COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Cody Teel is from the small town of Kansas, Texas. Like a lot of folks, the power of Texas A&M brought him here after he fell in love with his wife, an Aggie alumna.
“It's definitely become home for me,” the young bull rider admitted. “I love it here and can't imagine living anywhere else, honestly.”
From a young age, he had big aspirations.
Starting with calves, steers, and moving on to junior bulls, he started his professional career at just 18 years old.
”It’s been a pretty crazy ride; it’s been a dream come true for me,” he said. “Since I was young it’s all I ever wanted.”
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in the Teel family, either. His dad rode bulls.
You could say he had big boots to fill.
“Just seeing the pictures, hearing the stories- that's what made me want to try it,” he said, thinking about his childhood.
From smaller arenas to the big stage, Teel has performed on them all, including the Professional Bull Riding, or PBR, World Finals, which is in Dallas for the first time ever starting on May 13.
“It draws the best of the best from around the world,” he said. “It's pretty special to be able to represent where I'm from and where I live now.”
With a smile on his face, he said he would not be where he is today without the support from his friends, family, and community.
“To have that support from the community itself, it's pretty special,” he said. “It definitely means a lot… I'm looking forward to representing.”
Teel travels to Dallas on May 12, with events lined up the whole weekend.
