Kinta's Meier is a rising PBR star Oklahoma cowboy injured after winnning first go-round
By Ed Godfrey
Published: February 17, 2007
Austin Meier's name might not be big enough yet to join Carrie Underwood's on the highway billboard outside of Checotah, but it might be deserving of a sign on the road leading into the tiny Haskell County town of Kinta.
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Meier scored a 90.5 on the bull FenderBender to win Friday night's first go round of the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Challenger Championship and $50,000.
However, Meier was then injured when he was bucked off the bull Smooth Move in the showdown round, where the go round winner gets a chance to ride one bull for $90,000. Meier, on crutches, said later Friday night that the doctor told him he had torn a knee ligament. He was unsure if he could ride tonight.
"I'll just wait and see how it feels,” Meier said.”
The Checotah native, now a Kinta resident, burst on the bull riding scene last year as a rookie.
He won the Denver Challenger Tour event in early 2006, and in less than two months, he was bumped up to the Built Tough Ford Series (the events shown on television), which feature the top 45 riders on the tour.
He finished second for 2006 PBR Rookie of Year. This year, he is 13th in the Built Tough Ford Series points race and earned an automatic spot in this weekend's U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Challenger Championship at the Ford Center.
"I always thought I had the talent to be riding at this level and really wanted to,” Meier said before Friday night's round. "I didn't know how long it would take to get on tour. I had a good year.”
With career earnings of more than $140,000 before Friday's round, this 20-year-old cowboy could be Oklahoma's next star on the PBR. The biggest star is Oklahoma's Justin McBride of Sayre, the 2005 PBR world champ and current Built Tough Ford Series leader.
Meier was raised in Checotah, a McIntosh County community that has produced several famous cowboys, most notably two-time world champion steer wrestler Roy Duvall.
"My dad and Roy Duvall rodeoed together for a lot of years,” Meier said.
Austin is the third generation of Meiers to ride bulls. His cousins, Rusty Patrick and L.J. Jenkins, also are bull riders on the PBR Tour.
"I got on my first bull when I was 12,” Meier said. "Before then, I was riding steers and sheep.”
In 2005, Meier finished his last semester of high school by taking correspondence courses through the University of Oklahoma. That helped him get an early start on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit.
After a year on the PRCA, Meier decided to go full-time on the PBR Tour.
The U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Challenger Championship is the second-richest event in PBR history. The purse is $1 million with $200,000 going to the winner of the average. Each round pays $50,000 to the top cowboy.
Austin Meier of Kinta, rides Fender Bender to a 90.5 score during the PBR's U.S. Smokeless Challenger Tour Championship at the Ford Center on Friday night. But Meier was injured on his second ride, bucked off Smooth Move and was unsure if he'll be able to ride tonight. BY NATE BILLINGS THE OKLAHOMANU.S. SmokelessTobacco ChampionshipAt Ford CenterFriday's Results
1, Austin Meier, Kinta, 90.5, $50,000; 2, Dustin Hall, Springfield, Mo,, 87.5; $25,000; 3, Kasey Hayes, Liberal, Kan., 87.25 and Wiley Peterson, Fort Hall, Idaho,87.25, $12,500; 5, Matt Bohon, Cole Camp, Mo., 86.75;6,Jody Newberry, Ada, 86.5; 7, Clayton Williams, Carthage, Texas, 84.25; 8, Scott Schiffner, Strathmore, Alberta Canada, 83.5; 9, Shane Proctor, Grand Coulee, Wash., 83; 10, Ryan McConnel, Cortez, Colo., 81 and J.B. Mauney, Mooresville, N.C., 81; 12, Mark Lopes, Pioneer, Calif., 80.5; 13, Evan Rasch, Clarksville, Tenn., 78.5; 14, Garrett Vig, Newell, S.D., 76.5.
