Ross Coleman rode his first calf at age seven - the same year he won his first buckle. He continued the natural transition from steers to junior bulls. By high school, Coleman wasn’t just a stand out in bull riding. He competed in every event in rodeo. It was those skills that earned him the National High School Rodeo Association All-Around Cowboy title in 1997. After a year of competing on UNLV’s rodeo team, Coleman joined the PBR and now rides with the men that he admired as a youth, such as Michael Gaffney and Jim Sharp. Coleman credits bull rider Aaron Semas for helping him improve his riding style.

“Aaron was my traveling partner my first year, and he helped me out a bunch. He let me know what I was doing wrong and helped me change it,” says Coleman. Coleman says his greatest bull riding accomplishment was covering Jerry Nelson’s bull Copenhagen Tuff-E-Nuff in the Mossy Oak Shoot Out Bonus round at the 2001 Columbus, Ohio PBR event. The $100,000 bonus remains the greatest payout for a single ride in PBR history.