09/28/2026
His father chased the PBR World Championship for an entire career and never caught it. His son bought his PBR card at midnight on his 18th birthday, and won it at 20.
Born August 11, 2005, in Decatur, Texas, John Crimber grew up in a town that has become a home base for Brazilian bull riders, on a 400-acre family ranch. His father, Paulo Crimber, was a Brazilian bull rider who made the PBR World Finals ten times. He never won the world title, because injuries cut his riding career short. Paulo taught his son that being great in the arena means staying humble outside of it.
John climbed on his first bull at five years old. He won the Mini Bull Riders Senior Division championship in Las Vegas, then took back-to-back National High School Rodeo bull riding titles. The moment the clock struck midnight on his 18th birthday, he bought his PBR card.
He won the 2023 PBR Canada Cup Series title, then made his Challenger Series debut in Goliad, Texas, with a third-place finish. He scored his first professional 90-point ride at the Fort Worth Stockyards, and by the end of that run he'd won nine events in one season.
The PBR Teams draft made him the No. 1 overall pick, and he joined the Florida Freedom, coached by his own father. In his rookie Teams season, he won both the 2024 Teams MVP and Championship MVP. His clutch walk-off rides earned him the nickname "Mr. October." He became the youngest rider in PBR history to pass $1 million in career earnings, and he owns a career-high 95-point ride on Big Bank inside AT&T Stadium.
His swagger became part of the show, too. At Madison Square Garden, he famously said he'd woken up thinking about bubble gum and kicking ass, and that he was all out of bubble gum.
In 2026, John Crimber won the PBR World Championship, and the gold buckle came with $1 million. He dedicated it to his father, Paulo, the man who never got to hold it himself.
A father who came up just short. A son who finished the job. A gold buckle they'll both share forever.
That is John Crimber. 🤠🐂🏆
