On Feb. 13, owner Chad Berger announced Smooth Operator had died at age 11. Smooth Operator, the 2019 and 2020 World Champion bull in the PBR, is the oldest bull ever to win back-to-back World Championships.
“He had the heart of a champion,” Berger wrote on social media. “It’s not very often a bull like him comes along, but he gave us one heck of a ride.”
According to PBR.com, Smooth Operator had 91 buckoffs in 104 outs at the PBR’s highest level since debuting in 2014. In all competitions, Smooth Operator had 116 total buckoffs. The highest score ever on him belongs to two-time World Champion Jose Vitor Leme, who rode the bovine superstar for 94.25 points in September of 2020.
Smooth Operator battled through injuries in his career as well, coming back from a back injury in 2015 and a leg injury in 2016. He also helped Berger win several of his 11 PBR Stock Contractor of the Year awards.
“That bull has won two world titles just with the heart,” Berger told PBR.com last year. “It’s all heart. That bull has got the biggest heart to keep doing what he does. He just reminds me of an old campaigner that knew what he had to do to win.”