Adriano Morães

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Adriano Morães
Personal information
Birth nameAdriano Silva Moraes
Born (1970-04-20) April 20, 1970 (age 54)
Quintana, São Paulo, Brazil
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) (2023)
Weight185 lb (84 kg) (2023)
Sport
SportRodeo
EventBull riding
Turned pro1988
Retired2008
Achievements and titles
World finals3x PBR World Champion
2x NFR Bull Riding Average Champion

Adriano Silva Morães (born April 20, 1970) is a Brazilian former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in bull riding. He was one of the leading bull riders in the world from the mid-1990s to 2000s, with two titles at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR)[1] and three Professional Bull Riders (PBR) world titles[2] to his credit.

In 2023, Morães was ranked No. 4 on the list of the top 30 bull riders in PBR history.[3]

Early years[edit]

Morães was born April 20, 1970, on his relatives' farm in Quintana, São Paulo, Brazil,[4][5] but grew up on the ranch his father managed in Cachoeira Paulista.[6] Moraes says he is of Portuguese, Italian and African ancestry. "Most of us, we are a big mixture of races", Moraes says, "We have in us the best of every single breed".[7]

He grew up wanting to follow in his father's footsteps, but started riding bulls when he was 15.[6] At age 17, he rode in his first professional rodeo in Brazil, and placed second in his third rodeo. Shortly after this, he quit school to ride bulls full-time.[5]

Career[edit]

Morães began his career at small rodeos throughout Brazil, eventually becoming a regular winner on that circuit. After being encouraged by a former PRCA bull riding world champion, Charles Sampson, he set a goal of riding full-time in the United States.

After winning Brazilian national titles in 1992 and 1993, he moved to the United States in 1994; riding on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), Bull Riders Only (BRO) and Professional Bull Riders (PBR) circuits.[5] He immediately emerged as a major star, winning the average[8] at both the Calgary Stampede and the NFR, as well as winning the PBR's inaugural world championship.[5] Most notably, Moraes became only the third man ever to ride 10 out of 10 bulls at the NFR.[9] The other two being Jim Sharp in 1988 and Norman Curry in 1990.

Morães would again win the average at the NFR in 1996, and in 1997 was on track to win his second PBR world title until breaking a leg during that summer, forcing him to sit out the rest of the year while Michael Gaffney overtook him for the world title. Morães did become the first man to win a second PBR world title, which he won in 2001. His success on that circuit was instrumental in the expansion of the PBR tour to include events in Brazil.[5] He went on to win a third PBR world title in 2006, narrowly beating fellow Brazilian, Guilherme Marchi, despite severe back problems during the PBR World Finals. Adriano was the first bull rider to win three PBR world championships.[10] In that year, he won an all-time series record of $1.36 million—more than three times as much as any other rider.[11] At the end of the 2006 season, his all-time earnings on the PBR circuit were $3.37 million, also a record. Morães has been honored for his accomplishments with a life-size bronze statue of him on Little Yellow Jacket that stands at the entrance to the new PBR headquarters building in Pueblo, Colorado.[6]

Morães announced in January 2008 that the 2008 Built Ford Tough Series season would be his final season of bull riding.[12] He qualified for his last PBR World Finals in late October/early November 2008. His last ride saw him buck off of a bull named Grey Dog, as Morães failed to qualify for the championship round.

Morães' overall PBR career earnings at career's end total nearly $3.5 million. In 2009, he received the ultimate honor from the PBR, the Ring of Honor.[10] In 2018, Morães was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame.[13] In 2020, he was inducted into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame.

Morães qualified for the PBR World Finals a total of 14 times; 1994 to 1998 and 2000 to 2008, although he did not compete at the 1995 and 1997 World Finals due to season-ending injuries (both of which resulted in a broken leg).[14]

Post-career[edit]

After retiring from bull riding as a contestant, Morães and his family moved back to Brazil, where he started a bull riding school for future riders. He has also done color commentary for televised PBR Brazil events, as well as Portuguese commentary for televised and live-streamed U.S. PBR events.

In 2023, Morães became the Director of Brazil Operations for the Austin Gamblers; one of eight bull riding teams of the PBR's Team Series which debuted the previous year and runs from the summer to autumn in the United States.[15] The Austin Gamblers won the first Team Series event of 2023 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in late July.[16] The Gamblers later won the Team Series event in Anaheim, California, in mid-August. This was the second year in a row that the Gamblers won the event in said city.[17] Two weeks later, the Gamblers won their own hometown event at Gambler Days in Austin, Texas.[18] In late September, the Gamblers won Cowboy Days in Greensboro, North Carolina; the hometown event of rival team, the Carolina Cowboys.[19] In October, the Gamblers were in the lead heading into the PBR Team Series finals event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. They succeeded at making it into the final round against the Texas Rattlers. However, the Rattlers would end up defeating the Gamblers to win the second annual PBR Team Series championship title.[20]

Honors[edit]

In 2009, Morães was inducted into the PBR Ring of Honor.[21]

In 2018, he was inducted into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame.[22]

In 2020, he was inducted into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame.[23]

In 2023, he was ranked No. 4 on the list of the top 30 bull riders in PBR history.[3]

Personal life[edit]

Morães and his wife Flávia, married since 1989, have four children (Víctor, Jeremías, António, Pedro) and currently have homes in Tyler, Texas and Cachoeira Paulista. A devout Catholic who lists his favorite book as the Bible and the late Pope John Paul II as a personal idol,[4] he is also a member of the Canção Nova missionary community in Brazil. He and his wife opened a Canção Nova mission in Texas.[24] He chose to ride only half of the 1998 PBR season in order to participate in a religious mission in Brazil, but nonetheless finished fourteenth in that year's PBR standings,[5] despite suffering another broken leg in the middle of the season.

Notes and references[edit]

  1. ^ "Past World Champion Bull Riders". ProBullStats Bull Riding Compendium. www.probullstats.com. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  2. ^ "PBR Finals Week". Professional Bull Riders. www.pbrfinalsweek.com. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "PBR Top 30". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Profile". AdrianoMoraes.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Biography". AdrianoMoraes.com. Adriano Moraes.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c Flott, Anthony. "World Champion Bull Rider Is "Cowboy of God"". AdrianoMoraes.com. National Catholic Register. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  7. ^ Wollan, Malia (May 29, 2015). "How to Ride a Bull". The New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  8. ^ In rodeo, "the average" refers to the average score (in rough stock events) or time (in timed events) for all rounds in a competition.
  9. ^ "Arena Records (National Finals Rodeo)". www.prorodeo.org. Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. Archived from the original on November 17, 2007. Retrieved February 19, 2017. A fourth rider successfully rode all the bulls he faced in 1963, but at that time the NFR had only eight rounds.
  10. ^ a b "Professional Bull Riders – Heroes & Legends: Adriano Morães". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
  11. ^ "2006 Season Standings". Professional Bull Riders. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved April 2, 2007.
  12. ^ "PBR Legend Adriano Moraes Announces Retirement". www.pbr.com. Professional Bull Riders. January 4, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  13. ^ "Adriano Moraes". Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. November 20, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  14. ^ "Killer B's". www.pbr.com. Professional Bull Riders. May 8, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  15. ^ "Adriano Morães named Director of Brazil Operations for Austin Gamblers". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  16. ^ "Austin Gamblers win first PBR Team Series event of 2023". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  17. ^ "Austin Gamblers win Anaheim for second year in a row". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  18. ^ "Austin Gamblers win hometown event". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  19. ^ "Austin Gamblers win 2023 Cowboy Days". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  20. ^ "Texas Rattlers win 2023 PBR Team Series championship". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  21. ^ "PBR Ring of Honor". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  22. ^ "Adriano Morães in Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame". Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. November 20, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
  23. ^ "Bull Riding Hall of Fame inductees". Bull Riding Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 19, 2023.
  24. ^ "Cançao Nove Community: The Canção Nova Mission in Texas". AdrianoMoraes.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved December 15, 2016.

External links[edit]

  • (in English and Portuguese) Official site
  • Official PBR site — for information on Morães, go to "Athletes" and then go to "Riders" section and search for "Morães".

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