story by Lily Weinacht
Nick Terry from Leighton, Ala., traded his cowboy boots for cleats five years ago, and in 2015, he was nominated to fight the SPFR, voted in by a landslide. “Working the finals was pretty amazing. I never dreamed everything would come together like that for me,” says the 26 year old. “I worked with Jamie Kuhn, and he’s a great guy. We’ve worked a lot of rodeos together.”
From working the SPFR, to SEBRA events and Alabama Junior High rodeos, Nick’s objective is always the same – keeping the cowboys safe. A former bareback and bull rider, he knows the importance of the greasepaint faces in the arena. “Keeping the cowboys safe is what really drives me. There isn’t a better feeling than taking a bull up, or taking a shot and knowing I helped a guy out. And there’s no feeling like it when you grab a bull up, and you don’t necessarily have control over him, but you’ve got him right there in your pocket.”
Prior to becoming a bull fighter, Nick rode bareback horses and bulls incognito in junior high. “My parents had horses and roped a bit here and there, but with my dad, riding bulls or bucking horses was completely out of the question,” Nick explains. “When I was 13, I ended up getting some gear to ride bareback horses, and my mom and I went to rodeos. Dad just thought we were going to watch since we knew people who competed. I made it to Chris Edwards’ Triple E Finals and broke my arm in three places. After that, my dad found out, and we made a deal that I could keep rodeoing if I kept winning money. So I switched riding arms and used my right arm for another year before I started riding bulls. I studied it as a kid watching the PBR, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do.”
In June of 2005, Nick’s dad passed away in a car accident, and the tragedy spurred Nick on to rodeo even harder. But after a year or two more, chutes and bull ropes no longer held their attraction. “I got burned out,” says Nick. “I’d taken about six or seven months off rodeo when I woke up one morning in 2011 and decided I wanted to fight bulls. Greek Ellick, a good friend, was my inspiration. He retired from bull fighting a few years ago but still clowns, and he coached me in my events. I cut my teeth fighting bulls at Jim Buckner’s house for five or six months. I got run over a good bit at first before I got my timing right, but it came naturally to me.” Within six months, stock contractors were calling, and Nick has gone on to work SEBRA events, Tennessee junior high and high school rodeos, Alabama junior rodeos, and rodeos for Danny Hedrick and Billy Hudson. He’s worked SPRA rodeos for three years, and also holds his card with the IPRA.
For two and a half years, Nick fought bulls full time. Currently, he spreads litter for row crop farmers during the week and fights bulls on weekends. He’s also starting a bucking bull business, breeding a bull he bought from Jim Buckner with several of his heifers. “He’s a pretty good bull, and with the heifers I have, he ought to throw some good calves,” says Nick. “I also try to see my family as much as I can. I have a niece, Braley, and when I’m home, we feed cows and ride horses together. She’s getting into pole bending and barrel racing.”
While Nick hopes to pursue more freestyle bullfighting, his primary goal is getting his PRCA card. “I want to take it to the next step, but that’s not the easiest thing to do! I also want to buy more bulls and start hauling them next year. That’s a big goal of mine – and continuing to fight bulls.”
