In some regard, Wacey Munsell has been fighting bulls all his life. Age: 23
Born: Oct. 15, 1986
Hometown: Ulysses, Kan.
In some regard, Wacey Munsell has been fighting bulls all his life.
Comes with the territory when you’re born into the Munsell family, where his grandfather, Doug, started the rodeo wildmen tradition and passed it along his children, Doug Jr. and Danny, who passed it along to Wacey.
Now the 21-year-old Wacey is a world champion multiple times over, whether it’s in the freestyle bullfights or the Professional Bullfighters’ Daisy Protection Bullfight Tour. In 2004, he was the youngest ever to be allowed on the TwoBulls Protection Tour and the World Championship Rodeo Bullfighting tour, finishing as the world champion, earning the gold buckle just eight days after his 18th birthday.
That same season, he was approved for his PRCA card when he won the National Finals Rodeo’s Bucking Stock Sale. In 2005 and ’06, he won the freestyle championship when it was associated with the PBR World Finals, the second year sharing the title with fellow Kansan and current protection partner, Sam Gress. He’s also won the California Rodeo-Salinas freestyle championship in 2005 and ’06.
Last year, Munsell and Gress added another piece of flavor to their careers when they won the Daisy Protection Bullfight Tour championship.
The defending champs put together a quality run during the Daisy Protection Bullfights during the Colby Yates Challenge in Sulphur Springs, Texas, in mid-August 2008.
“I was 13 the first time I ever got in front of a big bull,” Munsell said. “I just really enjoy the rush and the feeling I get when I save a cowboy. It’s what I’m best at, so it’s why I do it.”
He understands the intricacies it takes to be a quality bullfighter, whether it’s in the freestyle pen or protecting fallen bull riders. He enjoys the competition and meeting the next challenge before him.
“The protection bullfights are pretty tough all around,” he said. “Whoever is the most fundamentally sound will win. The competitions are great now that they've take off.”