June 7, 2018
Robbie Herrington said that buying Dillinger was the best deal he ever made. It’s a statement that’s hard to argue with since Dillinger stands alone atop the Pro Bull Stats with the Number 1 Bull Ranking of All Time and a PBS Power Ranking of a whopping 90.14.
Herrington knew that Dillinger was something special when he first saw him buck at the PBR World Finals in 1999.
“He was just an unbelievable athlete,” Herrington stated with a hint of reverence in his voice. “Dillinger was big and he was athletic and strong. He was Neal Gay’s bull and I went and asked Neal if he was interested in selling.”
Gay said “yes,” and the deal turned out to not only be the best deal Herrington ever made, it was the most honest.
“Neal Gay’s one of the best men I ever did business with,” stated Herrington. “And it was one of the fairest deals I ever made.”
That deal came with a reasonable price and a satisfaction guarantee. It was a guarantee that Herrington was sure he would not need.
After coming to Herrington Cattle Company, Dillinger won back-to-back PBR World Champion Bull titles in 2000 and 2001. He was the first bull to win consecutive world titles.
What made Dillinger so outstanding was that he was a big bull with speed and agility. At 1800 pounds, he had the athleticism of Blueberry Wine and Little Yellow Jacket mixed with the power and muscles of Promise Land and Cowtown. It was a winning combination.
And Dillinger knew how to win. As well as winning two PBR world championships, the bull was part of the 2012 PBR Heroes and Legends Celebration where he was posthumously awarded the Brand of Honor. He was a NFR Finals bull and Dillinger was the bull half of the three Top 10 scores in PBR Word Finals history.
His trip with Chris Shivers at the 2001 BFTS World Finals is legendary. Although the history making 96.5 total score has been matched, it has never been surpassed. Jim Sharp rode Dillinger to a score of 95.5 points at Fort Worth, TX in 2002 and two-time PBR champion Ednei Caminhas rode him at the 2002 PBR world championship for a score of 95 points. Caminhas and Corey Navarre combined with Dillinger for 94.5 point rides as well.
Dillinger was a bull who knew his job and he went out each and every time to do it to the best of his ability. His bull stats tell the tale. In the year 2000, his first year with Herrington Cattle Company, Dillinger posted, in 17 outs, an amazing bull score average of 47.47. For his PBR career from 2000 through 2002, Dillinger’s average bull score, in 49 outs with 7 rides, was an unprecedented 46.83 which still holds as the top bull score average in the history of the PBR.
That’s not bad for “just a bull” with no breeding program behind him.
“If I knew what made him great,” laughed Herrington, “I’d have a hundred of them.”
Known to be something of a pet at home, Dillinger saved his excitement for the chute. And when the gate cracked, it was total effort every time.
Dillinger’s effort made for a buckoff average of 85 percent. In all of Dillinger’s 49 outs, he was marked under 45 points twice. And 13 of his scores were 48 points or higher.
It was the career ending injury at the Louisville, KY Jack Daniels Invitational Bud Light Cup event in 2002 that showed the bull riding world the incredible heart behind the big bull Dillinger. Hanging a leg in the chute, the 1800 pound bull bucked the 8 seconds with multiple fractures in his left hock. It was the lowest score of his career, but the fact that he combined for a score of 88.5 was nothing short of amazing.
Herrington had no option except to retire his bull as the injury was too severe for Dillinger to return to competition.
The question as to whether Dillinger is the best bull Herrington ever had answers itself.
“Dillinger is Number 1 in the Probull Stats All Time and Historical Rankings. What more do I have to say?”
by Terry Lidral
for Bucking Stock Talk Magazine
Author: Terry Lidral
Terry Lidral is a western writer/journalist who lives in Idaho. She is the publisher and editor of the online magazine Bucking Stock Talk and the online magazine Western Living Journal. Her publishing credits include Storyteller for Real American Cowboy Magazine, writing feature articles for Humps N Horns Magazine as well as a wide variety of national and international web sites, historical magazines and news publications. She is known for her "up close and personal" profiles of celebrities and industry moguls such as NPR's Tom Bodett; PBR's Wiley Petersen and D.H. Page, PRCA's Sammy Andrews, Cindy Rosser and Julio Moreno to name a few. She has been applauded for her way of making a personal connection between her readers and her subjects. She indulges in her love of rodeo by serving as an associate board member for the Caldwell Night Rodeo. She is also an accomplished trainer and handler in dog agility. Her shelties Amelie and Milo are titled in NADAC, USDAA and AKC.
I plan to ask Donnie Gay, if his dad, Neal Gay had Dillinger collected, because for years there has been semen being sold, claiming it is or was from Dillinger. The Harrington’s plainly stated that he was never used for breeding. Even your article states that Dillinger’s genes were not passed on.
Yup, that was stated as fact to me by Herrington. Let me know if what you find out. Now I’m very curious.