Categories: Bull Riding

Chad Berger: 9x Time Stock Contractor of the Year from North Dakota

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If you have watched the PBR or know even the slightest amount about the bulls in the PBR, you have probably heard the name “Chad Berger”. It’s a household name in the industry, one is known for raising the best of the best bucking stock. Today we are going to dive a bit deeper into the world of Berger Bucking Bulls and what it takes to be a 9x Stock Contractor of the Year. Let’s go!

Berger is recognizable in his signature Cooper Tire shirt and cowboy hat at events.  

American Hat is like my American Express card. I don’t leave home without it.  Best hat ever,” he acknowledged.  

His closet has over 50 Cooper Tires shirts, and he notable wears one 365 days a year.  Berger also spends plenty of time on the concourse at shows interacting with fans across the country.  He is passionate about giving back and seeks out fans with special needs.  

“I’m in that position to make them feel better,” he noted. Berger acknowledged his friendship with Chris Pantani and Cooper Tire team members too saying, “I’m really proud of Margaret Snyder from Cooper Tires, she stepped in and grabbed the bull by the horns.”

The second-generation bull-man willingly answers questions about his bulls and the accolades from his business.  In his own words, “All these awards are fine and wonderful and proud of them. I’m more proud of my family, friends, sponsors, and fans.” He admits being Grandfather trumps being a 9x Stock Contractor of the Year.  Berger and his wife Sarah have been married for close to four decades and have three adult children and grandkids.

Chad has owned several “famous” bucking bulls, one of those being the prized and late, Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor was 6 years old at the time of his death, which Berger said was the result of a blood clot near the bull’s brain. Pearl Harbor was the No. 1 bull in the PBR World Champion Bull standings with a 46.25-point World Champion Bull average, and he was 10-0 on the 25th PBR: Unleash The Beast tour. Along with Pearl Harbor, Berger has owned bucking rockstars, Asteroid and Little Yellow Jacket. Check out some of his rankest bulls from 2019 below!

Chad Berger likes old country-western songs, so he has a bull named Catfish John. Country Music artist Johnny Russell released the song in November 1972.  It happens to be the same year Berger attended his first NFR at the age of 11.  Berger told us the element that stood out for him at the NFR was “one true cowboy, Phil Lyne.”  In 1972 Lyne won the PRCA All-Around and Calf Roping Championships. The south Texas cowboy, Lyne, made a huge impression on Berger as a kid. Not only has Berger been crowned Stock Contractor of the Year 9x, but he has also been inducted into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. He also hosts his own PBR Velocity Tour event in Bismarck, North Dakota each year. There is so much to Berger Bucking Bulls, it’s tough to get it all in one article, but we hope you truly enjoyed this deeper dive on a PBR Fan Favorite and a favorite of ours! 

Peter Varlet

Peter Varlet’s the cowboy critic you love to hate, until he’s right. Born during a thunderstorm in 1972 in Bismarck, North Dakota, he grew up watching his WWII vet dad battle to save their farm from corporate claws. Now, Peter’s the unapologetic voice of Western culture, with a historian’s grip on America’s past, acknowledging both its heroes and hypocrites. His truth to power articles are a no-holds-barred zone for rodeo reviews, cowboy movie takedowns, and ranching tricks that work. He’ll tell you why your country singer’s a fraud and how to fix a fence with only baling wire and spite. Peter despises corporate factory farms taking over and cherishes the DIY grit of real Americans. Politically correct? Nope. Trustworthy? Damn straight. He’s saving the West, one brutal truth at a time.

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