Adam and Gilbert Carrillo Announce Their Retirement
by Sheila Totten
In answer to the fans question"Where are the twins?" Adam and Gilbert Carrillo,two of the most popular bull riders of mainly the PBR and two of the original founders announced their retirement on October 19th.The twins competed in 11 straight BFTS Finals from 1994-2004 plus earned over $1 million dollars between them and won 12 event titles.In the article on Josh Peters' Fried Twinkies Blog Gilbert was quoted as saying:"I feel like we're at the age to retire. I think we've accomplished more than any other twin brothers in bull riding history. We've decided to retire from the sport rather than have the sport retire us.
Gilbert and Adam have beautiful families at home and their desire to be at home with their wives and children has become greater than their desire to travel and compete.The twins will celebrate their 35th birthday this coming Sunday,October 29th.
In the same article Adam was quoted:"I'm comfortable with what I've done in bull riding. I'm really happy with what I've accomplished. I just don't have the same drive, fire and desire to compete that I once had.”
I remember Adam battling a flu like bug in 1998 that turned out to be tick borne Lyme disease but he persevered and won an event title in Guthrie,OK. in 1998 and while still battling the disease in 1999 he won back to back titles in Tunica ,MS. and Louisville,KY. I do have to disagree with the article on the blog in its description of Lyme disease.It is not considered incurable by most medical professionals. .Proper antibiotic therapy can cure the disease although the person affected could get a relapse any time just as with any bacterial or flu-like illness.Adam had to battle fatigue,fever,joint and muscle pain and stiffness,headache,chills and a stiff neck while under treatment.The problem with Lyme disease is many times it mimics other common illnesses and does not get treated or discovered until it has been in a person's system for several years.That is why it takes a long time to get over it.If I remember correctly Adam thought he was battling the flu when we saw him on tour in 1998- a flu bug he just could not shake. Having known other people who suffered from this I can tell you that once the titer is normal they are considered cured but warned they could relapse from another tick bite.One friend had Lyme fever over five years before she was tested and diagnosed. If you have the symptoms described above and they linger longer than a flu bug should make sure your doctor runs a test for Lyme Fever. Heavy duty antibiotics will knock it out.
In the course of his career Adam has suffered two broken right ankles,a fractured left arm and a broken left eye socket and cheek.But it was not all injuries as some of the highlights of Adam's PBR career included a great ride upon Mossy Oak Mudslinger for 94.5 when he won the 2001 BFTS event in Columbus,GA and his 94.5 ride upon James harper's Jit in his Louisville,KY title win in 1999..His 2001 win brought him a PBR career high earnings of $68,389.His career earnings in the PBR were $367,002.
Injuries plagued Adam over the past two years and once down in the CT tour like so many top riders who ended up there due to injuries it was a hard road to climb back up. During his long career though Adam made many great looking rides aboard the rankest bulls in the PRCA,BRO,CBR and PBR. Adam went to the NFR in 1993 and 1995 and was fourth in the PRCA that year. Gilbert was 1992 PRCA Rookie of the Year and went to the NFR that year and again in 1998. He holds a World Championship title from BRO which he won in 1994,a year after nearly dying from injuries he suffered at Calgary in 1993.
It was thanks to one of my favorite people, legendary bullfighter Roach Hedeman that the twins were discovered at age 13 in El Paso.. Roach took them under his wing to give them a start . Roach who retired several years ago always rated the twins high. I know they were also high in the eyes of two other Hedemans,CBR President 4X World Champion Tuff Hedeman and his wonderful mother Clarissa.A strong friendship ensued between the Carrillo twins and the Hedeman clan which goes on even now.
The twins went on to ride in high school rodeo first then in the Wranglers College Rodeo Tour for two years(Odessa Junior College) before turning pro.The 5'4" , 140 pound twins topped some of the biggest,rankest bulls along with some of the smallest ones on tour. One of Gilbert's greatest rides came in 2002 at the Ty Murray Invitational in Albuquerque ,NM aboard fan favorite Herrington Cattle Company's Blueberry Wine.You had two of the smallest competitors with the most heart battling one another and Gilbert topped Blueberry Wine for 96 points to win second in the event.
I will never forget Bullnanza ,Nashville in 2003. The twins were also into team roping and had planned to come out to look at some good roping prospects out of our 100% foundation bred stud Black Arrow Joe after the event.They had seen one of his sons work and were impressed. Unfortunately this never came about because it was there at the event that Gilbert ended up hospitalized with a broken neck. I remember standing in the alleyway as Gilbert came out with Tandy and heard Gilbert tell Tandy he thought he broke his arm or dislocated his shoulder as he had no feeling in the arm. Gilbert actually walked out of the arena holding his arm.The next thing we knew Gilbert was in the ambulance and headed to the hospital. We kept tabs on him through Adam the rest of the weekend. Before retiring Gilbert rode in one BFTS event this season,one CT event (winning $209) and three Enterprise events where he won Bridgeport,Conn.
Gilbert,during his PBR career won eight event titles and we were there for some of them. In 1995 he won San Antonio and the prestigious Tuff Hedeman Challenge in Ft Worth,TX. In 1998 he won Charlotte,NC; Phoenix,AZ in 1999,New Orleans in 2001,Worcester,Mass. 2002 and OKC in 2003.I remember how thrilled he and Julie were when he won that event and the new Ford F-150 Super duty prototype. Julie and Gilbert told my husband and myself that they were going to drive that truck home .Gilbert was determined to win it and I'll never forget that huge grin when he was presented the keys .Unfortunately after all the hype he and Julie found out their win was really like a 6 month prepaid lease.They had won the use of the truck only for 6 months and just as if they had leased it they were restricted in mileage and what they could do with the truck so it was what I call a tarnished win or a prize with many strings attached.If they wanted to keep the truck they could buy it after the six months were up at a reduced price.. Wonder how many other trucks awarded by the PBR and Ford were like this?But then that's like the million dollars paid to the World Champions-that is paid as an annuity of $100,000 / year.
Gilbert has earned $683,436 just in his PBR career. Prior to the PBR, and during its first few years the twins rode in PRCA,BRO and other stand alone bull ridings.Also prior to the PBR becoming an association they rode in the early Bullnanza series owned by the Lazy E.It was through Shaw Stevens televised BRO tour mainly that bull riding fans all over the country came to know the twins.
Gilbert set a few records in the PBR.His $57,895 earnings in New Orleans set the mark for top money earned at a one day PBR event.He also recorded the highest point ride in 2001 with his 96 points aboard Herrington's Perfect Storm.Then in 2002 he tied that aboard the famed and beloved Blueberry Wine with both rides tying for second place in the highest scores in PBR history.
I have so many nice memories of the twins. I remember how they and their families drove all night from Stephenville,TX. to New Orleans only to find out that they would be unable to check into the hotel until after three PM in the afternoon.All the riders who arrived early on Saturday had the same problem. That weekend was a fiasco because New Orleans was booked up with pro and college football fans and teams plus Basketball fans,crews and teams. Rather than the usual hotel which was across from the Super Dome rooms were booked in two hotels by the waterfront.Hmm wonder if they are standing now?At anyrate we were all sitting at a table and Adam asked me to tell Heidi about dream catchers and their legend. The twins told me that the Navajo legend was the same as the Lakota which differs from the Cherokee legend.Let me say that Heidi and Adam and Gilbert and Julie are two great couples.
Over the past few years aside from the PBR events, Adam and Gilbert have appeared at CBR events also and they were featured in one of Pam Minick's first CBR PRO-files show on Outdoor2 HD.They have also brought their bulls to Pam and Billy Minick's Billy Bob's events and to the CBR aside from the ABBI futurities.
Adam does some TV promotions,breeds and raises bulls and has gone into the welding and construction field with his and Heidi's Super C Welding and Construction Co. He and Heidi also have fishing and hunting trips on their ranch where Adam serves as a guide for both deer and duck hunting. When not helping with the family businesses and taking care of their two children Heidi works in Stephenville as a Yoga and Fitness instructor.Both couples have a son and a daughter.
Julie and Gilbert have their 4C's Bucking Bulls & Training Facility on their Stephenville ranch(www.4cbuckingbulls.com). Julie who has studied genetics sells bucking stock and equine insurance. My best wishes go out to the twins and their families for continued successes in life and I hope we will see them down the trail at an event.
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