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The sport
of Bull Riding rode me to college where I met the right
people who helped guide me to the concept of protecting bull
riders by means of headgear. I slowly began to meet people
that would guide me to this point.
During
high school in Florida, we were getting on my Dad’s herd
bulls when he was out of town. He would come home and see
spur marks on his bulls and we wouldn’t know what
happened... “They were fighting under one of the salt licks
or something I think,” we would tell him. My younger brother
Wayne and myself were going once a week to Arcadia, Fl. to
get on 3 or 4 bulls a piece each road trip at Pat Hansel’s
place, a prominent PRCA contractor in the 60’s 70’s and
early 80’s. Mike “the Smurf” Horton, 1987 Wrangler
Bullfighting Champion, who was then a kid from right down
the road in Zolfo Springs, would be there to fight bulls for
us so we weren’t scared of nothin’. This was the greatest
guy and best bull fighter I had seen. I went home to Plant
City, Fl. for Christmas, saw Mike, and told him straight up
that he should come out west to fight bulls. Next thing I
knew he called me at school in Huntsville, TX. and said he
had an interview with Neal Gay. Then he was supposed to
talk to Mack Altizer with Bad Company Rodeo.
The rest
is history. He worked with Mack & Bad Company Rodeo where he
would get on bulls backwards with his legs wrapped around
the bull’s horns; he was definitely an adrenalin junky. (I
never saw him get bucked off!). I saw him get on Mack’s
“Party Animal” a short paint bull a bunch of times with a
beer in his hand usually for promotion, he could ride and
the bull would really buck and spin right in the gate . Mike
was a good bull and bronc rider and he got his PRCA card
early on in his career. We were really lucky as young bull
riders to have Mike fight bulls for us because it would make
you think you were bullet proof and you would get on
anything. It didn’t matter how snorty, usually every bull we
got on at Mr. Hansel’s would hook your pants off, so we grew
up not being scared.
I was
under the influence of my older brother Carson, and his
experience with the PRCA and some tough bull riders. Carson
taught me all the correct basics for bull riding and told me
about the Texas hands. Naturally I wanted to go West where
they rode a lot of bulls and the competition was tough . My
goal was go to Texas and ride with the utmost of my ability
and win against the best. This was home to a lot of aspiring
young bull riders and not far from Crockett, home of
renowned nationally acclaimed bull man and cow cutter, Roy
Carter. He was a personal friend and hauling partner of my
older brother Carson. Roy was rodeoing in the South Eastern
Circuit some with Carson and Ken Wilcox, a prominent NFR
qualifier in the late 70’s early 80’ from Greenbrier,
Arkansas.
I was in
Huntsville, TX. for the first day of class at Sam Houston
State and made a call to Roy, who I did not know at the
time, and scheduled a meeting at his arena in Crockett. Mark
Swearingen, a close friend who I met the previous month at
the NHSRA Nationals in Douglas, WY was a native of
Huntsville and led the way to Roy’s and then on to a bunch
of rodeos. This is also where I met long time friends and
excellent bull riders Brad Bridgewater and Tiger Barker. We
got on 4 or 5 bulls each that day and the ball began rolling
in Texas. This became routine. Roy noticed the determination
and started allowing me to get on whatever I wanted; I would
also have to bring somebody to mount green bulls for him.
Riding bulls is like anything else you do. Practice makes
perfect...
I came to
Texas for the college degree but this came after I followed
the advice of my older brother Carson, who had previously
graduated from the University of Florida. Carson had made a
statement that really stuck with me and that was to show up
for class every day and you will pass. “This will show your
professors that you have try,” he told me and, “they will
help you out when you don’t understand something.” I was in
their office a lot trying to figure stuff out. I did not
think it at the time, but it was allowing me to form
personal relationships with my professors that helped me to
make it happen .Passing college is all about taking the
right professors that you can relate to, and applying
yourself with the brain that God gave you.
I learned
a lot from my head injury, about your brain. We all have a
very large percentage that is never used because we don’t
apply ourselves. I did not apply myself until after my
first brain injury and memory lapse. I almost flunked out
of college and had to attend South West Texas Junior College
to regroup so I could go back to South West Texas State
where I had previously transferred to finish a four year
degree in six years. Ouch!
Bulls
were my livelihood to this point then they almost killed me
and my younger brother, Wayne, with a head injury. Brent’s
fatality blew me away as I, myself, was still reeling from a
brain injury, almost driven to the point to do something.
Brent Thurman was my final inspiration to design a
protective head gear for bull riders, now using the initials
of his name, BT for Bull Tough. I was coming through my RCIA
program to become a full member of the Catholic church when
Brent’s accident occurred in December ‘94 at the National
Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.
There is
no doubt that I was given divine insight especially for the
engineering of these facing guards and I am now a firm
believer that everything does happen for a reason. I was in
mass yesterday hoping for more insight on the Bull Tough
project and for it to move forward by means of success for
the Bull Tough bull riders. Once again, the same day at
Little Rock, Arkansas, Wiley Petersen came through with his
4th win of the ‘03 season and following the big wins for
Chad Lucas at Nampa, Idaho another one of the Bull Tough
customer’s. Mike Lee, Dusty Hall, and Reuben Geleynse are
more prime examples of God’s work in the PBR.
I was
talking with a good friend of mine, Gary Richard, about Bull
Tough at the Del Rio Super Bull. He had bought a head gear
years before but had stopped wearing it. Gary was hesitant
Saturday night to say much about it but you could tell he
was thinking. I saw him behind the chutes Sunday when I was
giving Luke Snyder a tug (87.5pts), and Gary was real
excited as his first words when I saw him were, “Hey Morris,
get me one of those head gears, man. I have been praying
about it. I want one for next weekend.” I told him “Good
deal, you know I will take care of you on that.” That was a
great experience. The best was when Gary won my benefit bull
riding in 1993. “That is why I am making the Bull Tough to
help out my old friends,” I said.
All of my
friends had rallied behind me when I was in Cognitive
Rehabilitation in Tampa, Florida to show up for my benefit
bull riding and social gathering in Seguin, Texas that I
flew out for. A friend of mine organized the event. As a
matter of a fact he organized two benefits for me. Bill
Watson and Mark Longoria were put in a position to help and
they did. Terry Holland the designer of Mighty Bucky/Broncy
has been very instrumental in gaining Bull Tough the right
exposure through booth space at the NHSRA Finals, the NFR a
few times, and the PBR Finals in Vegas.
I can’t
say enough about the help I received from my investors, with
this web site and from my sales reps who have helped me get
this grass roots effort off the ground. They all have
invested their time and money to help Bull Tough free of
charge by advertising and for that I will forever be
thankful. I have got to say thanks to my legal and
professional help, Mr. Bob Curfiss, Attorney at Law and to
Robert Fumagalli, CPA, my cowboy counterparts: Wade
Leslie/100pt ride, Gary Lefew, Cody Jesse, and Shane Gordon
for taking care of Bull Tough on the West Coast, Chad
Nachman for pulling me through when times were really bad
making a lot of sales in Arizona. Thanks to Laddan
Ledbetter, or (spur magic) as David Jennings said, with all
those West Texas rider sales. Barstow Pro Rodeo Equipment
for the invaluable referrals, Brad Scott, manufacturer of
Bull Armour protective vests in Australia who has taken it
upon himself to have an Australian national standard set for
head protection and making Bull Tough the premier name in
head protection down under, Wiley Petersen who has been an
outstanding spokesperson on the PBR level making quality
sales, Mike Lee has lead by example and turned a lot of guys
on. Thanks to Mike’s Mom who is a journalist at the Quarter
Horse News Journal for helping me to keep things going with
positive input and her writing capabilities. I thank the PBR
for allowing me exposure of my T.M. . . . Dr. Mark
Brandenberg, the brain trauma specialist who has given me
great medical insight and Dr.Tandy Freeman (Professional
Bull Riders sports medicine doctor) for believing in the
Bull Tough, PBR journalist Chris McManes for the premier
Bull Tough feature article in Pro Bull Rider and Boyd
Polhamus, National Finals Rodeo announcer extraordinaire for
the voice over on my promotional video. I would be here
‘till tomorrow trying to name all my friends that have
helped the Bull Tough effort survive.
Thanks
guys!
Sincerely,
Morris Futch
Morris
Futch
Bull
Tough, Inc
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