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Kansas City Outlaw’s Cassio Dias Crowned 2024 PBR World Champion and Rookie of the Year
Teammates Koltin Hevalow, Julio Cesar Marques finish No. 10 and No. 18
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After finishing second in the MVP race in his rookie season with the Kansas City Outlaws, Cassio Dias (Sao F. de Sales, Brazil) completed a dominant campaign to be crowned the 2024 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) World Champion and Rookie of the Year inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday, May 19.
Dias began the first stage of the newly reformatted World Finals with a 560.5-point lead over No. 2 John Crimber (Decatur, Texas). After going a perfect 2-for-2 through the opening rounds and growing his lead atop the standings, Dias was thrown down hard and stomped on in Round 3, transported to the hospital for observation after sustaining a multitude of injuries. He would return to AT&T Stadium with a 487.5- point lead in the standings entering the final weekend of competition.
In Round 1 on Saturday night, Dias was bucked off in a heartbreaking 7.64 seconds by Mike’s Motive (Blake Sharp/High Voltage/Wetzel/Knott) before the gritty cowboy was unseated in 3.05 seconds by Big Chew (Hillcrest Bucking Bulls /Gene Baker /Richardson Land & Cattle Co) in Round 2.
After going 0-for-2 on Saturday, the Brazilian superstar entered Championship Sunday with a 447.5-point lead in the standings with 578 points still up for grabs. Proving his mettle, Dias rallied back in Round 3, riding Ricky Vaughn (WinRock/D&H Cattle/Buck Cattle) for a monstrous 92.5 points.
With No. 2 Crimber bucking off Hang ‘em High (Bryan T/ Smith/Doss Cattle) in 2.83 seconds in the penultimate out, Dias next leapt out of the chutes for a victory ride atop Chiseled (Flinn/D&H Cattle Co) for 79.5 points with Dias’s favorite song, “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys,” roaring through the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.
Dias became just the second rider in history to win a PBR World Title and Rooke of the Year honors in the same season.
"It's God. It's God. It's God,” Dias said from the dirt with the glittering World Champion buckle in his hands. “He promised me I'd be a World Champion someday, and here I am."
In the PBR’s 31-year history, Dias is the 22nd different rider – and ninth Brazilian – to claim the PBR World Champion gold buckle. His title is the 14th time a rider from Brazil has won what’s been called the most difficult individual championship in professional sports.
Throughout 2024, Dias earned $1,555,707.33, including $1,048,600 for his career-first PBR World Championship.
Two of Dias’s teammates on the Outlaws, Koltin Hevalow (Smithville, Missouri) and Julio Cesar Marques (Tatui, Brazil) also finished inside the Top-20.
After finishing 1-for-4 during the first weekend of the two-week marathon, Hevalow was unable to make the 8 inside AT&T Stadium but still finished No. 10 in the Unleash The Beast standings after a phenomenal season. He ended the regular season ranked No. 6 and a solid 21-for-60 (35%).
Rookie Marques entered his first World Finals ranked No. 14 in the Unleash The Beast standings but struggled to find his groove inside Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas, during the first four rounds, managing to just hang on to Hard Candy (Braun Bucking Bulls) for 68.25 points in Round 4.
During the final four rounds of the World Finals inside AT&T Stadium, Marques was able to convert once again in his final out, this time for 81.5 points on Norse God (Jane Clark/Gene Owen) and finished No. 16 in the event standings.
The Kansas City Outlaws return to action in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, July 12-14, during the first event of the 2024 PBR Camping World Team Series season. PBR Outlaw Days will return to T-Mobile Center September 6-8 for Kansas City’s third annual homestand.
Tickets for the event are on sale now and start at $20, taxes and fees not included. They can be purchased online at AXS.com, PBR.com, Kansascityoutlaws.com and t-mobilecenter.com or by calling PBR customer service at 1-800-732-1727.
About the Kansas City Outlaws:
The Kansas City Outlaws are based in Kansas City, Missouri at T-Mobile Center, where the team will hold its second Outlaw Days homestand on August 3-5, 2023, the second event of the 10-event 2023 PBR Camping World Teams regular season. The team is led by Head Coach J.W. Hart, known as “The Ironman,” and Assistant Coach, and 2008 PBR World Champion Guilherme Marchi. Fans can find more information about the KC Outlaws by visiting pbr.com/teams/kansas-city-outlaws or @KCOutlawsPBR on Facebook, Instagram, and X / Twitter.
The KC Outlaws are under the leadership of General Manager Jim Smith, and the ownership group led by Phil Pulley that includes Lennie Foree and Ryland Kieffer. These three entrepreneurs have always been rule-breakers at heart. They were among the founders of Bad Boy Mowers, the brand that changed the zero-turn lawnmower game forever. They are currently riding into stores with Outlaw Snax, a snack brand with the boldest flavors on this side of the chip aisle and an attitude bringing their same drive to succeed to the PBR Teams. For more information on Outlaw Snax, visit www.outlawsnax.com or @OutlawSnax on Facebook, Instagram, and X / Twitter.
