Professional Bull Riding phenom John Crimber did not expect to see Travis Hunter Jr. in the crowd when the 2024 PBR World Finals got underway on Saturday. The 18-year-old rising superstar lost his mind over the surprise appearance from his favorite player in college football.
And then he hit the Heisman pose after winning $35,000!
Crimber, a rookie on the PBR tour, began the weekend 0-for-2. His hopes of reaching the World Finals came down to his final ride on a bull named Brown Bomber. All he needed was eight seconds.
Marco Rizzo, a good friend of Crimber’s, was out with an injury. He was straight chilling in the VIP suites at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas when he noticed a familiar face.
Colorado’s two-way superstar was sitting next to him. Rizzo shot Crimber a text to let him know.
I was like, ‘Holy crap. He is here watching. That’s awesome. That guy right there, let me tell you. I’ve always watched him on TV and stuff, and I like watching his highlights. He just fries me up. So I was really excited.
— John Crimber
If his presence in the arena was not exciting enough, Hunter made his way over to surprise Crimber during an interview with Kate Harrison on CBS Sports Network. The latter lost his mind when the former gave him a tap on the shoulder! This young generation of college football fans love to watch the College Football 25 cover athlete ball out on both sides of the ball— even if the Buffaloes aren’t very good.
As part of their introduction, Crimber made Hunter a promise. He was going to hit the Heisman pose after hanging on to Brown Bomber through the buzzer.
Sure enough, that is exactly what happened!
Crimber hung on for eight seconds when he needed it most and paid homage to Colorado’s star defensive back and wide receiver. It was exhilarating.
John Crimber 🏈 pic.twitter.com/m3kU8npCu5
— PBR bunkhouse 🤠🐂🌟 (@PBRbunkhouse) May 12, 2024
Meanwhile, out in the crowd, Hunter was loving it.
The celebration continued when a score of 89.25 points gave Crimber a share of the Round 3 win (he tied with Daylon Swearingen) and saved his season. It also got him paid to the tune of $35,000.
Saturday marked Travis Hunter Jr.’s first-ever PBR event and the result could not have played out any better! Crimber got him the win like he promised.