MANDAN, N.D. (PBR) – The legendary cowboy Joe Berger passed away at the age of 84, on Friday, December 25th.

Berger, the father of PBR’s reigning Stock Contractor of the Year Chad Berger, quickly fell in love with the cattle industry after beginning to raise bucking bulls for his sons when they showed an interest in bull riding at a young age.

It was the beginning of what became a long and successful career spanning over four decades. During Berger’s career, which began to take off in the 1960s, Berger helped organize events, developed his own breeding program and helped raise the PBR’s first three-time World Champion Bull Little Yellow Jacket (2002-2004) on the family ranch in Mandan, North Dakota.

Little Yellow Jacket became one of the PBR’s first bovine superstars and he was one of three bulls Joe Berger raised that won a world title in a five-year span. Moody Blues won the 1998 PBR World Championship and Yellowjacket was the 1999 PRCA Bull of the Year.

Outside of the arena, Joe Berger was a proud family man and he became an inspiration to Chad Berger to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue a career in the cattle industry.

“I lost my hero, my teacher, my mentor, the man with the firm hand that taught us right from wrong,” Berger wrote on social media this weekend. “He was truly a living legend and bigger than life.”

“Joe Berger is as much a founder of the PBR as the bull riders who started the organization,” said PBR CEO and Commissioner Sean Gleason. “He and his family have been bringing the best bovine athletes in the world since the inception of the organization. We grieve with the Berger family and Joe’s PBR legacy will never be forgotten.”

Joe Berger was a proud Mandan, North Dakota, native and a true cowboy. Berger was inducted into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2016, and he will forever be remembered for his endless generosity, kindness, knowledge and love of his family.

There will be a viewing and prayer service for Berger on Wednesday, Dec. 30 from 3-7 p.m. at Weigel Funeral Home in Mandan. The funeral will be held Thursday, Dec. 31 at 11:30 a.m. at Christ the King Church in Mandan, North Dakota.