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When the rodeo arrives in town, it's not just another Professional Bull Riders stop on the pro circuit.
PBR's connection to Fort Collins and Colorado State University runs far deeper and more personal.
As the second PBR event at Canvas Stadium arrives with Bulls and Beats (July 10-12), it's a return to the roots of one of the sport's legends.
Jerome Robinson, a CSU alum and Fort Collins resident, died in 2022 but remains a Hall of Famer and a beloved figure in bull-riding circles.
Robinson rode at CSU in the late 1960s and then professionally for more than 13 years, qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo 11 times. After his riding days, he pioneered the bull-riding experience and helped turn it into the high-stakes spectacle that PBR has become.
Robinson was PBR's Arena Director for more than 30 years and is often credited with cementing PBR as the "toughest sport on dirt."
Whether it was pioneering the centralized PROCOM system for rodeo scoring, running his own production company or his jovial personality, Robinson knew how to create entertainment in the sport but stayed true to his roots.
Despite the sport's primary home bases in Texas, the south and throughout the West, Robinson stayed in Fort Collins for much of his life.
With PBR back at CSU again, his vision keeps coming to fruition. Last year's Last Cowboy Standing event finally brought the pro sport to his adopted home.
"Just the concept, covering the (Canvas Stadium) field, doing it in the stadium, all these grand production parts, it’s just carrying on his tradition," PBR senior vice president Robert Simpson told the Coloradoan in July 2025.
"To do this in his hometown, with an innovative event like this? That’s special for us."
This year's Bulls and Beats continues Robinson's legacy. The event is now three days and features a new Collegiate All-Star Rodeo competition that includes Robinson's cherished Rams.
PBR hasn't forgotten its treasured rodeo man, even four years after his passing. Far from it.
During its 2025 event at CSU, the league set up the Jerome Robinson Legacy Fund, which helps pay for scholarships, travel funds and operational needs for the CSU rodeo team, one of the country’s longest-running college rodeo programs.
PBR's second year in Fort Collins will have the familiar elements. The bulls will be bucking, riders riding, fans screaming and country concerts taking over CSU's campus.
But it's a week with far more to it than the dozens of other annual PBR stops each year.
"Who would have thought? We’re riding bulls on a turf field at CSU! Jerome would have loved everything about it," Simpson said.
Chris Abshire covers high school and community sports for the Coloradoan.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: PBR's return to Fort Collins, CSU has a deeply personal connection
Continue reading...
PBR's connection to Fort Collins and Colorado State University runs far deeper and more personal.
As the second PBR event at Canvas Stadium arrives with Bulls and Beats (July 10-12), it's a return to the roots of one of the sport's legends.
Jerome Robinson, a CSU alum and Fort Collins resident, died in 2022 but remains a Hall of Famer and a beloved figure in bull-riding circles.
Robinson rode at CSU in the late 1960s and then professionally for more than 13 years, qualifying for the National Finals Rodeo 11 times. After his riding days, he pioneered the bull-riding experience and helped turn it into the high-stakes spectacle that PBR has become.
Robinson was PBR's Arena Director for more than 30 years and is often credited with cementing PBR as the "toughest sport on dirt."
You must be registered for see images
Whether it was pioneering the centralized PROCOM system for rodeo scoring, running his own production company or his jovial personality, Robinson knew how to create entertainment in the sport but stayed true to his roots.
Despite the sport's primary home bases in Texas, the south and throughout the West, Robinson stayed in Fort Collins for much of his life.
With PBR back at CSU again, his vision keeps coming to fruition. Last year's Last Cowboy Standing event finally brought the pro sport to his adopted home.
"Just the concept, covering the (Canvas Stadium) field, doing it in the stadium, all these grand production parts, it’s just carrying on his tradition," PBR senior vice president Robert Simpson told the Coloradoan in July 2025.
"To do this in his hometown, with an innovative event like this? That’s special for us."
You must be registered for see images
This year's Bulls and Beats continues Robinson's legacy. The event is now three days and features a new Collegiate All-Star Rodeo competition that includes Robinson's cherished Rams.
PBR hasn't forgotten its treasured rodeo man, even four years after his passing. Far from it.
During its 2025 event at CSU, the league set up the Jerome Robinson Legacy Fund, which helps pay for scholarships, travel funds and operational needs for the CSU rodeo team, one of the country’s longest-running college rodeo programs.
PBR's second year in Fort Collins will have the familiar elements. The bulls will be bucking, riders riding, fans screaming and country concerts taking over CSU's campus.
But it's a week with far more to it than the dozens of other annual PBR stops each year.
"Who would have thought? We’re riding bulls on a turf field at CSU! Jerome would have loved everything about it," Simpson said.
You must be registered for see images
Chris Abshire covers high school and community sports for the Coloradoan.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: PBR's return to Fort Collins, CSU has a deeply personal connection
Continue reading...
