FORT WORTH - Cory Wall hunkered down to get eyeball to eyeball with his opponent, daring him to come closer.
At more than 1,000 pounds, Jim Dandy ruled the ring, but, facing Mr. Wall's fearless grin to the left and Lance Brittan's steely stare to the right, the bull lumbered out of the Will Rogers Coliseum arena.
"Thank you, boys," rodeo announcer Bob Tallman thundered overhead. "Stopped him in his tracks and showed him the gate."
Mr. Wall, 32, and Mr. Brittan, 26, make their living ushering angry livestock away from cowboys and out of the spotlight.
But it's their agile moves and aggressive approach that have caught the eye of the right people at Fort Worth's Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show, which ends on Feb. 4.
"They're in their prime, and they can really move," said Don Gay, who unleashes the bucking bulls and their riders from the chute. "They have a lot of speed, and they enjoy their jobs. Danger is their business."
Mr. Gay, whose family runs the rodeo, is an eight-time world champion bull rider who has seen his share of bullfighters. He said Mr. Wall and Mr. Brittan, who are making their first appearances this year at Fort Worth's rodeo, are gaining quite a following.
"Even if the cowboy doesn't need them, they're just glad to be there," he said.
Former bull riders themselves, the pair haven't worked together in the ring before, but they quickly found that they share a similar style.
"We're both athletes, and we consider it a sport," said Mr. Brittan, who was the Wrangler bullfighting champion in 1999. "It's the bull's uncontrollable nature that makes it exciting. For an instant, you can control their actions, which otherwise are uncontrollable.
"Cory really understands that, too."
Mr. Wall, who lives in Oklahoma and is a frequent performer at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo, said he has been bullfighting for 11 years. He teaches at a bullfighting school in Atlanta in his spare time.
Bullfighting, he said, is about keeping the cowboy safe and making the crowd happy.
"You have to have a passion for it, and you have to play hurt," said Mr. Wall, who has suffered a broken leg and collarbone and a cracked skull and still finished his performance.
"People have no idea how physical it is. Your job is to make it look easy."
The only time he didn't finish a bullfighting performance was when he was knocked unconscious after he was kicked in the head and a boot spur broke his eardrum.
Jim Bob Feller, Fort Worth's rodeo clown this year, knows all about the injuries that come from experience. He was a bullfighter for 17 years before becoming the "fun and games barrelman" clown.
"These two are the athletes," said Mr. Feller, 50. "If they pace themselves, they'll have a long career in this business."
Mr. Tallman, the rodeo's longtime announcer, said he has watched Mr. Wall and Mr. Brittan at other rodeos across the country and said their energy and athleticism come across.
"It's kind of like fresh legs on a hockey team," he said. "There comes a time in this business when physical maintenance doesn't keep up with the demands of the job. We'll give them a chance here to see how tough they are."
With three rodeo performances Saturday alone, "that's 10 bulls times three," Mr. Tallman said. "They're under fire out there."
To watch the two perform, it's difficult to imagine that the fearsome animals intimidate them. But their gear - pads on their chests, backs, knees and thighs - shows otherwise.
On Saturday afternoon, the two, who wear just a bit of face paint and a few goofy costumes, played the part of the clown. They ride mules in the grand entry and join in Mr. Feller's crowd-pleasing antics.
But when the bulls begin thumping in their chutes, their manner is all business.
Mr. Wall stays near the fence when the bull comes twisting out, but quickly creeps in, his hand out to his sides, his fingers twitching in anticipation.
As the cowboy clears the bull, Mr. Brittan jumps closer, positioning his body between the two, dancing on his toes and directing the bull down out of the arena.
"The whole reason I started this was because I wanted to save cowboys," said Mr. Brittan, who lives in Colorado. "When I get in a slump, I ride a bull again just to get the feel of it."
Bryan Richardson of Dallas, who rode in Saturday afternoon's rodeo, said he appreciates that the two love their work as much as the cowboys do.
"They're not scared," Mr. Richardson said. "They really get in there and keep us safe. I always appreciate seeing them when I'm riding."
(NOTE: Pictures are not available in the archives.)
Illustrations/Photos: PHOTO(S): 1-3. (KIM RITZENTHALER/Staff Photographer) 1. Cory Wall lures a bull away from a rider at the stock show rodeo. "You have to have a passion for it," he said. 2. Cory Wall (left) and Lance Brittan lure a bull away from a rider. "We're both athletes, and we consider it a sport," Mr. Brittan said. 3. Cory Wall (left), Lance Brittan (center) and Jim Bob Feller wait to go into the arena for the grand entry. 3. Cory Wall (left) and Lance Brittan lure a bull away from a rider. "We're both athletes, and we consider it a sport," Mr. Brittan said.
This article was in the Sunday, January 28, 2001 edition of the Dallas Morning News.
Metropolitan section, front page, page 25A.
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