JJ Gottsch has been on a wild ride since becoming CEO of Austin Gamblers (austingamblers.com), our city’s first and only professional bull riding team—and newly crowned world champions.

To keep him looking every bit the boss from the office to the arena, Gottsch primarily stocks his wardrobe with Rock & Roll Denim jeans, Zilker Belts, toppers from American Hat Company, Tecovas boots and button-downs from Panhandle Slim. PHOTO BY TODD BREWER/BULL STOCK MEDIA

You worked with Nolan Ryan and his family for more than two decades—what made you switch from baseball to bull riding?

While I was extremely happy working with the Ryans, this was an opportunity to build not only another team and another franchise from the ground up but also a new league with the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Team Series. It was also a chance to utilize all the lessons I learned over the last 20 years running various teams and getting to do it in Austin. The Ryans were extremely supportive.

How did the Gamblers become world champions so quickly?

We were extremely fortunate because we had the No. 1 pick in the league’s inaugural draft. We selected Jose Vitor Leme, arguably the greatest rider in the history of bull riding. Jose is the foundation of an incredible roster we’ve built over the last three years, all with the goal of becoming world champions. We knew we had the talent, but there are so many variables in this sport, nothing is ever guaranteed.

What’s next?

There’s never been a team that’s won the regular season and the postseason in the same year, and there have never been back-to-back postseason champions. We want to be the first team to do both. Even though we’ve succeeded, we go by [Gamblers minority investor] Michael Dell’s take on the Japanese philosophy of kaizen: constant improvement. Be happy—but never satisfied.