By JUDY HILDNER
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

CHIEFTAIN PHOTO/BRYAN KELSEN Professional bullfighter Bill Bass places his right hand on the head of a bull as he makes a tight turn in front of it after a bull rider dismounted during the bull riding event Tuesday night at the Colorado State Fair. Bass and partner Brad Knifong work in the arena making sure the cowboys who ride the bulls can get away from the animals after their rides.

Red is the color of choice for anyone cast in the role of a human bull's-eye.

Brad Knifong and Bill Bass wear plenty of the color as bullfighters working the PRCA Rodeo at the Colorado State Fair this week. They're the guys out there on foot when the bulls blast out of the chute with a cowboy on board and they're the guys who try and ensure no one gets hurt by diverting the beast's attention to themselves and away from the rider.

"It's a good night as long as the bull riders are safe," Knifong said earlier this week.

The pair was in action Tuesday on the second night of the rodeo and will be on hand again for the 7 o'clock performance tonight at the grandstand arena. The grand entry opens the evening followed by bucking horses, steer wrestling, barrel racing and roping events. The bulls along with Knifong and Bass wrap up the night.

The two bullfighters are both 31 years old, athletic and pretty low-key.

"If you start stressing out, that's when you get in bad situations and do something stupid," Bass said. "I try and stay as even keel as possible. The key is to spot the wreck before it happens."

Bass is originally from Alabama and lists Colorado Springs as his home in the PRCA media guide but he said he actually lives out of his truck, heading to rodeos and holding bullfighting schools. He also competes in bullfighting events, "where it's one-on-one with some bull trying to kill you," Bass said.

He was invited to fight in the Professional Bull Riders event at Cheyenne Frontier Days this summer.

In bull riding, the two bullfighters try and stay on either side of the bull with a rodeo clown in the barrel to help out. Their only job is to protect a cowboy after his bull ride, whether he is bucked off or "dismounts" as gracefully as possible and scrambles to safety as they did Tuesday with the likes of Casey Hayes and Ross Kleven.

There haven't been any heart-stopping close calls at the Fair yet this week, but the huge bulls are completely unpredictable. Anything can happen.

Some have galloped straight for the crowd, gored the fence, chased pickup men and, of course, gone after the bullfighters.

"We try and complement each other," Knifong said about teaming up with different partners at different rodeos. Knifong and Bass have worked together before, but Knifong, who lives in Canon City, said he frequently travels to Utah where he is a regular for a stock contractor there.

While Bass had a rodeo background as a youngster, Knifong said his brother suggested they attend a bullfighting school during his college days.

"I went to a three-day school and I liked it. It was a pretty good deal for me in college - work the weekend rodeos and then hit the books during the week," Knifong said about his days at Central Missouri State where he earned a bachelor's degree in fitness and wellness. He said the bullfighting appealed to him because it was different.

Dangerous, too.

Thus far, Knifong has dislocated his shoulder four times and said he's looking at surgery this winter. Bass had his left knee pierced by a steer's horn at a bullfighting school he conducted at Craig earlier this year.

"I nearly bled to death. I asked the doctor how many stitches there were and he wouldn't tell me," Bass said. "Thre e days later, I was back at work."

Bass estimated he earns between $25,000 and $30,000 a year with his various bullfighting endeavors and said his schools are listed on his Web site catchbillbass.com. Anyone can attend the three-day sessions and get a taste of the profession.

"Bulls are bred to buck and to fight," Bass said. "They're athletic and strong - good performers."