Published: June 29, 2009 05:33 pm      

BRETT HOFFMAN: Sideways ride leads to college rodeo title

Chad German knew what he had to do when he faced his final round bull at the College National Finals Rodeo.

If the Hill College cowboy made a qualified ride, he’d win the championship buckle on the basis of finishing as the only cowboy to stay on all four bulls.

During the closing moments of the eight-second ride, German hung on the side and received a so-so score of 74.5. But he clinched the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association title with a four-ride score of 292.5 on June 20 in Casper, Wyo.

“I never actually heard the whistle,” German said. “So, I just kept on riding and ended up going up underneath the bull.”

German said he would have let go earlier had he known the whistle had sounded.

“I would have saved myself getting bumped around a little bit and going all the way to the ground with my head,” German said.

German, 21, who is from Groesbeck, has long worked for the collegiate title. He began riding calves in junior rodeos when he was 5 and moved on up through the junior ranks. By the time that he was a teenager, he was honing his skills on larger bulls, went through the high school ranks and then earned a rodeo scholarship at Hill.

At 18, German also joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and he now has career earnings of $71,207.

But after recently earning an associate’s degree at Hill, German he’ll turn his full attention his toward to PRCA.

“My confidence is about as high as it’s ever been right now,” German said. “I was kind of hit and miss, but I went to a PRCA rodeo in Killeen about a week before the College Finals. I was 90 points on that bull and was feeling confident by the time that I got to the college finals.”

German is the sixth Hill College bull rider to win a collegiate title. The others were Philip Elkins (1993), Aaron Williams (1996), Chad Eubank (2003), Matt Austin (2005) and Jerrod Craig (2006).

At the school’s Hillsboro campus, there’s a sign that lists past national champions at the rodeo arena where longtime Hill rodeo coach Paul Brown soon will paint German’s name on the board.

“Right before Chad left for the College National Finals, he said: ‘I want my name right under underneath Jerrod Craig’s name,’” Brown said.

Roping in the cash

Nevada native and veteran all-around hand Preston Williams won the 2009 World’s Greatest Roper event on June 21 in conjunction with the Reno (Nev.) Rodeo.

The 34-year-old former college national all-around champion had a total time of 78.1 seconds on nine head (three rounds each of heading, tie-down roping, and heeling) to edge second-place Randon Adams by two seconds for the $25,000 paycheck from Lazy E Productions.

Adams, the defending PRCA world champion team roping heeler, earned $12,000, while Marty Becker and Jake Cooper tied for third place, each receiving $6,000.

Brett Hoffman is a 20-year rodeo columnist.