

“I’ve got some = deep bruising, and it’s a little sore,” McCoy said, downplaying the injury some. “I think I’ll be OK in a week or so. But, shoot, I= can hold my breath for eight seconds, through the pain. If that’s all it takes, I’ll be alright.”

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