Murphy takes Philadelphia by storm to extend his lead for Jäger Ranch

 Anne Bleiker

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The 2008 World’s Toughest Rodeo^™ featuring Toughest Cowboy^™ presented by Jägermeister was center stage at the Wachovia Spectrum in Philadelphia for the fifth stop on the nine stop tour. Eight cowboys remain alive in the ironmen of rodeo competition where the cowboys wear jerseys and ride in the three roughstock events in one night in a new match style competition and with only four stops left after Philadelphia, it is now or never for someone to make a move to separate them from the rest of the field .

The 2007 Toughest Cowboy Champion Bandy Murphy of Weatherford, Okla., didn’t disappoint in Philadelphia. Murphy, who is sponsored by The Home Depot, was matched against the Pride of the Navajo Nation Nelson Tsosie of Farmington, N.M. Tsosie, who is sponsored by B&W Trailer Hitches, got the bareback riding win by edging Murphy by one point. Tsosie posted a score of 82 points on his horse, while the champ finished with an 81. Murphy easily took the win in the saddle bronc riding after Tsosie was dumped from his bronc well before the eight-second whistle.

With the match tied 1-1 heading into the final event Murphy knew he needed to take care of business not only to try and win the event but to extend his lead over Tsosie for Jäger Ranch. The Oklahoma cowboy did just that scoring 88 points in the bull riding to easily take the win over Tsosie. Murphy also picked up a bonus win after having a higher aggregate score.

“Honestly, I wasn’t even thinking of how close we were in the overall standings,” Murphy said “My goal each week is to win, so to capture the win in Philadelphia is awesome. The tournament wins are important but the main goal is to win in Columbus (Ohio) and capture the deed to Jäger Ranch.”

Murphy ended Erik Wolford’s winning streak in Philadelphia after a tough night for the Clinton, Mich., cowboy. Wolford, who proudly rides for the Wrangler brand, was matched with college cowboy Jared Green of Socorro, N.M. Green, who is new to the Tour this year, has held his own and he didn’t let the back-to-back tournament winner derail his mission of winning the title. Green and Wolford turned in a solid bareback riding round with Green getting the “W” after edging Wolford by three points. Unfortunately for Green, the saddle bronc riding was less than stellar. Wolford, who won the International Professional Rodeo Association saddle bronc title in 2005, easily took the title with an 80-point ride. The tables were turned in the bull riding though with Green picking up the “W” after Wolford was thrown to the dirt well before the eight-second whistle.  Green also picked up a bonus win after edging Wolford by two points in the aggregate score, so the match ended 3-1 in favor of the New Mexico cowboy.

The home crowd favorite was definitely Clovis Crane of Lebanon, Pa. Crane, who rides for the Jägermeister brand. The race horse trainer was matched against Wyoming’s Shane Proctor and it was a close match causing the crowd to cheer that much louder. Proctor, who resides in Powell and is sponsored by Red Creek Land, took the bareback riding with an event best 83-point ride. Unfortunately, his saddle bronc riding wasn’t quite as good and was bounced well before the eight-second whistle giving the win to Crane who had a strong ride. With the match tied 1-1 it came down to the bull riding, which is Proctor’s best event. Proctor turned in an 88-point ride defeating Crane and picking up his second win of the night. However, it was Crane who got the bonus win with the aggregate score and so the match ended in a 2-2 tie.

Toughest Cowboy presented by Jägermeister is revolutionizing the sport by introducing an exciting and innovative format to audiences across the United States. Unlike other rodeos where riders usually compete in just one discipline, Toughest Cowboy is an unprecedented test of endurance as all competitors must ride in three disciplines in one night (Bareback Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding and Bull Riding). The events feature head-to-head matches throughout the season leading to the playoffs and championship…ultimately crowning someone the Toughest Cowboy Champion.

Jägermeister, the country’s best selling shot brand and top selling imported liqueur, is the first presenting sponsor of the Toughest Cowboy rodeo competition and tour in 2008. The Champion at the end of the season will be awarded the deed to the beautiful Jäger Ranch located in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. 

The “Road to Columbus” continues with two stops at the Xcel Energy Center in Minneapolis/St. Paul. For more information on this one-of-a-kind event visit www.toughestcowboy.com.