Bull Rider Ross Burney Retires – Finished 2022 In Top 15

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By Linda Ross Aldy
Herald Contributor

COFFEEVILLE – Ross Burney’s first rodeo and his last were 20 years and tens of thousands of miles apart. The Yalobusha County professional bull rider announced his retirement in January at the International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA) in Guthrie, Okla. where he entered his last competition as one of the top 15 bull riders in the IPRA world ranking.

Twenty years is an incredible length of time for a bull rider and Burney said he has treasured the years, the experiences and, most of all, the friendships he has made. He’s tried to be an ambassador for Mississippi, for Yalobusha County, and for Coffeeville as he has traveled the world.

But before the world travel started, that first live bull ride happened at the first event held in the then brand-new Yalobusha County Multi-Purpose Building in 2003.

Burney’s mother, Janet Ross Caulder, had helped oversee the construction of the building and bringing in a full-blown rodeo was the launch. “It was a big deal, there were people everywhere,” she recalled. “Ross was a student at Northwest (Community College) and a bunch of boys from Northwest had come to the house and were going to the rodeo with him. We were walking out the door and he said, ‘Mama, I’d better tell you something. I’m up tonight.’ I didn’t know what “up” meant. What do you mean “up” I asked him. He said, ‘I’m riding.’ I said, “riding what?” Ross is a prankster, I thought he was playing around when he said bulls.”

Then, at the rodeo, the announcer said, “Up now is Ross Burney, our hometown cowboy.” His grandmother, Margaret Ross of Oakland, jumped up and ran behind the bleachers, too scared to watch. The bull riding career was launched. He stayed on about six seconds, but that was long enough for him to fall in love with the sport where the cowboy needs to stay on the bull for 8 seconds. Burney would be “up” approximately 2,000 more times over the course of his career that took him to 48 states, Canada, South America and Central America. He has also visited Hawaii and has Alaska on his bucket list.

He said the rodeos in Brazil and Canada attract huge crowds of roughly 50,000 spectators. In the US, Texas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming are the biggest states for bull riders. “Kids start riding young in those states,” Burney said. He was a late start to the world of bull riding, not riding until he was in college. A roommate at Northwest was involved in bull riding and suggested Burney try it. He had ridden a mechanical bull when he was 13 at a trail ride in Vaiden and thought that was fun, so he tried it.

Bud Young, now retired, was the rodeo coach at Northwest and Burney credits him with his solid start in the bull riding world.

“Friends told me I would know when it was time to retire. You just aren’t as excited about going to the next rodeo. Bull riding has to be your top priority. It’s too dangerous not to be. This past fall, I knew it was time. I wanted to go out on top, but that last bull, Mambo #5, beat me around the corner. I just couldn’t get back and he threw me off the side,” Burney recalled. He went out as one of the top 15 bull riders in the IPRA world. Not a bad exit.

The adrenaline rush was a strong pull for Burney continuing to ride for 20 years. In spite of a broken pelvis, four broken arms, five breaks in his legs, broken ribs, stitches and teeth knocked out, he kept on.

“I had some good years, some bad. Some weekends, I might win $5 or $10,000; others, I won nothing. You shouldn’t get in this for the money. But when I was a broke college kid and I started winning $400 or $500 on weekends, I thought I was rich,” he said.

Some of the highlights from his career include being selected to ride for Team USA, being named Rookie of the Year of the International Professional Rodeo Association, riding five times as a qualifier in the International Finals Rodeo (he qualified more times, but injuries kept him from riding), making the Southeast Circuit Finals in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, and making the College National Finals Rodeo.

Burney credits God with being able to continue the sport he loves for so long. “People think of rodeo guys as being wild and restless, but nearly 100 percent have a close relationship with God,” he said. Many rodeos hold Cowboy Church before the rodeo begins.

Experiences on the road include having his van broken into in California and his equipment stolen. The thief was apparently disappointed in the haul. An ESPN analyst later found the missing equipment in a parking lot and got it shipped to Burney. The only thing missing was the rosin used to powder his gloves to hold on to the rope.

Rodeos mean travel and after riding in Arizona one night, he and two friends had to get to North Dakota quickly for their next ride. One guy was going to drive while Burney and the other friend slept before swapping drivers. They pointed the driver toward North Dakota and woke up six hours later to find he had driven the full six hours in the wrong direction. They made the North Dakota rodeo but not with the rest they had hoped to have.

Burney said he would be willing to help some young kids out if they ask him for advice. He might also get back on horses and do some roping. Cowboys who rope often work into their 70s, he said. He may need to look no further than his own farmyard for the next bull rider. Burney’s nephew, Kash Mastrangelo, who will be 10 in April has already declared he wants to ride. Kash’s dad, Jon, is also a retired bull rider, so Kash could very well be the next bull rider out of the gate at the farm.

Burney, who farms with his family, is the fourth generation on the land his great-granddaddy farmed outside of Coffeeville where they grow corn, cotton, soybeans and watermelon and raise a variety of cattle breeds.

Burney credits his family’s support for his ability to continue in the sport that won his heart 20 years ago. He is the son of Janet Ross Caulder and Ellett Caulder and Daryl and Missy Burney. His sister, Lindsey, and brother, Dalton, have been his biggest cheerleaders. Lindsey has been a barrel-racer, so she understands the pull of the rodeo.

“I couldn’t have done this without the support of my parents and my entire family,” he said. “They’ve understood my need to do this. Well, after that initial shock at the first rodeo! They’ve kept the farm going when I was away, prayed for my safety and success, patched me up and nursed me back from injuries. You can’t say enough about family.”