After Layoff, Gay Back at NFR

Contents:

• DONNIE GAY: WRANGLER NFR MEMORI
• TERRI GAY ACCEPTS “PRICELS” SHARON SHOULRS AWARD WH HER DEARLY DEPARTED FRIEND ON HER MD
• DONNIE GAY AND LANE FROST: A SPECIAL RELATNSHIP
• AFTER LAYOFF, GAY BACK AT NFR
• DON GAY
• SUNDAY CONVERSATN: DONNIE GAY, 8-TIME WORLD BULL RIDG CHAMP, ON TO-PILOT

DONNIE GAY: WRANGLER NFR MEMORI

LAS VEGAS – When Terri Gay, the wife of eight-time World Champn Donnie Gay, took to the stage at the PBR’s Hero and Legends Celebratn at the South Pot Hotel Las Vegas, she took the opportuny to poke fun at both herself and her loquac hband, who prented her wh the Sharon Shoulrs Award.

“I met Terri Gay when I was 16; she was 13, ” he said. “It tak the village to nquer your dreams, and one of my dreams has been Terri Gay.

“Nicky Wheeler had the talent and had the bt personaly and sense of humor and tght me what the word humble meant -I didn’t have much humblens as you know and I didn’t re – but I learned what was by beg around him – he did not get exclud om anythg, jt a great person, ” said 8 Time PRCA World Champn bull rir Don Gay. In 1977 he jumped the tck and airplane wh Don Gay and end the year ridg 9 of ten bulls at the Natnal Fals Roo Oklahoma Cy and won two rounds - earng around $2, 000.

TERRI GAY ACCEPTS “PRICELS” SHARON SHOULRS AWARD WH HER DEARLY DEPARTED FRIEND ON HER MD

Don Gay remembers the story. He will have the opportuny, ” said Gay.

“He had more abily than me, Tuff Heman, and Jim Shoulrs all rolled together, ” ntued Gay.

Dcribed by Gay as havg an herent unique natural abily. At the age of 10, a bright eyed and spunky Lane Frost met world champn bull rir Don Gay for the first time.

DONNIE GAY AND LANE FROST: A SPECIAL RELATNSHIP

Lane was termed to start ridg bulls, but Gay advised him to ri lv and steers until his bon were more fully veloped.

AFTER LAYOFF, GAY BACK AT NFR

To the relief of his fay, Lane followed Gay’s advice. After wng 8 PRCA World Champnships, Don Gay retired om bull ridg 1989, the same year that Lane died. Donnie Gay lik to borrow a le om another notable wboy, Jim Shoulrs, to expla his "retirement" 1982 and his subsequent return to bull ridg this year.

"I heard Jim say this the other day, and I thk 's one of his better l, " said Gay. ' " Perhaps that is enough of an explanatn why Donnie Gay cid to return to the pro roo circu after a year's absence. But for five years, bull ridg had been a miserable way for Gay to make a pa, most often om a severely pulled gro mcle or a pulled hamstrg, gave him more misery than did the bulls.

"My doctor told me I was fe om the waist up, " says Gay, "'but he would jt as soon start over om the waist down. "The year's layoff, says Gay, may not have given him a new body, but is one he n live wh now. "Beg retirement was good for me, " said Gay, who spent most of 1983 workg for his father, neal Gay, a roo promoter and producer Mque, Texas.

DON GAY

"Gay, 31, won his seventh world bull ridg tle 1981, tyg the rerd set by Shoulrs, of Henryetta, the 1950's. But the pa of the 1982 season was more than Gay uld qualified for his 11th nsecutive Natnal Fals '82, but he announced October that he would be retirg at the end of the season, his qut for an eighth world tle did ri two roos 1983. "Gay promptly placed the money his first roo of the 1984 season and me to the Natnal Fals first place the standgs wh wngs for the year of $67, 943, over $10, 000 more than Charl Sampson of Los Angel, the send-place rir.

"While Gay creds the 100-roo lim le as makg easier on his body, he still feels the le is an jtice, pecially to bull rirs. "I've always gone to 150 to 160 roos a year, " said Gay, "and I told them they should put an entry lim on and not a roo most roos, I only get one ri. "Gay said the new le was perhaps the biggt change he noticed roo when he returned.

"It will take an extraordary effort for anyone to overtake Gay for the world tle this year.

SUNDAY CONVERSATN: DONNIE GAY, 8-TIME WORLD BULL RIDG CHAMP, ON TO-PILOT

"Then will e the big qutn Gay will have to answer. Don Gay won four nsecutive world champnships, 1974-77, the PRCA Season Champnship 1976-78, and then followed wh another three nsecutive world champnships, 1979-81.

Sce he won his last world crown 1984, Gay has held the rerd wh eight bull ridg world tl. Gay, born Sept. 18, 1953, Mque, Texas, grew up a roo fay, son of PRCA stock ntractor, Neal Gay.