Grace for the Race

Cowboy Contestants Remind America of Classic Character

These days the cowboy culture seldom breaks into mainstream America, but thanks to two Oklahoma cowboys, urban America has been getting a healthy dose of good cowboy character. Brothers Cord and Jett McCoy of Tupelo Oklahoma just finished their third season on the CBS realty show “The Amazing Race” and have been dishing out a moral Cowboy Code few have seen since Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. As huge a hit as they were on “The Amazing Race,” nothing is more important to them than The Amazing Grace.

Ten years ago Cord was on an Amazing Race of his own … to get back in the arena after one of the scariest wrecks in rodeo history. Many people who watched his career in the PBR knew Cord McCoy was tough, but most don’t realize one of the worst wrecks imaginable happened before his PBR career even started.

In 2004 Cord thought he had it all and nothing could stop him from getting that gold buckle he had always dreamed of, but those goals would later be set aside. September 26^th, 2004, Cord saddled up his bronc in Oklahoma City just like he would any other day, but today would not be just another day. Half way into the ride he was bucked off, kicked in the head and knocked unconscious. He woke up ten days later in a hospital bed with a crushed scull. While he was unconscious, his friends and family had written messages for him on a board in his room. The first note that caught Cord’s attention when he woke up was what his sister had written: God loves you.

When Cord was in high school, he had written three goals on a piece of paper and taped it to his ceiling above his bed. The goals were: to win $100,000 in a year, win a gold buckle, and lead someone to Christ. Cord believes with all his heart that God saved him from that wreck for a reason, and he is waiting to see just what He has in store for him.

“Doctors can replace just about any part of your body … an arm, leg, or whatever it may be. A lot of times it can be replaced. When it is your head that you have injured, however, it is an entirely different story. Doctors cannot replace a crushed skull,” Cord said. “Because of this reason it made me even more thankful to be alive.”

When Cord woke up and was sent home, he was told that whenever he felt up to it he could come to rehab. Cord spent about eight months in a rehabilitation center. As soon as he was able, Cord’s brother-in-law helped him get back to work on the ranch, but riding again was the last thing on his mind. Cord said “It was a very humbling experience, going from the best I had ever been and competing with the best in the business to learning to walk and talk again.”

When Cord woke out of his coma, he knew he was hurt but he had no idea how bad it was until he was told what happened. Cord said, “Right then I cried out to God and it was a humbling experience because I knew God had saved me for a reason. I also believe this accident made my relationship with Christ much stronger. We are all guilty of waiting for something tragic to happen before we call on God to be with us because we know we need Him then, even though we should be calling on Him for everything.”

“The one thing that helped me overcome this wreck the most was the power of prayer because I am a walking testimony that it is real and the Lord is what helped me overcome my accident the most.”

Although some people may just think of rough stock riders as these rough and tough cowboys who don’t have a fear or a doubt in the world, Cord said that as soon as he thought about riding again he often did have concerns and flashbacks of that day in Oklahoma City.

When he felt that he had recovered completely and was ready to get on a bull, Cord went to Cody Whitney’s to get on a very easy practice bull. “My niece could have rode this bull if we would have put her on him,” Cord said. Even though this bull was an “easy” bull, it took Cord a long time to finally get on. He said, “It took me three hours of sitting behind the chute and praying before I could even get on the bull. Every bull rider knows the risk you take every time you get on a bull, but it makes it more real when you have been through an accident yourself.”

Cord, who competed in every single men’s event in college rodeo, dreamed of a gold buckle of his own. He even had multiple IPRA titles and was on his way to the same in the PRCA, but after his accident it wasn’t all about that gold buckle or being a world champion. Cord said, “After my accident, being a world champion was not the most important thing to me anymore. My accident made me value my life more and it made me realize how truly blessed I was to be competing with the best of the best. It also made me realize that all of it could be taken from me in an instant and I was just happy to be alive.”

Many people believe that Cord and his brother Jett are some of the luckiest people on Earth for getting to compete in “The Amazing Race” for three seasons when many people only get one, or as Cord would say, “It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I have got to go on three times.”

Even though Cord has had many amazing experiences in his life, he believes with all his heart that one of the most important things that has happened to him was his accident. This terrible wreck turned out to be one of the best things to happen for Cord and his walk with Christ, even though it may not have felt that way at the time. “I would not wish that anyone else go through the kind of accident that I went through because it was a very challenging time, but … it made my walk with God stronger and it helped me develop a more personal relationship with my Lord.”

Although Cord is known most commonly as part of the “cowboy team” on “The Amazing Race,” as the guy who made the exclamation, “Oh my gravy!” famous, this is a story that many people do not know, the story of the amazing comeback by Cord McCoy.

At press time we don’t know how “The Cowboys” did on their third season of “The Amazing Race,” but the one thing we do know is that Cord McCoy is a great example of how what the enemy (the devil) intends for harm, God intends for good.

“God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

In a bad situation, Cord had no problem giving God the credit and glory for The Amazing Grace he received.