Born and raised in a small town by the name of Andalusia in the state of Alabama, I was
about 13yrs old when I went to work on a ranch. There I met a bullfighter by the name of Sid McKissick. During Sids time there,
he was very inspiring to me. When Sid was done working on that ranch and before he said good-by and went down the rodeo trail,
he gave me a belt buckle he had won in high school. Thats all it took, and I was going to be a bullfighter.
When I got into high school I didnt know how to get to be a bullfighter so I got as close
as I could by being a bull rider. I had been going to rodeos with my Dad who was a team roper, so in high school rodeo I competed in team roping
and rode bulls, I even placed 10th in the state in bull riding, and was voted most athletic my senior year. After graduating
from high school I moved to Colorado to be closer to the rodeo action, and continued to ride bulls for 8 years.
I
bought my PRCA permit in 1998 and it didnt take me very long to figure out I was way out of my league trying to ride bulls
in the PRCA. So I decided to be a stock contractor, and I bought 8 bucking bulls and 6 bucking horses from long time PRCA
stock contractor Harry Vold. Then and there I decided it was my time to be a bullfighter.
I started fighting bulls in March of 1999, and within 9 months I had competed in many
freestyle bullfights, and was the reserve champion in the Colorado Professional Rodeo Association. I also went to the International
Finals Rodeo 30 and competed in the bucking stock sale for a chance to be one of 6 bullfighters in the World Champion Freestyle
Bullfight. I placed 1st in the long go, and 1st in the short go to be awarded the title of IFR30 World
Champion.
Since then I have competed in a lot of bullfights, I have won many of them and have won
a few more championships up to today. Every buckle I have ever won in bull riding or bullfighting, I have given away in hopes
to inspire someone else, young or old, in order to help them follow their life dreams. For I
have found we all need inspiration, and goals to follow and achieve and I will continue to strive to make a difference.
Always think positive.
Bill Bass
