On August 10, 1972, the young man who would put North Carolina on the bull riding and rodeo map, Jerome Davis, was born in Colorado Springs, Colo. His father, stationed in Colorado while in the military, brought his family home to their ranch in Archdale, in Guilford County, just six months later.
Davis rode his first bull at age 11. On his fourth ride, Jerome lasted the required eight seconds and committed himself to becoming a competitive bull rider. He won his first event as a freshman in high school. He was the North Carolina State High School Bull Riding Champion in 1990. Two years later, Davis won the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s Bull Riding Championship. In 1992, he joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), a dream only a few cowboys experience.
Davis had a stellar career on the bull riding circuit earning a World Championship in 1995 and was elected to the Professional Bull Riders Ring of Honor in 1998. On March 14, 1998, in Fort Worth, Texas, Davis was paralyzed from the chest down after being thrown from a bull. He returned home to Archdale and continues to run the Davis Ranch and his bucking bull and rodeo business.
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