The Fort Worth-based PBR team Texas Rattlers is one of the most exciting teams to watch in Professional Bull Riding. With a group of top-notch athletes hailing from all over the world, the Texas Rattlers coach, legendary Cody Lambert, has built the team on trust, hard work and discipline, values needed for the gritty but intrepid world of PBR. Meet the group headed to the PBR Team Series Championship in Las Vegas, and click here to find out where you can find them during the team’s annual Rattler Days, October 5-8 in Fort Worth!
Brady Oleson
Brady Oleson returned to the sport he loved in 2022, quickly finding his groove and reaching career milestones as a professional bull rider. Oleson qualified for his career-first PBR World Finals at season’s end in May 2022, where he won Round 1 with his career-best ride score. He was drafted by the Texas Rattlers for the inaugural PBR Teams season where he proved a difference-maker and helped the team to a third-place finish.
Joao Ricardo Viera
An 11-time PBR World Finals qualifier, Brazilian Joao Ricardo Viera remains on the hunt for his first PBR World Championship after finishing runner-up to the gold buckle twice in his career. No rider has been more dominant in the 15/15 Bucking Battle; Vieira has won a PBR-best of eight special rounds in his career. Vieira has excelled in the team format, helping lead the Texas Rattlers to a third-place finish in the league’s opening season in 2022.
Daniel Keeping
Bursting onto the PBR scene during the 2022 Teams season with the Texas Rattlers, Keeping is a rider who delivers under pressure and converts for his team. His willingness to serve as a “crash test dummy” was what caught the eye of Rattlers Head Coach Cody Lambert, and his willingness to tackle anything has positioned Keeping for greatness. As one of the sport’s most colorful characters, with tongue-in-cheek quips and a prominent handlebar mustache, he features in the four-part reality series “Last Cowboy Standing” on Fox Nation, Fox News Media’s streaming service.
Braidy Randolph
After suffering an infection in his leg in 2019, doctors told Braidy Randolph that he would never ride again. But the determined Pennsylvanian battled back, and after mounting a burgeoning rodeo career, Randolph caught the eye of the Texas Rattlers and transitioned to PBR in 2022. With his eyes set firmly on a gold buckle and Teams Championship for the Rattlers, Randolph continues to prove bull riders can succeed no matter the setback.
Eli Vastbinder
Eli Vastbinder is the epitome of cowboy tough. Though he had a dislocated shoulder and broken ribs at his first World Finals in 2021, Vastbinder registered a historic four 90-point rides at bull riding’s most prestigious event and was crowned the PBR Rookie of the Year. Vastbinder finished the 2022 season No. 9 in the world and was drafted in the first round of the inaugural PBR Teams Draft by the Oklahoma Freedom. During the season, Vastbinder became a featured cast member of the Prime Video docuseries “The Ride.” Now in his 30s, Vastbinder has proven he can contend with the sport’s youngest talent and the resilient North Carolina cowboy is poised for both an individual world championship and Teams title run.
