PRORODEO Sports News - July 2, 2026

T.J. GRAY CASHES IN WITH RENO XTREME BULLS WIN

BY TED HARBIN, SPECIAL TO PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS

T he rematch then some.

the big, black bull for 91.5 points to share the championship-round victo ry with Colton Byrum of Mound City, Kan. Combined with an 87-point ride on All In Pro Rodeo’s Iron Banana, Gray won the two-ride aggregate with a cumulative score of 178.5 points. That was two points ahead of Byram, who finished second overall. PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings leader Tristen Hutchings of Monteview, Idaho, won the first round on Rosser’s Tom Cat, marking 87.5 points, just a half-point better than Gray. Byram then shared the short-round victory with Gray with his own 91.5-point ride on Western Rodeo’s Wee Willy. “I’ve been dreaming about getting on (Mr. Priefert) here for the last month,” Gray told announcer Antho ny Lucia shortly after the ride. “I saw he was second out in the short round, and when I didn’t win the long round, I was very happy.” That set up a bull riding rematch that’s akin to Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier, the “Thrilla in Manilla” that happened in 1975. “I just kept hoping that when the

lived up to its billing and

T.J. Gray and Rosser Rodeo’s Mr. Priefert had gone into the ring together before. The result was an 88.5-point ride that not only secured the Round 10 victory at the 2025 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo but also clinched Gray’s average championship. All that cash paved the way for Gray to win the Top Gun Award, given to the contes tant who earned the most money in a single event during the finale in Las Vegas. The two titans found themselves in familiar ter ritory during Reno (Nev.) Xtreme Bulls June 18, and the result was even better. Gray matched moves with

PRCA photo by Lara St. Jacques

44 PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS DIGITAL MAGAZINE July 2, 2026