Cord McCoy
Cord Jarret McCoy (born August 19, 1980) is an American bucking bull stock contractor and former professional rodeo cowboy who specialized in saddle bronc riding and bull riding. He is best known as the 2nd-place finisher (along with his brother Jet McCoy) on The Amazing Race 16. Jet and Cord returned to compete in the eighteenth season of The Amazing Race, finishing in 6th Place. Jet and Cord returned for The Amazing Race 24 also known as "The Amazing Race All-Stars" finishing in 5th place.
Contents
- 1 Background
- 2 Professional career
- 2.1 Injuries
- 3 The Amazing Race 16
- 3.1 Placements during the Race
- 4 The Amazing Race 18
- 4.1 Placements during the Race
- 5 The Amazing Race 24: All Stars
- 5.1 Placements during the Race
- 6 Personal life
- 7 References
- 7.1 Sources
- 8 External links
Background
McCoy was born in Durant, Oklahoma, to parents Denny McCoy, a rancher and horse trader, and Janet McCoy, a professional photographer, McCoy grew up as a cowboy in the small town of Tupelo, Oklahoma.
He participated in his first rodeo compe*ion in 1985 at age 5, after becoming interested in rodeo from his family. He was the catcher on his high school baseball team and qualified for the state tournament. He was a member of the Oklahoma high school team that won a national rodeo *le and was a member of the Southwestern Oklahoma State rodeo team that finished second in the nation in 2000. He graduated from Tupelo High School with 13 other people. He attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, Oklahoma and achieved a bachelor's degree in Business Administration.
Professional career
McCoy joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys *ociation (PRCA) in 2001. In 2002, he qualified for the Prairie Circuit Finals Rodeo in bareback bronc riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding. In 2004, he won the average *le at PRCA Xtreme Bulls Division II qualifying events in Clemson, South Carolina and at Old Fort Days in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Like many PRCA bull riders in the 2000s and 2010s, McCoy also competed in the Championship Bull Riding (CBR) tour. He qualified for the CBR World Finals in 2005, as well as qualifying for the PRCA 's National Finals Rodeo (NFR) that same year.
In 2005, McCoy's career went more professional.
- Won the Four States Fair Rodeo in Texarkana, Arkansas
- Co-champion at the Beef Empire Days PRCA Rodeo in Garden City, Kansas
- Won Red River Stampede PRCA Rodeo in Durant, Oklahoma
- Won the Mineral Wells, Texas PRCA Rodeo
- Competed in the Calgary Stampede
- Placed 14th in the National Finals Rodeo
In 2006, McCoy left the PRCA and CBR to join the Professional Bull Riders (PBR). As a result of winning enough money on the PBR’s minor league tour, then known as the Challenger Tour, he earned a pathway to compete on the organization’s premier series, then known as the Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS). He qualified for the PBR World Finals in 2006, 2008-2009 and 2011.
The Cord McCoy Invitational is held yearly in the last week of May in Ada, Oklahoma, with McCoy being the star of the bull riding event. He even has his own seating called "Cord Zone" during the event, where fans are sure to get a glimpse of him.
McCoy is a five-time International Professional Rodeo *ociation (IPRA) world champion and is ranked 15th overall in the world rankings according to the IPRA.
On June 15, 2010 it was announced that McCoy, with his brother Jet, would be the parade marshals for the Calgary Stampede parade that would take place on July 9, 2010.
In October 2013, McCoy announced his retirement from bull riding at the conclusion of the PBR season that year.
In February 2017, he was inducted into the Southwestern Oklahoma State University Athletics - Hall of Fame.
In 2016, McCoy attempted a comeback as a rodeo contestant. He tried to qualify in saddle bronc riding for The American Rodeo’s semi-finals by competing in some of the event’s qualifiers. He also tried to qualify for the PRCA’s National Finals Rodeo. However, as a result of a serious saddle bronc riding head injury from 2004 (the last year he competed in said rodeo event), he rode with a helmet; something extremely rare among professional bucking horse riders. He ended up finishing low in the final PRCA world standings that year, and retired as a contestant for good, again.
Since retiring as a rodeo contestant, McCoy has bred and raised bucking bulls. One of his bulls, Ridin Solo, won the 2022 PBR World Champion Bull *le. Starting that same year, he will be the head coach of the Oklahoma Freedom, one of eight bull riding teams of the PBR’s new Team Series.
Injuries
- September 26, 2004 - McCoy had his skull crushed by a saddle bronc in Oklahoma City.
He spent 3 days in a coma and had 8 months of rehab before returning to the rodeo circuit.
- 2005 - Separated his shoulder in the fourth round of the Wrangler NFR and missed six of 10 rounds with the injury. Placed fifth in the first round with an 83.5 on Rafter H Rodeo's Roan Wolf.
The Amazing Race 16
Cord and his brother Jet competed on The Amazing Race 16. They won 4 out of the 12 legs, and was the first team ever to go from last place on a non-elimination leg, complete a Speed Bump, and come in first place on the next leg. They won a pair of sailboats, and trips for two to Patagonia, Maui, and Alaska. In the final leg, they were placed 2nd, ultimately losing the one million dollar grand prize and "The Amazing Race 16" winners' *le to brothers Dan and Jordan Pious.
Placements during the Race
- Leg 1: 3rd Place
- Leg 2: 1st Place (as a reward for getting 1st, Jet and Cord won a pair of sailboats)
- Leg 3: 1st Place (as a reward for getting 1st, Jet and Cord won a trip for two to Patagonia)
- Leg 4: 4th Place
- Leg 5: 3rd Place
- Leg 6: 4th Place
- Leg 7: 6th Place (They received a non-elimination leg Speed Bump)
- Leg 8: 1st Place (as a reward for getting 1st, Jet and Cord won a trip for two to Maui, Hawaii)
- Leg 9: 3rd Place
- Leg 10: 1st Place (as a reward for getting 1st, Jet and Cord won a trip for two to Alaska)
- Leg 11: 2nd Place
- Final Leg: 2nd Place
The Amazing Race 18
Cord, along with his brother Jet returned for the 18th season of The Amazing Race commonly known as The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business. They won $5,000 each in Leg 5. However, in the 9th leg, they fell to last place after the Roadblock in Liechtenstein and lost even more time when they were U-Turned by the Harlem Globetrotters of Flight Time & Big Easy on a Double U-Turn. They were the only team to be U-Turned on a Double U-Turn, and were eliminated in the 9th Leg.
Placements during the Race
- Leg 1: 11th Place (Special non-elimination leg)
- Leg 2: 3rd Place
- Leg 3: 6th Place
- Leg 4: 2nd Place
- Leg 5: 1st Place (as a reward for getting 1st, Jet and Cord won $5,000 each)
- Leg 6: 2nd Place
- Leg 7: 5th Place
- Leg 8: 5th Place
- Leg 9: 6th Place / eliminated (1st U-Turned by Flight Time & Big Easy but 2nd U-Turn was not used on a Double U-Turn)
The Amazing Race 24: All Stars
Cord, along with his brother Jet returned for the 24th season of The Amazing Race commonly known as The Amazing Race: All Stars. In Leg 1, they won two Express P*es (one Express P* which they can use to byp* any task and also get to keep it for themselves until Leg 8. As required by The Amazing Race rules, they had to hand over the other Express P* to another team of their choosing before the end of Leg 5, and they gave the other Express P* to country singers Caroline & Jennifer, who used it in Leg 2 to byp* the Roadblock). In Leg 4, they won a trip for two to London. In Leg 8, they used the Express P* to byp* the Detour. In Leg 10, their season came to an end with a 5th Place finish due to being U-Turned by Leo & Jamal. They were the only team to be U-Turned on a Double U-Turn for the 2nd time, and were eliminated in the 10th Leg.
Placements during the Race
- Leg 1: 1st Place (as a reward for getting 1st, Jet and Cord won two express p*es, which can be used to byp* any task. As required by Amazing Race rules, Jet and Cord opted to give the other express p* to fellow team Caroline and Jennifer, who used it during Leg 2 to byp* the Roadblock)
- Leg 2: 6th Place
- Leg 3: 2nd Place
- Leg 4: 1st Place (as a reward for getting 1st, Jet and Cord won a trip for two to London).
- Leg 5: 3rd Place
- Leg 6: 2nd Place
- Leg 7: 4th Place
- Leg 8: 2nd Place (used the Express P* to byp* the Detour)
- Leg 9: 2nd Place
- Leg 10: 5th Place / eliminated (1st U-Turned by Leo & Jamal and Caroline & Jennifer attempted to use the 2nd U-Turn on Brendon & Rachel. However, Brendon & Rachel had already checked in at the Pit Stop and were not affected by the U-Turn)
Personal life
On November 1, 2009, McCoy proposed to his girlfriend Sara Best while being interviewed by PBR in front of an audience. They have a daughter, Tulsa, and reside in Tupelo, Oklahoma. He has three brothers, Justen Brent, JoRay C., and Jet Merrick, and one sister, Nikki.
References
Sources
- Pearlman, Jeff (September 21, 1998). "These Guys Are The Real Mccoys; Teenage brothers Cord and Jet McCoy are riding high on the pro circuit". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 17, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
External links
- Official website
- Cord McCoy at IMDb