Because of her grandfather, Dallas Hunt George began a lifelong love of horses, rodeo and rodeo queening.
Born in Lincoln, Neb. in 1938, the now-Arizona resident served as the first Miss Rodeo Nebraska in 1956 and then as the 1957 Miss Rodeo America, at age eighteen.
But eight years prior, she could be found crying as she walked back to the family farm, after having been thrown off her half-Shetland/half-Tennessee Walker pony.
Her great-grandfather owned the first livery stable in Lincoln, and his son, Guy Hunt, her “Gramp,” loved horses.
When she showed an interest at age three, they became inseparable, “attached at the hip,” she remembers.
He would take her to horse sales over the weekend, and he’d bring home a horse. She rode for him, everything from Arabs to Tennessee Walkers to horses off the track. And when he got her the pony, he told her when she learned to ride it, he’d get her a better horse.
He did. At age sixteen, she got an “upgrade” to the quarter horse Wyoming Badger, a son of the AQHA Hall of Fame horse Grey Badger II. Dallas showed Badger at the American Royal and Denver’s National Western Stock Show, earning an AQHA championship in 1958.
She also competed in high school and regional rodeos, barrel racing and pole bending, and in 1955, was crowned Miss Burwell (Neb.) Rodeo, the Nebraska High School Rodeo Queen and the National High School Rodeo Queen.
The next year, 1956, she was to go back to Harrison, Neb., as the reigning state high school and national high school queen, but Gramp had a different idea.
He and Dallas went to Burwell, Neb., for the first ever Miss Rodeo Nebraska pageant, which she won.
Gramp had even bigger plans for his horse-crazy granddaughter. There was to be a fledgling Miss Rodeo America pageant in Chicago, with cowgirls qualifying by winning their district. (This was the days prior to the present MRA organization.) Cowgirls didn’t have to be state queens to run; but they had to win their district contest to advance. Dallas’ district pageant was held at Ak-Sar-Ben in Omaha, which she won.
Ak-Sar-Ben’s district contest was similar in some ways to today’s pageant, but had its differences. It still involved horsemanship, personality and appearance, but it included a barrel racing component. Cowgirls rode their own horse for the first round of barrels, then drew from the other candidates’ horses for the second round.
Dallas took Badger, who was 15.3 hands and “drop dead gorgeous,” but he could be a handful. “You had to ride him correctly or he might decide to dump you off,” she remembered.
Badger’s “naughty” side came out; another queen drew him for the barrel race and he misbehaved.
She also remembers, from the Miss Rodeo America contest in Chicago, a paint horse who had been snake bitten on his lower lip, which gave him a funny look. The first cowgirl who drew him for the barrels couldn’t get the sour horse away from the others. That night, Dallas told her Gramp her luck would be that she’d draw the paint the next day, and she did. But he behaved better for her. “He was perfect for me,” she said.
She won the 1957 Miss Rodeo America title, and was put to work right away, heading to Denver for the Stock Show, where she also had the chance to run barrels as a Girls Rodeo Association member.
She remembers traveling about 100,000 miles that year, making appearances at Denver, Helldorado Days in Las Vegas, the Lions Rodeo in Pomona, Calif., a three-week series in West Yellowstone, Belle Fourche, S.D., the Diamond Spur Rodeo in Spokane, the Iowa State and Kentucky State Fairs, and more.
Gramp got a new nickname as he chaperoned Dallas that year: the Eye. He kept an eye on Dallas and the other rodeo queens. “I was only eighteen,” Dallas said. “There was no way he was going to let those cowboys get to me,” she laughed.
Dallas turned over her crown at the Cow Palace, where her best friend and fellow Nebraskan Lolly Cameron Klug competed. Lolly finished in the top five for the Miss Rodeo America title; the pageant was just one adventure the two women would share over their lifetimes.
Dallas’ rodeo queening was over; she had graduated from Lincoln (Neb.) High School in 1956 and had put in three semesters at the University of Nebraska.
Then she became a flight attendant for United, but only for a year, because in 1959, she married, and in those days, flight attendants couldn’t be married.
After her marriage failed, Dallas, who lived in Scottsdale with her two children, went back to college in the early 1970s. She became a veterinary technician, and married one of the veterinarians, Larry George, in the office where she worked. They married in 1974.
During her first marriage and as a single mother, there was no time or money for horses or rodeo.
But when Gramp passed, he left her money in his will to buy a horse and a trailer and start back up, and she did just that. She bought a thoroughbred mare and did dressage and jumping. Then she got two quarter horses, Cactus Moon Star, “BJ,” and TJ Plum Classy, “Classy,” a little roan mare with white socks. She worked with Cynthia Canterbury and her husband, Red, and went to the AQHA World Show, qualifying for the Amateur Trail and Open Trail and finishing eleventh in the world at Amateur Trail.
Dallas also had a gray mare, Zippers Tight Jeans, “Gracy,” who she raised and with whom she won an Open Superior Trail Award in the AQHA. On Gracy, she qualified in 2003 and 2004 for the Select World Trail in Trail.
Her fourth horse, Pleasure on Impulse, “Promise,” earned Register of Merit in western pleasure, trail, showmanship and performance halter, finishing in the top fifteen at the 2010 Select World in performance halter. Promise also carried Dallas’ granddaughters to many championships.
She’s retired from the show pen, “because judges look at eighty-year-old ladies differently than fifty-year-old ladies,” she quipped.
On the thirtieth anniversary of her crowning as Miss Rodeo America, at the insistence of her friend, Lolly, Dallas attended the convention in Las Vegas.
The women were put to work as volunteers with the MRA “store,” selling programs, memorabilia, and event tickets. Every year, from 1987 through 2021, she and Lolly ran the store. As time went on, it grew to include Wrangler clothing and products. “We went from three tables (of merchandise) to racks,” Dallas remembers. They decorated the store, and in the past few years, began selling roses for the pageant contestants.
The store was a way to meet lots of people: parents and family members of contestants, and fellow volunteers. “We were there every day,” she remembers. “I loved it. I got to meet everybody, the parents, the grandparents. It wasn’t a job, it was a labor of love.”
Dallas and Lolly were a good team. At the MRA convention, they roomed together and worked together. “Every night, we’d go to our room and do our spreadsheet, spread out our books, and make our deposit,” she remembered. “We’d laugh and have fun.” Dallas said Lolly was the “brilliant” one, and she was the go-fer.
The two women, friends since their youth, are “attached at the hip,” Dallas said. “They laugh at us and call us the Bobbsey twins.”
Dallas volunteered with the Miss Rodeo Arizona pageant for years, was a member of the association and served as president. She’s a lifetime member of the Miss Rodeo Nebraska Association and the American Quarter Horse Association. She and Lolly have both judged state queen contests, from California to Missouri, and from Florida to Washington.
Last year, after the women’s 65 years of service with the Miss Rodeo America organization, Dallas and Lolly were recognized during the coronation ceremony on December 5. “They treated us like queens,” Dallas said, “for the whole week. They turned the two of us out to pasture in grand fashion.” The women got a standing ovation for their years of service.
She and Larry blended their families: her son, Burr (Janiece) Shields and daughter, Cathy (Michael) Cushing, and Larry’s daughters, Cyndi (Drew) Callahan and Debbie (Roger) Benson. She has eight grandchildren: girls Ashlie, Mandie, Jynsen, Kyndra, Cory, Sarah and Maddie, and a boy, MJ. Jynsen, Kyndra and Cory showed horses with their “Grammy,” riding her horses, with Jynsen and Kyndra winning a combined nine buckles showing Promise. She has two great-grandchildren, a boy, Brody, and a girl, Savannah.
Her husband, Larry, passed away in October of 2020.
Lolly loves her best friend. “She’s a chip off the old block, from her granddad,” she said. “She’s just truthful and wholesome. What you see is what you get when you talk to Dallas. She’s the most precious person there is in the world today.”
Dallas loves her MRA family as much as she loves her non-rodeo family. “The nucleus of that organization genuinely cares about each other,” she said. “I don’t know how else to say it, but rodeo is a family.”
Rodeo exemplifies the Christian life, of which Dallas is a believer. “I love the Lord, and that’s one thing I love about rodeo, too, the prayers beforehand, the national anthem.
“I’ve been very blessed.”
Dallas is a 2014 inductee in the Miss Rodeo America Hall of Fame; Lolly was inducted in 2015.
Blog
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Back When They Bucked with Dallas Hunt George
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On The Trail with Jesse Pope
“I try to keep things simple,” he said about riding bucking horses and life in general. “It’s only as hard as you make it, and the windshield is always bigger than the rear-view mirror. I get up and do whatever I’ve got for the day and try not to make life any more difficult than it needs to be.” Jesse looks at rodeo as a competition with himself. “What everyone else does, I can’t control, the only thing I can control is what I do on the animal I’m given.”
Jesse Pope has lived in the foothills outside Waverly, Kan., since he was four. “It’s cowboy country – it’s where I like to be,” said the 23-year-old who lives on a farm with his mom, Jennifer; dad, Bret; and two younger brothers, Ty (20) a sophomore at Missouri Valley College, and Judd (16) a sophomore at Waverly High School. “Growing up, we rode each other and bucked each other off – we just wanted to be cowboys, no other ideas in life.” Today all three are cowboys – “that’s about the only thing we are good at.”
His parents run some cows and his dad is an automotive technician and instructor at Flint Hills Technical college. “He loves it,” said Jesse. “He works with juniors and seniors and likes giving back to the industry. My younger brother, Judd, will start the program in the fall.” His mom works for the Social Security Administration in Kansas City.
Jesse started rodeo in first grade – he got on sheep, then calves, and went from there to bulls. Jesse competed in all three rough stock events in high school. “Where I started, there was an older man (George Steinberger) who had a weekly practice and put on two schools a year. He started several guys in bareback and bull riding. When I was a little kid, he always said I was going to go to school at Missouri Valley. I had no idea what that was, but it’s kind of funny how things work out.” George passed away in 2017. “I learned a lot from that guy – he taught me how to be a man, morals, and what it meant to be a Christian – he was probably one of the most perfect humans I’ve ever met.” George was right about Jesse’s future college plans. He earned a scholarship to Missouri Valley College where he settled on bareback riding. “Coach (Ken Mason) told me it was up to me to ride whatever event – so I focused on bareback – to focus in on one craft was better than trying to be great at all three.” His talent through high school in the bareback riding was evident; 2015 NLBRA World Champion Bareback Rider; 2016 National High School Champion Bareback Rider and the 2017 IFYR National Bareback Champion. “I was always the best at it.”
Ty and Judd competed right along with Jesse and the family spent many weekends hauling up and down the road. “It hasn’t always been berries and cherries, but we did it,” said Jennifer. “The handful of times we left empty handed were pretty somber rides home.” We learned from each experience, what can we work on, and what can we do better next time. They competed in the JBR-Junior Bulls & Broncs, driving down Saturday to rodeos in Oklahoma, and coming home after the rodeo was over. “We had to come home to take care of bottle calves or whatever we had to do around here.” Jennifer is used to driving – her job requires driving 77 miles from her driveway to the Federal parking lot.
The boys did the after-school program; Bret worked closer so he could pick them up and bring them home. When Jesse turned 14, he could drive with his farm permit, so he would bring his brother’s home. “We were pretty ornery and hard on each other,” said Jesse. “We were boys, and we were wild. We hunted, wrestled, and fought, but it was all in fun and we gave each other a hug after.” They hunted anything that would move – squirrels, racoons, birds. “We weren’t very successful at it, but we tried. Ty still hunts, we grew up coon hunting and that’s my favorite thing to do. I don’t have time to sit in a deer stand.” He and his brothers are as tight as can be and he has told them, “Here’s the deal, I can always beat up on you but there isn’t anyone else that can touch you.”
Jesse does a lot of day work for neighbors or at the grow yard in Marshall. “I raise Catahoula’s and Border Collies and I like to go catch wild cows for the neighbors,” he said. “You can get yourself in a bind once in a while – but you just have to do the best at that point and time.” Jesse’s entrepreneurial skills started early in life. One of his school projects for business in high school was to learn how to borrow money to start a business and how to make it work. He went to First National Bank of Kansas, Waverly and talked to the president about how to buy cows, the cost per acre to feed them and how to repay the loan. The banker Craig Meader was really impressed. As a senior, he was able to buy a neighbor’s heifers thanks to his presentation – that same banker gave Jesse a line of credit at the age of 18. He has figured out how to lease ground and run his small herd, which is up to 40 pairs.
The first time Jesse went to watch the NFR was 2014. The family made the trip to Vegas for three days. Six years later (2020), he made his first appearance at the NFR, which was held in Ft. Worth, due to Covid. “That was the hardest year of rodeo,” said Jesse. “You are competing against everybody everywhere you went because of all the Covid cancellations. You were matched up against everybody and anybody that had a card. It made it difficult – a lot harder for someone like me to get ahead in the money.” In 2021 he returned to the NFR, competing at the Thomas & Mack. Jesse won the average and took second in the world. He has had a few bumps along the way. On his race to earn Resistol Rookies of the Year, he tore his hamstring the first of August, forcing him to take some time off. His $14,000 lead over Garrett Shadbolt didn’t hold, and he missed that title by a couple hundred dollars. “It was a hard decision to make – I wanted that Rookie buckle and saddle, but it was the right decision.” He ended up hurt last year too, fracturing an outside vertebra – taking away his slot for the college finals by five points.
“I try to keep things simple,” he said about riding bucking horses and life in general. “It’s only as hard as you make it, and the windshield is always bigger than the rear-view mirror. I get up and do whatever I’ve got for the day and try not to make life any more difficult than it needs to be.” Jesse looks at rodeo as a competition with himself. “What everyone else does, I can’t control, the only thing I can control is what I do on the animal I’m given.” Jesse graduated from Missouri Valley College in 2021. “I still come and pick up at practices for Coach Mason and the kids. I get on the spur board and bucking machine as much as I can. Part of my scholarship was to be the pickup man for them.” He majored in Public Relations and minored in Business. “I learned how to smile and talk in front of the camera,” he said, admitting he could have tried harder in school. “I wanted to rodeo instead of sit in the classroom.” He learned about return on investments in his business classes, which will equip him to continue growing his herd and hopefully someday become a rancher. “I’ll see where the cards lay.”
“He’s pretty special,” said his coach, Ken Mason, from Missouri Valley College. “He’s a cowboy’s cowboy every day. Whatever he decides to do, he does. He’s mentally and physically tough.”
He has two favorite Bible verses. James 1:19 My beloved brothers, understand this everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. … “The world could learn from that. Slow to take it in and think about it.” His other one comes from Numbers 6:26-27 May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace. “There was a Bible study the Monday before the 2018 AMERICAN at the rodeo dorms. We were pulling Bible verses out of a jar. Mine was Numbers 6:26 – May the lord show you his favor and peace. I remember driving from the college rodeo in Meridian, MS. to the AMERICAN, and I had that verse sitting on my rear-view mirror. I was nervous going into the AMERICAN, and I thought of that verse. May He show you His favor and give you, His peace.”
His younger brother, Ty, is attending Missouri Valley College, being coached by Ken Mason. Ken is a great coach in each event. Coach rode bucking horses himself. He understands what we go through, his passion and knowledge for bareback riding is what we call Moval Magic. It’s pretty special and what we call the “good stuff”. I have learned so much from Coach and consider him one of my best friends. The goal is to see Ty follow his older brother to the NFR. “This is a craft you have to learn on your own, but I’d like to think I helped him out,” said Jesse. “He’s on his permit. I just won Arcadia (94th Annual Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo) and he won second there. That will forever be one of my favorite memories. In 2023, I’d like to be at the Thomas & Mack with my little brother – I think that would be stinking cool.”
“Smile all the time and be happy – life’s too short to have a stump on your shoulder.”
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5 Star Featured Athlete: Jessica Routier
The Routier family is a 5 Star Equine family through and through.
Riley and Jessica Routier and their five children: son Braden and daughters Payton, twins Rayna and Rose, and Charlie, use and love 5 Star products.
Every horse on the Routier ranch, located in the far northwest corner of South Dakota, near Buffalo, wears a 5 Star pad. They love them. “I still have the very first 5 Star pad I owned,” Jessica said, “and they’re still just as good as the day we got them. They don’t wear out, and they fit a horse good.”
She uses the one-inch pad on her barrel horses. The ranch horses wear the rancher pad, and the ponies wear the seven-eighth inch pad because they’re “a little bit round.”
Once or twice a year, it’s saddle pad cleaning time for the Routiers. The family uses the cleaning spray and sponges that are sold alongside the pads, then hose them off, “and they’re good to go for another six months.”
Jessica also uses the mohair cinches and loves the variety of colors they come in.
The Routiers are partial to the boots, too. Fiery Miss West, “Missy”, her primary barrel horse, doesn’t wear boots at all but the other horses do. “I like how they fit. I think they give the horses a lot of support.”
Five Star products are easily customizable with different colors and patterns, but that has caused a bit of competition amongst the two older Routier kids. The family has three sets of boots: blue, purple and red, but Braden and Payton always want the blue set. “We have a big fight going on the barn right now,” Jessica said. “Everybody thinks the blue boots are the best.”
Jessica has qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo four times, each time on Missy. She finished the 2018 season as reserve world champion and has won the Badlands Circuit Finals year-end title four times (2017, 19-21).
Now the next generation of Routiers is rodeoing.
Son Braden, a sophomore in high school, competes in the tie-down roping, team roping and steer wrestling in both high school rodeo and Little Britches.
Payton, who is an eighth grader, trick rides and breakaway ropes, although the trick riding might go on the back burner for a while, her mother said. “I think she was getting lonely spending weekends with her mom (trick riding at rodeos) when her friends were at other rodeos, roping and running barrels.”
The three little girls are always in the mix. Rayna and Rose are six years old, and Charlie is five. They like to run around the barrels, do poles and they’ve dabbled in the trick roping. They track calves out of the roping box and rope the calf sled behind the four wheeler.
Rodeo is special to Jessica.
“I don’t even know what my life would be like without rodeo, and without having found that one once-in-a-lifetime horse (Missy). It’s built my whole life and who I am. I have an amazing rodeo horse and I’ll rodeo on her as long as she’s healthy and willing.”
She’s helping her kids rodeo, too.
“My goal is to find that once-in-a-lifetime horse for my kids, the horse that shapes their lives.”
She loves the life she and Riley have built, with their family.
“I’m just so thankful to have raised them in a rodeo community and on a ranch. I don’t think there’s a better place to raise kids.” -
RED BLUFF CROWNS CHAMPIONS
Texas cowgirl and horse repeat win; Oregon and Kansas cowboys among winners
Red Bluff, Calif. (April 17, 2022) – The eyes of the rodeo world were on Red Bluff this past weekend, with the 101st Red Bluff Round-Up taking place April 15-17.
Nine pro rodeo cowboys and cowgirls added to their world rankings and padded their bank accounts with gold-buckle wins and first place finishes in Red Bluff.
Among those crowned as a 2022 Round-Up champion is an Oregon cowboy. Dalton Massey, Hermiston, turfed four steers in 19.8 seconds to win the gold buckle.
Massey didn’t have a great start to his Round-Up week, but it got better. In the first round, he had a time of six seconds, which wasn’t fast enough to win a check.
“Shoot, I told my dad (Kurt) I was going to get faster every day, and I’d be in contention come Sunday (for the finals.) I drew good enough and that’s exactly what happened.” His times got progressively faster, going from six seconds to 4.8 seconds in the second round, 4.4 in the third round, and 3.7 in Sunday’s round to win the title.
This is the fourth time for the Oregon cowboy to compete in Red Bluff. The past three years, he’s broken the barrier during one of his runs, adding ten seconds to his time and effectively taking him out of the winnings. “This year, my goal was to get out at the barrier at every steer, and have a chance come Sunday.”
Massey rode a borrowed horse, a mare named Sassy who is owned by fellow steer wrestler Mike McGinn. She’s been his mount all winter. McGinn and another steer wrestler, Justin Kimsey, also rode the mare in Red Bluff.
A win of over $7400 will help him get down the road, paying for fuel and entry fees, and hopefully be momentum enough to get him towards his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualification, after finishing nineteenth in the world last year.
The Red Bluff Round-Up is a favorite rodeo for the 2022 Round-Up barrel racing champion’s horse.
In fact, the same duo: Stevi Hillman and her mount Truck, won the rodeo twice: this year, and in 2017.
Truck, whose registered name is Cuatro Fame, carried his rider for a time of 34.42 seconds in two runs for the win.
“Truck loves Red Bluff, and so do I,” she said. “It’s one of our favorite rodeos. We’re outside, the sun is shining, and it’s Easter. I just couldn’t be any more thankful today.”
Hillman has ridden the fifteen-year-old big bay gelding for the last seven years and has owned him for two of those years.
She came to the Round-Up in 2016 will fellow barrel racer Taylor Langdon, who won the Round-Up that year.
“I helped Taylor carry her Yeti cooler back to the trailer in 2016, and the next year, she helped me carry it. She’s not here, but, Taylor, I’m thinking about you,” she said.
The winners each win a Yeti trailer, plus gold buckles and prize money.
Hillman has qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo six times.
In the tie-down roping, a Kansas-turned-Texas roper won the Red Bluff title.
Cooper Martin, a native of Alma, Kan. but now residing in Salado, Texas, was reserve tie-down Round-Up champ in 2018 but this year took the top honor with a time of 41.7 seconds on four runs.
A three-time National Finals qualifier, he’s coming off an injury that sidelined him for six months last year.
He tore ligaments in his wrist, but the two surgeries to repair it caused carpal tunnel syndrome, which made his recovery time even slower.
But the time off was a blessing.
“I learned a lot about myself,” he said. “I’d never been able to be in the gym that much. We’re always driving and sleeping, and driving some more and sleeping some more, and when you have time off (while on the road), you don’t feel like doing anything else.”
He competed in Logandale, Nev. last week and will rope in Clovis, Calif. this week, before heading home.
“I’ve always liked to rodeo” in California, he said. “These four-head rodeos are good to me. They fit my style.”
He rides a gray gelding named Gru (from the movie Despicable Me), who is an excellent tie-down horse. “He’s consistent, and consistency is the key. If he’s consistent, I’m consistent. I’ve sure been blessed to have him. He’s had a huge impact on my career.”
Other Red Bluff champions include bareback rider Bodee Lammers, Tolar, Texas (88 points); team ropers Cory Kidd V and Lane Mitchell (31.7 seconds on four runs); breakaway roper Lari Dee Guy (6.5 seconds on 2 head); saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper (88 points) and bull rider JR Stratford (90 points).
During the rodeo, which was the annual Tough Enough to Wear Pink event, a Pendleton (Ore.) Roundup “Let ‘Er Buck” package was auctioned off. Jan Sutherland, owner of Taco Bell, purchased it for $23,000. The package includes four VIP tickets to the Round-Up, round trip airfare for four, lodging, and more. Monies raised during the Round-Up’s “pink” campaign help fund breast cancer services at St. Elizabeth Community Hospital. Monies raised during the Round-Up’s “pink” campaign go to breast cancer treatment at Dignity Health/St. Elizabeth Hospital.
For more information on the rodeo, visit RedBluffRoundup.com.
Cutlines:
It was the second time for barrel racer Stevi Hillman to win a Red Bluff title. The Weatherford, Texas cowgirl rounded the barrels in 17.10 seconds in the finals to win the barrel racing in Red Bluff. Photo by Crystal Amen.
Cooper Martin, Alma, Kan., is the Red Bluff Round-Up tie-down roping champion, having the fastest time on four head (41.7 seconds). Photo by Crystal Amen.
Results, Red Bluff Round-Up, April 15-17, 2022
Bareback Riding – 2022 Red Bluff Round-Up Champion: Bodee Lammers, Tolar, Texas
- Bodee Lammers, Tolar, Texas 88 points on C5 Rodeo’s Virgil; 2. Tilden Hooper, Carthage, Texas 87; 3. Wyatt Denny, Minden, Nev. 86.5; 4. Caleb Bennett, Corvallis, Mont. 84.5; 5. Keenan Hayes, Hayden, Colo. 84; 6. Clayton Biglow, Clements, Calif. 83; 7. Seth Hardwick, Ranchester, Wyo. 80.5; 8. Zack Brown, Red Bluff, Calif. 79.5.
Steer Wrestling 2022 Red Bluff Round-Up Champion: Dalton Massey, Hermiston, Ore.
First round:
- (tie) Kyler Dick, Oakley, Utah and Levi Rudd, Chelsea, Okla. 4.2 seconds each; 3. Nick Guy, Sparta, Wis. 4.3; 4. Bridger Chambers, Stevensville, Mont. 4.6; 5. Bear Pascoe, Morro Bay, Calif. 4.7; 6. (tie) Zack Jongbloed, Iowa, La. and Josh Garner, Live Oak, Calif. 4.8 each; 8. Tyke Kipp, Lordsburg, N.M. 5.1; 9. (tie) Don Payne, Stephenville, Texas and Ty Allred, Tooele, Utah 5.2 each; 11. (tie) Kalane Anders, Cheyenne, Wyo., Aaron Vosler, Cheyenne, Wyo., and Justin Kimsey, Dayton, Wash. 5.4 seconds each.
Second round:
- Stetson Jorgensen, Blackfoot, Ida. 4.0 seconds; 2. Sterling Lambert, Fallon, Nev. 4.1; 3. Ty Erickson, Helena, Mont. 4.3; 4. (tie) Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D. and Austin Eller, Glendo, Wyo. 4.5 each; 6. Tyke Kipp, Lordsburg, N.M. 4.6; 7. Kalane Anders, Bayard, Neb. 4.7; 8. (tie) Cameron Morman, Glenn Ullin, N.D. and Dalton Massey, Hermiston, Ore. 4.8 each.
Third round:
- Stetson Jorgensen, Blackfoot, Idaho 3.9 seconds; 2. Dalton Massey, Hermiston, Ore. 4.4; 3. Levi Rudd, Chelsea, Okla. 4.6; 4. Caden Camp, Belgrade, Mont. 4.8; 5. Bridger Chambers, Stevensville, Mont. 5.1; 6. Justin Kimsey, Kennewick, Wash. 5.2; 7. Trisyn Kalawai’a, Hilo, Hawaii 5.3; 8. Taz Olson, Prairie City, S.D. 5.4.
Finals:
- Dalton Massey, Hermiston, Ore. 3.7 seconds; 2. Ty Erickson, Helena, Mont. 4.2; 3. Dakota Eldridge, Elko, Nev. 4.3; 4. Ty Allred, Tooele, Utah 5.7; 5. (tie) Levi Rudd, Chelsea, Okla. and Bridger Chambers, Stevensville, Mont. 6.3 each.
Average:
- Dalton Massey, Hermiston, Ore. 19.8 seconds on 4 head; 2. Bridger Chambers, Stevensville, Mont. 21.1; 3. Levi Rudd, Chelsea, Okla. 22.3; 4. Kalane Anders, Bayard, Neb. 22.9; 5. Ty Erickson, Helena, Mont. 23.7; 6. Ty Allred, Tooele, Utah 26.3; 7. Dakota Eldridge, Elko, Nev. 27.1; 8. Stetson Jorgensen, Blackfoot, Idaho 30.5.
Saddle bronc riding 2022 Red Bluff Round-Up Champion: Wyatt Casper, Miami, Texas
- Wyatt Casper, Miami, Texas 88 points on Calgary Stampede’s YoYo Marble; 2. CoBurn Bradshaw, Beaver, Utah 87.5; 3. (tie) Ryder Wright, Beaver, Utah and Sage Newman, Melstone, Mont. 85 each; 5. Sterling Crawley, Stephenville, Texas 84; 6. Ben Anderson, Rocky Mountain, Alb. 83; 7. Carter Elshere, Elm Springs, S.D. 82.5; 8. (tie) Wade Stansfield, Spring City, Utah and Jesse James Kirby, Cheney, Wash. 82 each.
Tie Down Roping 2022 Red Bluff Round-Up Champion: Cooper Martin, Alma, Kan.
First round:
- Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah 8.6 seconds; 2. Cooper Martin, Alma, Kan. 8.7; 3. Garrett Jacobs, Bosque Farms, N.M. 8.9; 4. Macon Murphy, Keatchie La., 9.3; 5. Lane Livingston, Seymour, Texas 9.6; 6. (tie) Ladd King, Kaysville, Utah and Zack Jongbloed, Iowa, La. 9.7 each; 8. Tyson Durfey, Brock, Texas 9.8; 9. (tie) Tom Joe Crouse, Gallatin. Mo. and Bo Pickett, Caldwell, Idaho 9.9 each; 11. (tie) Trenton Smith, Bigfoot, Texas and Cash Hooper, Carlsbad, N.M. 10.2 each.
Second round:
- (tie) Marcos Costa, Iretama, Brazil and Taylor Santos, Creston, Calif. 8.9 seconds each; 3. (tie) Shad Mayfield, Clovis, N.M. and Chris McCuistion, Collinsville, Texas 9.1 each; 5. Hudson Wallace, George West, Texas 9.2; 6. Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah 9.4; 7. Hunter Herrin, Apache, Okla. 9.7; 8. Bo Pickett, Caldwell, Idaho 9.9.
Third round:
- Zack Jongbloed, Iowa, La. 9.9 seconds; 2. Brushton Minton, Witter Springs, Calif. 10.2; 3. (tie) Lucas Peres, Brazil and Hagen Houck, Henrietta, Okla. 11.1 each; 5. (tie) Riley Wakefield, O’Neill, Neb. and Reese Riemer, Stinnett, Texas 11.2 each; 7. Cooper Martin, Alma, Kan. 11.4; 8. Taylor Santos, Creston, Calif. 12.1.
Finals:
- Cooper Martin, Alma, Kan. 9.8 seconds; 2. Reese Riemer, Stinnett, Texas 10.2; 3. Tyson Durfey, Brock, Texas 10.9; 4. Tom Joe Crouse, Gallatin, Mo. 11.3; 5. (tie) Lucas Peres, Brazil and Zack Jongbloed, Iowa, La. 12.9 each.
Average:
- Cooper Martin, Alma, Kan. 41.7 seconds on 4 head; 2. Reese Riemer, Stinnett, Texas 43.2; 3 Zack Jongbloed, Iowa, La. 43.4; 4. Tyson Durfey, Brock, Texas 44.1; 5. Tom Joe Crouse, Gallatin, Mo. 44.7; 6. Dakota Felton, Mountain Home, Texas 47.1; 7. Lucas Peres, Brazile 47.4; 8. Hagen Houck, Henrietta, Texas 53.8.
Team Roping 2022 Red Bluff Round-Up Champions: Cory Kidd V, Statesville, N.C. and Lane Mitchell, Bolivar, Tenn.
First round:
- Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah/Jeremy Buhler, Arrowwood, Alb. 6.5 seconds; 2. (tie) Kaleb Driggers, Hoboken, Ga./Junior Nogueira, Presidente Prudente, Brazil and Zach Kilgus, Stephenville, Texas/Jake Edwards, Ft. Ann, N.Y. 6.6 each; 4. (tie) Cory Kidd V, Statesville, N.C./Lane Mitchell, Bolivar, Tenn. and Tanner James, Porterville, Calif./Phoenix Everano, Pendleton, Ore. 6.7 each; 6. Luke Brown, Rock Hill, S.C./Hunter Koch, Vernon, Texas 6.8; 7. (tie) Britt Smith, Broken Bow, Okla./Jake Smith, Broken Bow, Okla. and Jr Dees, Aurora, S.D./Levi Lord, Sturgis, S.D. 7.1 each; 9. (tie) Derrick Begay, Winslow, Ariz. /Paul Eaves, Millsap, Texas and T. C. Hammack, Chiloquin, Ore./Cody Stewart, Janesville, Calif. 7.4 each;
- Ryan Tripp, Shasta Lake, Calif./Dusty Bravos, Anderson, Calif. 7.5; 12. (tie) Cody Mora, San Miguel, Calif./Jason Johe San Luis Obispo, Calif. and Kolton Schmidt, Stephenville, Texas/Lane Siggins, Coolidge, Ariz. 7.7 each.
Second round:
- Clint Summers, Lake City, Fla./Ross Ashford, Lott, Texas 5.5; 2. (tie) Brayden Schmidt, Benton City, Wash./Logan Cullen, Courtenay, B.C. and Rhett Anderson, Annabella, Utah/Max Kuttler, American Falls, Ida. 5.9 each; 4. Jeff Flenniken, Caldwell, Ida./Jake Minor, Ellensburg, Wash. 6.1; 5. Andrew Ward, Edmond, Okla./Buddy Hawkins II, Columbus, Kan. 6.3; 6. (tie) Jr Dees, Aurora, S.D./Levi Lord, Sturgis, S.D. and Luke Brown, Rock Hill, S.C./Hunter Koch, Vernon, Texas 6.5 each; 8. Tanner Bryson, Camp Verde, Ariz./Rhett Kennedy, Chowchilla, Calif. 6.6.
Third round:
- Zach Kilgus, Stephenville, Texas/Jake Edwards, Ft Ann, N.Y. 5.3 seconds; 2. Britt Smith, Broken Bow, Okla./Jake Smith, Broken Bow, Okla. 5.5; 3. Braden Pirrung, Hartford, S.D./Coley Nicholls, Kinnear, Wyo. 6.5; 4. Hayes Smith, Central Point, Ore./Cullen Teller, Ault, Colo. 6.7; 5. Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah/Jeremy Buhler, Arrowwood, Alb. 6.8; 6. Jake Raley, Brush Prairie, Wash./Steven Gaona, Winkelman, Ariz. 7.0; 7. Jeff Flenniken, Caldwell, Idaho/Jake Minor, Ellensburg, Wash. 7.2; 8. Manny Egusquiza Jr, Stephenville, Texas/Walt Woodard, Stephenville, Texas 7.4.
Finals:
- Cory Kidd V, Statesville, N.C./Lane Mitchell, Bolivar, Tenn. 8.5 seconds; 2. Jake Cooper, Monument, N.M./Sid Sporer, Cody, Wyo. 8.7; 3. Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah/Jeremy Buhler, Arrowwood, Alb. 11.8; 4. Manny Egusquiza Jr., Stephenville, Texas/Walt Woodard, Stephenville, Texas 15.2; 5. Jack Graham, Lakeview, Ore./Reno Eddy, Gallup, N.M. 17.0.
Average:
- Cory Kidd V, Statesville, N.C./Lane Mitchell, Bolivar, Tenn. 31.7 seconds on 4 head; 2. Rhen Richard, Roosevelt, Utah/Jeremy Buhler, Arrowwood, Alb. 32.2; 3. Jake Cooper, Monument, N.M./Sid Sporer, Cody, Wyo. 32.4; 4. Manny Egusquiza Jr., Stephenville, Texas/Walt Woodard, Stephenville, Texas 38.6; 5. Jack Graham, Lakeview, Ore./Reno Eddy, Gallup, N.M. 40.6; 6. Britt Smith, Broken Bow, Okla./Jake Smith, Broken Bow, Okla. 20.0 seconds on 3 head; 7. Jr. Dees, Aurora, S.D./Levi Lord, Sturgis, S.D. 21.4; 8. Luke Brown, Rock Hill, S.C./Hunter Koch, Vernon, Texas 21.9.
Breakaway Roping- 2022 Red Bluff Round-Up Champion: Lari Dee Guy, Abilene, Texas
First round:
- Sawyer Gilbert, Buffalo, S.D. 2.6 seconds; 2. (tie) Josey Murphy, Keachi, La. and Paige Wiseman, Paola, Kan. 2.9 each; 4. Cathy Cagliari, Corning, Calif. 3.2; 5. (tie) Kelsie Domer, Dublin, Texas and Lari Dee Guy, Abilene, Texas 3.2 each; 8. Liz Hirdes, Turlock, Calif. 3.4.
Short round:
- (tie) Josie Conner, Iowa, La., Samantha Fulton, Miller, S.D., and Lari Dee Guy, Abilene, Texas 3.3 seconds each; 4. Macey Cox, San Luis Obispo, Calif. 3.5; 5. Taylor Munsell, Alva, Okla. 3.6; 6. Josey Murphy, Keachi, La. 3.7; 7. (tie) Erin Johnson, Fowler, Colo. and Tacy Webb, Midway, Texas 4.3 each.
Average:
- Lari Dee Guy, Abilene, Texas 6.5 seconds on two head; 2. Josey Murphy, Keachi. La. 6.6; 3. Taylor Munsell, Alva, Okla. 7.1; 4. Samantha Fulton, Miller, S.D. 7.5; 5. Jordi Edens, Gatesville, Texas 8.0; 6. (tie) Macey Cox, San Luis Obispo, Calif. and Tacy Webb, Midway, Texas 8.2 each; 8. (tie) Erin Johnson, Fowler, Colo. and Kelsey Nonella, Redmond, Ore. 8.4 each.
Barrel racing – 2022 Red Bluff Round-Up Champion: Stevi Hillman, Weatherford, Texas
First round:
- Payton Schoeppach, Lincoln, Calif. 17.29 seconds; 2. Stevi Hillman, Weatherford, Texas 17.32; 3. Chelsie Stodghill, Prineville, Ore. 17.38; 4. Nellie Miller, Cottonwood, Calif. 17.40; 5. Carly Taylor, Andersonville, Tenn. 17.43; 6. Emily Beisel, Weatherford, Okla. 17.46; 7. Paige Jones, Wayne, Okla. 17.51; 8. Sissy Winn, Chapman Ranch, Texas 17.54; 9. Kathy Petska, Turlock, Calif. 17.56; 10. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D. 17.60.
Second round:
- Stevi Hillman, Weatherford, Texas 17.10 seconds; 2. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D. 17.18; 3. Paige Jones, Wayne, Okla. 17.26; 4. Nellie Miller, Cottonwood, Calif. 17.31; 5. Kristi Youngblood, Willows, Calif. 17.42; 6. Sissy Winn, Chapman Ranch, Texas 17.45; 7. Carly Taylor, Andersonville, Tenn. 17.47; 8. Kylee Scribner, Azle, Texas 17.56; 9. (tie) Kathy Petska, Turlock, Calif. and Mandy Staley, Cottonwood, Calif. 17.61 each.
Average:
- Stevi Hillman, Weatherford, Texas 34.42 seconds on 2 runs; 2. Nellie Miller, Cottonwood, Calif. 34.71; 3. Paige Jones, Wayne, Okla. 34.77; 4. Lisa Lockhart, Oelrichs, S.D. 34.78; 5. Carly Taylor, Andersonville, Tenn. 34.90; 6. Sissy Winn, Chapman Ranch, Texas 34.99; 7. Kathy Petska, Turlock, Calif. 35.17; 8. Kylee Scribner, Azle, Texas 35.18; 9. Chelsie Stodghill, Prineville, Ore. 35.20; 10. Michelle Darling, Medford, Oka. 35.34.
Bull Riding 2022 Red Bluff Round-Up Champion: JR Stratford, Byers, Kansas
- JR Stratford, Byers, Kan. 90 points on Big Stone Rodeo’s War Cry; 2. (tie) Ruger Piva, Challis, Idaho and Josh Frost, Randlett, Utah 87 each; 4. (tie) Brody Yeary, Morgan Mill, Texas and Boudreaux Campbell, Crockett, Texas 85 each; 6. Ray Mayo, Clearlake, Calif. 84; 7. Brady Portenier, Caldwell, Idaho 83.5; 8. (tie) Cole Fischer, Jefferson City, Mo. and Reid Oftedahl, Raymond, Minn. 81.5 each.
** All results are unofficial. For more information, visit RedBluffRoundup.com. For complete rodeo results, visit ProRodeo.com.
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Bud Munroe passed away today
January 12, 1952 – April 9, 2022
Dan O. “Bud” Munroe was born January 12, 1952, in Lewistown, Montana. A Montana State University graduate, he was the 1975 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) National Champion Saddle Bronc Rider and Reserve All-Around Champion. A 12-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier, Munroe was the 1986 World Champion Bronc Rider. A former PRCA Saddle Bronc Director, he serves on the PRCA Properties Board and Grievance Committee. Photo by Brenda Allen at the 1986 NFR, riding Many Colors owned by Brookman
Coaching from Bill Smith, Mel Hyland and later from his brother-in-law 1977 World Saddle Bronc champion J.C. Bonine got Bud Munroe off on the fast track to a career in rodeo. It was talent and hard work that turned him into one of the most respected saddle bronc riders of his era. The Billings, Mont., cowboy earned a spot in the National Finals Rodeo 12 consecutive years (1977-88), with eight finishes among the top five in the world. He was second in the World Championship standings in 1978 and 1980, before breaking through to claim the gold buckle over fellow Hall of Fame inductee Clint Johnson in 1986 becoming the first saddle bronc rider to earn $100,000 in a single season along the way.
Munroe compete in bareback and saddle bronc riding during his four years at Montana State University while earning a degree in agricultural business. He won the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association saddle bronc title in 1975 and was second in the all-around, helping the Bobcats capture the NIRA team championship.
Riding Frontier Airlines Owned by Beutler & Cervi at the 1987 NFR … photo by Brenda Allen.
Devoted to the development of his sport, Munroe served as PRCA saddle bronc director (1980-81), on the PRCA Grievance Committee (2003-07) and on the PRCA Properties Board for nearly 20 years. He was also a long-time committeeman of the Heart O’Texas Rodeo in Waco. Over the years, he served on different committees and boards within the PRCA. In 1990, he received the PRCA John Justin Standard of the West Committeeman of the Year award for his long-standing service and dedication to the Heart of Texas Rodeo Committee. Bud has had the honor of being inducted into the PRCA Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, Montana Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, Ellensburg Rodeo Hall of Fame, and the Montana State University Athletic Hall of Fame.
He and his wife, Jimmie, were both inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in 2016. Photo below by Rodeo News
Jimmie Gibbs Munroe was born April 15, 1952 in Waco, Texas. A graduate of Sam Houston State University, she was the NIRA National Champion Barrel Racer in 1974 and 1975 and NIRA National Champion All-Around Cowgirl in 1974. She competed at 11 NFRs on three different horses, and in 1975 was the WPRA World Barrel Racing Champion, World Champion Tie-Down Roper, and All-Around Champion. The 1996 Tad Lucas Award winner, Munroe was WPRA president from 1979 to 1993 and 2011 to 2012, where she led efforts to increase female barrel racers’ earnings to match those of their male counterparts. She was also chairperson of the PWBR Board of Directors from 2006 to 2008.
Bud lived with his wife, Jimmie, live in Valley Mills, Texas, home. They have one daughter, Tassie, who lives in Fort Worth.
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2022 NIRA Alumni Honorees
The NIRA Alumni will honor all past NIRA national champions, championship teams, top finishers, queens, coaches, and faculty and student presidents from the years ending in “2” at the reunion on Friday, June 17 with registration at 8:45 am. Please note the correct dates. The 30th Reunion will be at the Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center, Casper, Wyoming, Friday and Saturday, June 17 and 18, 2022 Please help notify the champions listed below. Some are deceased, so family or friends are welcome to represent them at the reunion. Reservations for the Friday reunion and luncheon ($25) need to be made by June 6 at niraainfo@gmail.com or call 210-415-9091.
1952 Champions Team: Colorado A&M, Bareback: Dick Barrett, OKAM; Saddle Bronc: Joe Chase, H-SU; Calf Roping: F.C. Stover, NMAM; Ribbon Roping: Art Fulkerson, WASt; Steer Wrestling: Don Driggers, NMAM; Bull Riding: Johnny Ackely, Sul Ross; All-Around: Dick Barrett, OKAM.
1962 Champions Men’s Team: Sul Ross State; Women’s Team: Sul Ross State; Bareback: Fred Wilson, UWY; Saddle Bronc: Ed Workman, LCCTX; Calf Roping: ½. Billy James, Sul Ross, ½, Dub Cox, NMU-LC; Ribbon Roping: Bill James, Sul Ross; Steer Wrestling: Sonny Ehr, UAZ; Bull Riding: George Eads, Sul Ross; Barrel Race: Lorraine Taylor; Goat Tying: Donna Jean Saul, Sul Ross; Men’s All-around: Ed Workman, Lubbock Christian College; Women’s All-around: Donna Jean Saul, Sul Ross State.
1972 Champions Men’s Team: Montana State University, Women’s Team: Eastern New Mexico University, Bareback: Robert Schall, MTSt, Saddle Bronc: Jock McDowell, MTSt, Calf Roping: Danny Torricellas, BlMTN, Ribbon Roping: Dean Perkins, MTSt, Steer Wrestling: Lynn Perry, MTSt, Bull Riding: LaMar Roche, RICKS, Barrel Race: Becky Fullerton, BlMtn, Goat Tying: Wendy Bryan, UAZ, Break-away: Betty Cooper, ENMU, Men’s All-around: Dave Brock, SCSC, Women’s All-around: Linda Munns, USU.
1982 Champions Men’s Team: Sul Ross State University, Women’s Team: Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Bareback: Thom Hickey, EFIELD, Saddle Bronc: Chuck Morris, HARTNL, Calf Roping: Jim Zant, WTEX, Team Roping: Allen Gill, CAPSLO, Steer Wrestling: Ross Rianda, HARTNL Bull Riding: Scott Breding, MILES, Barrel Race: Lori McNeil, UTAHST, Goat Tying: Linda O’Neal, UARIZ, Break-away Roping: Sabrina Pike, SEOKS, Men’s All-around: Cody Lambert, SLROSA, Women’s All-around: Sabrina Pike, SEOKS.
1992 Champions Men’s Team: Southwestern Oklahoma State Univ., Women’s Team: Walla Walla Community College, Men’s All Around: Casey Biar Minton, West Hills College, Women’s All Around: Penny Conforth, Walla Walla Community College, Saddle Bronc: Michael Giannini, Idaho State University, Bareback: Shawn Ross Vant, Montana State University, Bull Riding: Jerome Carson Davis, Odessa College, Calf Roping: Chad David Hiatt, Panhandle State University, Steer Wrestling: Jesse Duane Peterson, Western Montana College, Team Roping: Seth Alan Weishaar, South Dakota State University, Barrel Racing: Mindy Lin Morris, Texas A&M University, Breakaway Roping: Brenda Lynne Mays, Walla Walla Community College, Goat Tying: Lana Marie Tibbetts, Montana State University.
2002 Champions Men’s Team: College of Southern Idaho, Women’s Team: Texas A&M University, Men’s All Around: Cody J Demers, College of Southern Idaho, Women’s All Around: Jonlyn M Vaccaro, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Saddle Bronc Riding: Cody S Martin, Missouri Valley College, Bareback Riding: Colby J Olsen, Northwest College, Bull Riding: William G Farrell, Chadron State College, Calf Roping: Trent L Creager, Oklahoma State University Steer Wrestling: Samuel C MacKenzie, Walla Walla Community College, Team Roping: Colt A Braden, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, Wendall W Stanley, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, Barrel Racing: McKenzie Miller, Ricks College, Breakaway: Keli J Smith, New Mexico Junior College Goat Tying: Jonlyn M Vaccaro, University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
2012 Champions: Men’s Team: Walla Walla Community College, Women’s Team: Texas Tech University-Lubbock, Men’s All Around: Bryce K Palmer, Walla Walla Community College, Women’s All Around: Hayden S Segelke, Northeastern Junior College. Saddle Bronc Riding: Tyrel C Larsen, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Bareback Riding: Tanner K Aus, Missouri Valley College, Bull Riding: Taggert J Elliott, Utah Valley University, Tie Down Roping: Chant J DeForest, Western Oklahoma State College, Steer Wrestling: Benjamin T Carson, Utah Valley University, Team Roping Tyler J Schnaufer, University of Wyoming, Shay D Carroll, Northeastern Junior College, Barrel Racing: Liz A Combs, Sam Houston State University, Breakaway Roping: Joey L Painter, Black Hills State University, Goat Tying: Lacey L Tech, Central Wyoming College.
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Smidt is All-American cowboy
Texas tie-down roper wins $100,000 during rodeo in AT&T Stadium
AT&T Stadium is just four hours from Caleb Smidt’s home in Bellville, Texas, a community of about 4,200 people near Houston.
That makes it easy for those that love him most to make the trip to see their favorite cowboy compete. It’s also easy for Smidt to find success in an arena filled with that much support. On the opening Sunday of March, the three-time and reigning world champion tie-down roper won The American for the second time and pocketed another $100,000 for doing so.
“It’s just awesome to have as many people that I have in my family come watch and support me,’ said Smidt, who also won inside “Jerry World” in 2019. “They make a point to go everywhere they can and to do the other things to support me. It makes it so much sweeter when you go back to them.
“My wife and kids are still excited whether I win or don’t win, but it makes you want to do better and do the things to support my family. It wouldn’t mean as much to me if they didn’t want to go. For them to want to go makes it that much better.”
The feelings are mutual. Over his career, Smidt has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo eight times. The three years he’s claimed the Montana Silversmiths gold buckle (2015, ’18 and ’21), he also won the NFR average championship. This past December, he pocketed nearly $192,000 in 10 days of ProRodeo’s grand finale and finished the year with $318,456.
The American is a unique event that featured 10 cowboys that were exempt based on being among the top 10 in the 2021 PRCA world standings. The remaining competitors in the field had earned their way through a series of qualifiers. Winners of each event pocketed $100,000, but the qualifiers were eligible for part of the $2 million side pot along with the one-hundred grand.
By the time the dust settled, Brazilian bull rider Kaique Pacheco was the only qualifier to win his event, thereby earning $2.1 million. For Smidt, the victory inside AT&T Stadium provided him an emotional outlet to showcase his faith and his talent with a rope. He nearly broke down with his post-ride interview that was shown to the large crowd and to millions of viewers on national television.
“It’s the biggest one-day, well, two-day, rodeo there is,” he said. “Any time you can win it once is a dream come true, so winning twice is unbelievable. It’s dang sure a blessing to be able to win it twice.”
It was also a bit of redemption after the previous 15 months. After qualifying for the NFR in 2020, he wasn’t allowed to compete because of a positive COVID test directly before the championship at its one-time home of Globe Life Field in Arlington. He advanced into The American through the qualifying events, but things didn’t work out for him to talk away with an incredible payday a year ago.
“I got to rope for $1 million at The American last year, but I didn’t pull it off,” Smidt said. “It’s saddening to know you had a chance and didn’t come through.
“I’ve been in a lot of pressure situations. When you compete at a high level, you get in situations where you have to win and need to win. When you don’t come through, it sits deep in your stomach. It’s going to bother you if you have a winner’s mentality. I didn’t just shake it off and walk out of the arena. It made me want to be better. That’s what pushes me to get better.”
It worked, and he has 100,000 reasons to believe in himself. Because The American wasn’t sanctioned by the PRCA, the money earned doesn’t count toward the 2022 world standings, but it can come in quite handy. More than likely, though, his wife Brenna will have a plan soon.
“I’m sure my wife can find something,” he said with a laugh. “We have a three-bedroom house and three kids, so two of them share a room.
“Before too long, we’re going to have to add to our house.”
The way the competition worked, there were 17 cowboys in the first round of The American, which took place March 4 at Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, Texas. The top 10 times moved on to AT&T Stadium for Sunday, where the field was pared down the cowboys with the top four scores. Smidt was the third roper to make a run after watching Tuf Cooper and Riley Webb secure 7.60- and 7.81-second runs, respectively.
Smidt then roped and secured his calf in 6.87 seconds with only friend Hunter Herrin to compete. When Herrin struggled, Smidt lowered his head, dejected for his friend. It all factored into the emotions the Texan shared on the stage inside the massive stadium.
“Me and Hunter have become pretty close, and he helps me out and I help him out a lot,” Smidt said. “We were the last two guys to go; he got to rope for $2.1 million, me for $100,000. I wouldn’t have been disappointed at all if he would have won, because winning that kind of money was going to be life-changing.
“I couldn’t imagine what he was going through. I was just disappointed for him.”
That’s the nature of rodeo that isn’t seen in many other professional sports. Friendships develop, and relationships become more like family. He spent the last couple of years traveling with 2019 world champion Haven Meged, and the two have become really close friends. That helps. Meged was standing in the roping box with Smidt when he nodded his head for big money that Sunday afternoon.
While Brenna Smidt may have plans for that dough, Caleb would like to transfer some of it directly into is rodeo account to help pay for the expenses that come with being an elite cowboy. He wants to battle for another gold buckle, but he’s got some work to do; as of March 7, he was 27th in the world standings.
“My winter’s been really slow, but I also haven’t been a whole lot,” he said. “I like to hunt a lot more in the winter. After the finals, I call it good until February. I just show up at Fort Worth and San Antonio this year, but I haven’t had a lot of luck. My roping was just OK until I showed up in Fort Worth (for The American). I got to practice and put my body through a lot of stress.
“When you back in the box for $100,000, all that stuff goes away. That dang sure made it an awesome winter right away. Hopefully I can do good at Houston and Austin and get some points in the PRCA.”
Sometimes it takes just a moment, a flash of time, for everything to go in the right direction. Years of muscle memory return quickly to one of the greatest ropers in the business.
“To me, it’s more mental,” Smidt said. “At my age, you can’t go in the practice pen and run 20 calves every day like I did when I was 25. I’ve got to be mentally sharper and enjoy roping more because I’m not going to be roping for many more years.
“Someone’s mental deal can get in the way. I’ve seen a lot of people that can dang sure rope, but their mental game and lack of horsemanship gets in the way. It’s not easy. You still have to practice and work at it, but you need to be as strong mentally as you are physically. This is a tough sport.”
The sport isn’t any tougher than Caleb Smidt; his two titles at The American and three world championships prove it.
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American Royal Partners with Hooey Jr. Patriot To Serve As Regional Qualifier
American Royal Youth Rodeo Will Serve As A Regional Qualifier For The 2023 Hooey Jr. Patriot Rodeo
The American Royal Youth Rodeo has partnered with the Patriot event to serve as a regional qualifier for their 2023 Hooey Jr. Patriot Rodeo in Fort Worth. The 2022 American Royal Youth Rodeo will take place May 2nd through the 4th in Kansas City at the American Royal Complex.
“This opens a new opportunity for our youth rodeo contestants,” said Jackie McClaskey, American Royal Association President and Interim CEO. “This gives contestants from the Midwest the chance to compete at one rodeo and not only win the American Royal but also qualify for the Hooey Jr. Patriot.”
The top 15 contestants from select events will qualify to compete in the 2023 Hooey Jr. Patriot
Rodeo. Contestants must complete a separate entry to be considered to qualify.
For over 20 years, the American Royal Youth Rodeo has welcomed contestants from across the
Midwest to Kansas City to compete in a one-of-a-kind experience.
“We are excited to partner with the American Royal to host our first ever regional qualifier,” said Kevin Hall, Hooey Jr. Patriot Producer. “This allows young rodeo contestants from the Midwest an opportunity to compete on a national level.”
The American Royal Spring Field Trip program is held in conjunction with the youth rodeo. This program welcomes third graders from the Kansas City area to learn more about agriculture and the sport of rodeo.
Entries are currently open, visit AmericanRoyal.com for more information on how to enter.
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About the American Royal Association
A Kansas City tradition since 1899, the American Royal currently provides opportunities for youth and adults from around the world to compete in a variety of events including our Livestock Show, Pro Rodeo, Equine Shows, and the World Series of Barbecue. These events allow the American Royal, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, to give over $1 million annually for youth scholarships and to support agriculture education programs.
About The Patriot Event and Jr Patriot Rodeo
The Patriot is a multi-equine sport and entertainment entity, founded in 2014. The Patriot hosts many events, including: team roping, barrel racing, calf roping, steer wrestling, goat tying, pole bending and rough stock. The Patriot Event runs a series of Nationwide Qualifying Events to
feed into two Finale Events, Patriot Vegas in December and Patriot Fort Worth each February. Showmanship is held in the highest regard and has been a focal point in all Patriot Event productions.
The Jr Patriot Rodeo is a youth multi-equine rodeo production, developed by The Patriot Event to advance the sport of rodeo from the ground up. A series of over 100 qualifiers feed contestants from across the globe to gather in Fort Worth for one of the greatest events of the year. Together with their Sanctioning Bodies, the Jr Patriot has proven to be a leading innovator in the Western World’s Youth Industry.
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Homestate heroes Clay and Saebens win $150K at 2022 BFI & Speed Williams and Matt Sherwood win first-ever BFI Legends roping
Team roping fans who attended the 45th annual Bob Feist Invitational Team Roping Classic at the world-famous Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma were treated to the tightest short round in BFI history. And it was Sooner State cowboys Jake Cooper Clay and Billie Jack Saebens who came out kings of the 126-team BFI from third high callback to take the sweet $150,000 victory lap after roping six steers in 47.11 seconds.
“The BFI is the most prestigious roping there is, in my book,” said Clay, 23, who calls Sapulpa home. “I’ve watched the BFI forever. You can’t look away from the money, and there are so many people watching. Even people who don’t team rope know what the BFI is. What means the most to me is to look at the list of all the guys who’ve done good at this roping, and now I’m on that list.”
“The money’s good, but the confidence that comes with a win like this one might be even better,” said Saebens, 33, who lives in Nowata with his fellow Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier wife, Ivy. “I know I work hard at it, and have good horses. But you go to ropings, and you drive— I live dang near in Kansas, and I drive to Texas every week—and sometimes it feels like you get your butt kicked over and over. Capitalizing at a roping like this helps a guy forget about all the losing, all the driving and roping in the cold in Nowata.”
On top of the $152,000 payday, which also included $2,000 for fourth in the first round, Clay and Saebens were awarded Coats Saddles, Gist Buckles, YETI Luggage, Resistol Black Gold Hats, Best Ever Pads, Justin Full-Quill Ostrich Boots, HATPACS and B&W Trailer Hitches.
Finishing just one-tenth of a second behind Clay and Saebens’s 47.11 were James Arviso of Seba Dalkai, Arizona, and Josh Patton of Shallowater, Texas, who stopped the clock six times in 47.21. The team earned $103,000, including $100,000 for second in the average and $3,000 for second in the short round. Arviso and Patton also took home Lazy L Saddles, Best Ever Pads, Justin Smooth Ostrich Boots and B&W Trailer Hitches.
Cowboy Curveballs
The twists and turns at the 2022 BFI were wild. Arviso’s the 18-year-old nephew of Derrick Begay, and won the Hooey Jr BFI Open earlier this BFI Week with Oklahoma’s Landen Glenn, who’s also 18. Fast forward to BFI Day, and Glenn won the Rickey Green Award for the Overall Fast Time at the BFI behind Aaron Tsinigine with a 5.47-second winner in Round 3. Tyler Wade and Saebens won the inaugural RG award in 2019, by the way.
The Wrangler and Priefert Short Round winners were Bubba Buckaloo and Joseph Harrison with a 6.95-second run, which was good for $4,000. That put them fifth in the average for another $30,000 after roping six in 48.33. The third-place team of Rhen Richard and Jeremy Buhler were 47.35 on six for $70,000. Chad Masters and Cory Petska finished fourth in 47.92 for $50,000.
Sound Familiar?
If Jake Cooper Clay rings a bell, yes—Julana and Dwayne Clay DID name their son after roping legends and 1988 BFI Champs Jake Barnes and Clay Cooper (who also won the 1982 BFI behind Bret Beach). “They’re Jake Barnes and Clay O’Brien Cooper, and I look up to them so much,” Jake Cooper Clay said. “They’re awesome.”
If the head horse Clay just won BFI ’22 on looks familiar, there’s good reason for that, too. Zac Small won the 2016 BFI with Wesley Thorp riding Streakin Sun Dew, who’s Sun for short, and also qualified for and rode him at the 2016 NFR before leaving the rodeo trail to become a veterinarian.
Sun was named the Head Horse of the BFI, which came with the coveted Montana Silversmiths bronze and a $500 bonus check.
“Kaleb Driggers bought Sun from Zac Small; then Jake Cooper bought him from Driggers; then Driggers bought him back; then I bought him from Driggers about a month ago,” Clay said. “Sun’s 17 now, and still going strong.
“Horsepower’s the biggest thing, because the score’s so long and the steers run so hard. Good horses make all the difference here.”
Clay also rode the 2021 Head Horse of the BFI. Kevin Williams let him ride RC Shining Freckles, aka Leroy, and he, too, caught the judges’ eyes.
The Other Horse Hero
Harrison was deeply touched to take Heel Horse of the BFI honors with his horse The Governor, who like Sun is a sorrel. The Governor is 10, and his registered name is Freckles Instant Coffee.
“This award is a bucket-list thing for me,” Joseph said. “I’m a horse trainer, and this is a very prestigious roping. We don’t get very many horses like this one in a lifetime.”
BFI Best
Back to Clay and Saebens, Clay placed 10th at last year’s BFI with Rance Doyal, and has cashed a few go-round checks on the heeling side since he first entered in 2017. Clay’s planning to put his $76,000 half of the big BFI win toward horsepower and rodeoing.
“This money is going to help out so much, especially now that everything’s costing so much,” he said of fuel prices, which are pushing $5 a gallon, even in Oklahoma.
Saebens thinks BFI ’22 was his seventh, and he’s made the short round five times and placed fifth twice. He often wears the reserve BFI buckle he won in 2017 with Coleman Proctor.
“I think my success at the BFI has a lot to do with the fact that I’ve had two Heel Horses of the BFI,” said Saebens, who plans to reinvest his half of the windfall win into more horses and the house he and Ivy built a couple years back. “My black horse Kevin was Heel Horse of the BFI in 2017 when we won second. Kevin got hurt a couple years later, so I borrowed a bay horse I trained named Hank back from Mark Fenton in Missouri and he was the Heel Horse of the 2019 BFI.”
Team Clay and Saebens is full steam ahead on the rodeo trail. They joined forces right after the Fourth of July run last summer, and are rolling again in 2022. When the two teams behind them failed to pass them, Clay and Saebens were sitting side-by-side at the back end. Brenten Hall—who shared in a memorable $150,000 day heading for Jake in the #15 roping at the 2016 World Series of Team Roping Finale in Vegas when they were both 17—tackled Clay to kick-start the celebration.
“When we won fourth in the first round, I thought, ‘This is going to be a good day,’” Clay said. “We weren’t in the top six in the average going into the fifth round, then we were third high call. You never know at the BFI. I just wanted to catch that last steer, and let the rest take care of itself.
“The BFI is the most prestigious event I’ve ever won. I think the Lazy E is an awesome spot for this roping, because the arena’s big, the score’s longer and it really tests us. My next goal is to make the NFR, and try to win a gold buckle.”
Buckle Swap
Clay wore his Ellensburg Rodeo buckle on BFI Day. Saebens wore one from the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo. Both plan to wear their shiny new Gist Silversmiths BFI buckles.
“I hate to mess up such a beautiful buckle, but I don’t think I can keep myself from wearing this one, especially after they put my name on it,” Clay said.
“I wouldn’t normally wear a second-place buckle, but I do wear the one I won with Coleman in 2017,” Billie Jack said. “It’s hard to win second at the BFI, let alone first. I will absolutely wear this one for winning it.”
“You’re not going to get through this roping without a good horse,” Saebens said. “Milo’s a great horse. I rodeoed on him last summer, and he’s been my #1 all winter. I feel like Jake and I roped pretty good today, and we drew decent. Everybody ropes good, but I think our horses were what made the difference for our team. Jake never reached one time, and I never took a crazy shot.”
Strategic Wisdom
Tackling the tightest short round in BFI history—less than a second separated the top seven teams, and there were only 2.78 seconds between 15th and first—took hard-earned self-discipline for Saebens.
“I paid zero attention to the times,” he said. “Whenever they would start announcing times, I would think about something else. I was thinking, ‘If I draw a steer that makes me win fifth, I’ll win fifth.’ I rope for a living. If I try to press too hard, I mess up. I’ve done that enough that I know better.
“The way I think of it now is that I just let the roping come to me. When the shot presents itself, I take it. I wasn’t planning on throwing fast on that last steer. Things just opened up, and it happened. I used to have a bad habit of thinking I had to be fast when somebody made a good run in front of me. I’d throw whether I was ready or not. It’s taken a lot of work to get out of that, but it’s coming together now.”
Sweat Equity
Clay and Saebens live about an hour apart, and rope together a lot. Work ethic is this team’s heartbeat.
“We put in the hours,” Billie Jack said. “I know everybody works hard at it, and we do, too. When we aren’t practicing together, I can guarantee you Jake Clay is scoring and roping. It’s what we do.”
It seems unanimous that the 440-foot-long Lazy E Arena is the perfect place for this roping.
“I love it here,” Saebens said. “I like that they can put the barrier out there longer. The ground’s really good, and that makes my horses feel better and work better. It’s two hours from my house, and the fans who come here to watch love roping. That’s awesome. The payout and long score set this roping apart. And there are no other arenas where you can have a scoreline like this one that’s climate-controlled and comfortable year-round.”
Best Ever
Saebens set his alarm for 5 a.m. on BFI Day. He woke up at 3:50, and was so excited that he jumped up and left early.
“This win is #1 in my career for sure,” he said. “We just beat 125 of the best teams in the world over six head. I’ve made the Finals a couple times, and have had some success rodeoing. But I’ve never had another win like this one.
“I grew up in Eastern Missouri, and when I was a little kid, rodeoing and roping for a living was the pipe dream. I told myself, ‘I just want to make a living roping and riding horses.’ Everybody says they want to be a world champion. I would love to say that, and that’s what I want to be. But I’m not going to say that’s my goal, because my goal has never changed. I want to make a living roping and make good horses. What a day.”
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45TH BFI RESULTS:
Aggregate: 1. Jake Cooper Clay and Billie Jack Saebens, 47.11 seconds on six, $150,000; 2. James Arviso and Josh Patton, 47.21 seconds on six, $100,000; 3. Rhen Richard and Jeremy Buhler, 47.35 seconds on six, $70,000; 4. Chad Masters and Cory Petska, 47.92 on six, $50,000; 5. Bubba Buckaloo and Joseph Harrison, 48.33 seconds on six, $30,000; 6. Blake Hughes and Brady Norman, 48.54 seconds on six, $20,000; 7. Wyatt Bray and Cutter Thomison, 48.83 on six, $15,000; 8. Kaden Richard and Brady Ramone, 49.23 seconds on six, $12,000; 9. Dawson Graham and Dillon Graham, 49.24 seconds on six, $10,000; 10. Dustin Egusquiza and Travis Graves, 38.92 seconds on five, $9,000; 11. Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins, 39.37 seconds on five, $8,000; 12. Brenten Hall and Chase Tryan, 39.68 seconds on five, $7,500; 13. JC Yeahquo and LJ Yeahquo, 40.56 seconds on five, $6,500; 14. Clay Tryan and Jake Long, 40.82 seconds on five, $6,500; 15. Casey Hicks and Steve Orth, 41.13 seconds on five, $6,500
First Round: 1. Erich Rogers and Paden Bray, 6.92 seconds, $8,000; 2. Riley Minor and Brady Minor, 6.99 seconds, $6,000; 3. Keven Daniel and Adam Plyler, 7.55 seconds, $4,000; 4. Jake Cooper Clay and Billie Jack Saebens, 7.56 seconds, $2,000.
Second Round: 1. Clay Smith and Jade Corkill, 6.45 seconds, $8,000; 2. Tanner Tomlinson and Patrick Smith, 6.74 seconds, $6,000; 3. Brenten Hall and Chase Tryan, 7.03 seconds, $4,000; 4. Hayes Smith and Cullen Teller, 7.06 seconds, $2,000.
Third Round: 1. Aaron Tsinigine and Landen Glenn, 5.47 seconds, $8,000; 2. Clay Smith and Jade Corkill, 5.79 seconds, $6,000; 3. Dustin Egusquiza and Travis Graves, 5.97 seconds, $4,000; 4. Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira, 6.39 seconds, $2,000.
Fourth Round: 1. Britt Smith and Jake SMith, 5.58 seconds, $8,000; 2. Andrew Ward and Buddy Hawkins, 5.59 seconds, $6,000; 3. Clint Summers and Ross Ashford, 5.66 seconds, $4,000; 4. Kolton Schmidt and Wyatt Cox, 5.73 seconds, $2,000
Fifth Round: 1. Chad Masters and Cory Petska, 5.68 seconds, $8,000; 2. (tie) Braden Pirrung and Lane Siggins, 5.70 seconds, $5,000; 2. (tie) Marcus Theriot and Jim Ross Cooper, 5.70 seconds, $5,000; 3. JC Yeahquo and LJ Yeahquo, 5.89 seconds, $2,000.
Short Round: 1. Bubba Buckaloo and Joseph Harrison, 6.95 seconds, $4,000; 2. James Arviso and Josh Patton, 7.32 seconds, $3,000; 3. Dawson Graham and Dillon Graham, 7.54 seconds, $2,000; 4. Kaden Richard and Brady Ramone, 7.71 seconds, $1,000
Speed Williams and Matt Sherwood win first-ever BFI Legends roping
It took 10 gold heading buckles to win the inaugural BFI Legends Roping, and Speed Williams and Matt Sherwood were the over-40 guys who brought their best game to the world-famous Lazy E Arena on April 1 to get it done. Eight-time champ of the world Williams, 54, headed for two-time world heading titlist Sherwood, 52, as one of 34 teams entered that treated the crowd to a sweet real-time walk down memory lane.“Are you kidding me, I won $20,000 for roping with Speed Williams?” Sherwood grinned at roping’s end. “I’ve never run a steer with the best header in the world ever to live. To be able to keep my composure and do my job is very rewarding to me personally. What a fun situation to find myself in.”
Speed’s first-round draft picks for the BFI Legends Roping were his partner in eight-gold-buckle crime, Rich Skelton, and seven-time champ, Clay Cooper.
“I called Clay and asked him if he was coming to rope with me,” said Williams, who lives in Comanche, Texas. “He said he wasn’t coming. I said, ‘What? It’s the Legends Roping. They can’t have it without you and Jake (Barnes). That’s just not right.’ But they’d already booked a roping school.”
Then came the timely text.
“I texted Speed and said, ‘Hey, do you want to rope at the BFI and the Legends Roping?’ Sherwood said. “He texted me back and said, ‘Clay’s not coming, so I’ll rope with you in the Legends. But I’ve already got one in the BFI.”
Williams doesn’t just “have one” in today’s BFI—he’s heading for Speed and Jennifer’s baby boy and 15-year-old son, Gabe, thanks to the Legends Roping luring him to the Lazy E.
“There was no way around it if I came and roped in this Legends roping,” Speed smiled. “So at dinner that night, I said, ‘Buddy, they’re having an over-40 Legends Roping at the BFI this year.’ His eyes lit up. He said, ‘Does that mean we’re going to rope in the BFI, Dad?’ I said, ‘It sounds like it, buddy.’
“What I was really concerned about was whether or not my body was going to stay healthy for all the practice getting ready to come here, because my son is worse than Rich. Back in the day, I could go to Rich’s house, run 40 or 50 and leave. I’m all day doing lessons, and my son wants to rope all day and all night. About a month ago, I got some big, stout, hard-running steers, so we could prepare. My son is truly excited to rope in the BFI. I’m about worn out.”
What a wonderful reunion the BFI Legends roping was. Rounding out the top four teams were Jeff Hilton and Zane Bruce, Tyler Magnus and double-dipping Bruce, and Tee Woolman and Walt Woodard.
“I’ve seen guys here that I haven’t seen in a long time,” Speed said. “We got to visit and shake a lot of hands with a lot of guys we haven’t gotten to see. Getting to see peers you haven’t seen in a lot of years is pretty cool. And it’s been a long time since I’ve stood on stage for winning something. So that’s kind of special.”
“I love the concept of the BFI Legends Roping,” added Sherwood, who’s heading for Utah’s Kycen Winn in the 2022 BFI. “I got to see a lot of people here that I haven’t seen in quite a while, like Kevin Stewart, Chris Lawson and George Aros. It was so great to see so many of these people I haven’t seen rope in a long time.”
Speed rode a 9-year-old he calls Green Light that he bought from Dustin Egusquiza, in part because he was a little bit green to be going out on the rodeo road.
“He’s kind of special, and has some personality to him,” said Williams, who noted that his name is because daughter Hali has a horse they call Red Light, who has some similar traits. “He’s a little bit like Viper (Speed’s rodeo-career signature horse), because he’s so broke. I’m kind of excited about him.”
Sherwood rode a 7-year-old mare he raised that his family calls Cory.
“She’s out of a mare that went blind as a baby,” Sherwood said. “I gave the mare to a buddy of mine in Utah, and Cory is her first colt. Cory got her name because whenever we were breaking her, my boy was riding her around without a tie-down. And it was right after Cory Petska won the world (in 2017) with no tie-down.”
Williams has won the BFI with Skelton three times, in 1998, 2001 and 2002. His favorite memory is winning it the first time. The worst was the year he was sick as three dogs on BFI day.
What sets the BFI apart from all the rest of the ropings in the world?
“Horsemanship,” Speed said. “There are a lot of guys who can rope now. This roping separates the guys who can ride and control a horse, and set the run up for their heelers.
“My best advice to headers at their first BFI is when you think you’ve seen ’em enough, hold your horse in there just a little longer. And the bottom line is, the BFI is a marathon.”
“The BFI has just gotten bigger and bigger,” Sherwood said. “BFI Week now has something for everybody—the youth, the old guys, the best guys in the world, the girls—and it pays so good.
“I think the Lazy E is a great place to have BFI Week. Reno’s so far for the guys in the Southeast, but almost everyone can get here in 20 hours or less. This facility is amazing, and with this big arena, the BFI is back to a longer barrier. I think this is a phenomenal place for this phenomenal event.”
BFI Legends Results:
Aggregate: 1. Speed Williams and Matt Sherwood, 40.9 seconds, $40,000; 2. Jeff Hilton and Zane Bruce, 44.0 seconds, $10,000; 3. Tyler Magnus and Zane Bruce, 45.38 seconds, $5,000. First Round: 1. Manny Egusquiza and Monty Joe Petska, 6.64 seconds, $2,000. Second Round: 1. Chris Francis and Josh Patton, 5.41 seconds, $2,000.
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About Ullman-Peterson Events
The Phoenix-based production company helmed by Daren Peterson and Corky Ullman has owned and produced the Bob Feist Invitational since 2012 and purchased the Reno Rodeo Invitational team ropings in 2015. Founded by notable rodeo announcer and publisher Bob Feist in 1977, the BFI is the richest team roping event for professionals and one of the most prestigious, due to its limited roster and long head-start for steers. The high-stakes amateur, female and youth roping events surrounding the BFI comprise Wrangler BFI Week – the most lucrative one-day events of their kind.
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McCoy Rodeo
Cord McCoy is known for his bull riding career in the PBR and PRCA, raising professional-level bucking bulls, and even taking his cowboy smarts to the TV show The Amazing Race with his brother Jet. Now, the 41-year-old husband and dad is taking on his next adventure of producing rodeos.
McCoy Rodeo started in 2021 and already has 10 PRCA events scheduled for the 2022 season in Illinois, Oklahoma, Texas, and Iowa. “It’s been a pretty exciting ride,” says Cord. “Most conversations I have are with committees and sponsors. Now we’re talking to marketing groups and deciding which events to televise and what to add as far as entertainers and specialty acts. It’s pretty cool, because I’ve always been in the western way of life and rodeo, but now I get to be the guy that brings rodeo to those towns and show our lifestyle. It’s not only a big responsibility, but pretty exciting when communities can come together and celebrate events about this lifestyle, and it can be a highlight of that community.”
A favorite event for Cord in 2021 was the Tulsa Time Invitational, named after his 3-year-old daughter, Tulsa. Hosted at McCoy Ranch in Lane, Oklahoma, 77 women entered their own two-year-old bulls or leased bulls, flanked them in the chutes, and bucked them for four seconds with a dummy or box. “It was women only behind the chutes, and it paid out close to $15,000 to win first. Women came from all over to compete, and some of them were flanking a bucking bull for the first time.” The invitational will be held again on April 30, 2022, in conjunction with the McCoy Ranch Production Sale, which takes place twice a year. McCoy Rodeo is also teaming up with the WRCA to produce the Duncan Ranch Rodeo on May 5, 2022.
Raising bulls since he was 6 years old inspired Cord to not only see his livestock bucking all over the country, but also produce some of the events they compete in. “My breeding program literally started in 1986 when my dad gave me a big, longhorn cow. From 1986, it was always my intention to raise bucking bulls. My oldest brother (Justen) worked for Larry Kephart, who owned a bunch of the original Plummers from Charlie Plummer. When we leased bulls off Kephart, that had an effect in the start of our bull breeding program. We were able to tap into some of the best genetics as a foundation for our breeding program. When we were younger, my dad (Denny McCoy) produced junior rodeos for us to ride in the winter. Whether we’ve had horse sales or rodeos, we’ve always had it in our blood. But for our family owning a PRCA stock contracting business, this is a first.”
One of Cord’s most popular bulls is 612 Ridin Solo. “He has a pretty cool attitude about him, and I think the fans love him and the riders love him. Through ABBI competition, he’s won a little over $300,000. His semen sells good, and he was in the top 5 for PBR Bull of the Year in 2021. An up-and-coming superstar we introduced in Las Vegas in November is Black Cherry, a three-year-old coming on four. He was the top high-mark bull in Vegas, and when he’s doing that at three, that’s like the idea of Lebron James coming out of high school and going into the NBA. He’ll make his 2022 debut in Fort Worth, and he’s also on the roster to go to Madison Square Garden. Our partner for him is ProVantage Animal Health.”
Whether Cord is purchasing bulls, like Cliff Hanger, the top WNFR bull of 2020, or breeding his own stock, the chief characteristic he looks for is heart. “People really need to understand that you can’t make a bull buck. They have to want to buck, so heart is really the first thing I look for. Then I’m looking for that athletic ability.” Cord also studies which lines of bulls cross well with which lines of cows, researching the ABBI database carefully before breeding season begins in April.
McCoy Ranch has all of the facilities on site needed to prepare their bulls for competition, mimicking the setup a bull might see at a PBR or PRCA event. “We’re really giving the bull the opportunity to practice and get better. The more they buck, the more they know where to put their feet and how to kick and turn,” Cord explains. “I try to let the bulls do the talking. They’re all individual and have their own needs and wants.” Cord uses a remote to release the bucking dummy from young bulls when they exhibit skills he wants to reward, such as turning fast or hard. “We’re prepping these calves to walk in (to competition) and know how to jump and spin, and when you see them on TV, you get to see the finished product.”
Depending on the bulls’ size and development, three years old is often the earliest they have riders climb on. Cord travels all over the country taking his bulls to futurities, and PBR and PRCA events. In January alone he’ll haul his stock trailer to Indianapolis, New York City, and Chicago. “It’s kind of like managing a team. I’m just changing the roster every week to fit those bulls.”
Though at times Cord spends more time in the cab of his truck than at home, his wife, Sara, and daughter, Tulsa, often travel with him, and all work together to run the ranch. “People would say when you’re buying a rodeo company, you don’t have as much time with family. But other than Christmas and Easter, nothing has brought our family closer. We have brothers and sisters, cousins, and brothers-in-law who jumped in and helped. We’ve enjoyed it a lot, bringing family together and being wrapped around McCoy Rodeo,” says Cord. “I’m excited about our program and how fast it’s growing. It all happens with our partners, and we have so many good ones. When we think we see a contender for bucking bull of the year out there, our partners jump on with us so we can add superstars to our program.” -
Back When They Bucked with Roy Rodriguez
“He was extremely fast from the horse to the calf, he was well mounted, and he was a competitor. He wanted to beat you and still be good friends while doing it.”
Roy Rodriguez let his actions speak louder than his words.
Whether it was in the rodeo arena, on a rodeo board, with his family or at his job, the Clayton, Michigan man did the right thing, even if it didn’t benefit him.
A calf roper, team roper, and bulldogger, he dominated the rodeo arenas across the upper Midwest for several decades.
He was fast, well-mounted, and for him, rodeo was a business and a way to provide for his family.
Roy was born to Juan and Beatriz Rodriguez in 1944, the youngest of six children, in Cotulla, Texas. When he was two, his parents moved to Michigan because of the promise of better paying jobs. His dad went to work for a company that made motor parts for the Ford Motor Co.
In Texas, Juan was handy as a ranch cowboy and with leatherwork, but also with a rope. He competed against some of the toughest ropers of his day in match ropings, beating many of them. But he didn’t have the wherewithal to rope full time.
When he came north, he worked at a dairy farm for a short time before beginning at an auto parts factory, where Roy would join him after high school.
Juan was a founding father in the Michigan Ropers Association in 1948-49. He competed in the organization, as did Roy and several of his brothers. At the age of 55, Juan was the MRA champion. Two years later, his son Ray was champ, and in 1974 and 1978, Roy was champ.
In addition to the Michigan Ropers Association, Roy was a member of the now-defunct Midwest Cowboys Association.
He graduated from high school in 1962 and a year later was working for the same company as his dad, starting as a laborer, then, two years later, as a foreman. By the age of nineteen, he was in charge of a multi-million dollar plant from 11 pm to 7 am each day.
He was a “weekend warrior,” competing on the weekends and being home for a job Monday through Friday.
He followed in his dad’s footsteps with his roping abilities. Calf roping was his strength, but he team roped and steer wrestled, too.
He competed not only in the MRA and the MCA, but Mid-States Cowboy Association (the eastern association, compared to the western association), winning the tie-down title in 1978 and 1983. He also competed in the International Pro Rodeo Association. He was consistently in the top fifteen in all of his associations. Finals weren’t always held, due to a lack of funding, but when they were, Roy was at them.
In 1966, Roy was drafted and sent to Vietnam for a year. He was discharged in July of 1968.
While in Vietnam, he became acquainted with another rodeo cowboy, Ned Londo. Roy was in Fire Direction Control, Ned was in the 11th Armored Calvary Black Horse, on the gun. As is typical in the military, there was plenty of slow times, with nothing to do. Roy and Ned found a coil of rope , made a dummy and roped the dummy to kill time.
But their biggest fun was a bit of rodeo in the jungles of Vietnam. Kids would walk by, heading to the rice fields with the Brahma cattle they used in the paddies. One time, it turned into a dare. “I don’t know if he said it or I said it, but one of us said, if you rope him, I’ll ride him,” Ned said. So Roy roped the Brahma and Ned rode it. “She didn’t buck much but we had fun and the kids enjoyed the show.” The village elders did not appreciate the rodeo, however, and the commanding officer spent the evening in the village smoothing things out!
A year after his return to the States, Roy danced with a brunette girl at the dance hall by the lake. Later that night, at the hamburger joint, they met up again, and he asked her out. It was love at first sight, Sharon said. They married on Valentine’s Day, 1969.
Roy made his own rope horses. His first horse was his dad’s, a big buckskin that stood 16 hands and weighed 1,600 lbs. When he went to buy his own horse, he found a black barrel horse in Oklahoma with the reputation of stopping so hard he flipped people over his head. The horse had been sold to a woman for the barrel racing, but it was also a calf horse. When Roy asked how much, the woman priced the horse so low “I couldn’t turn it down,” he said. He bought it, named it Smoky, and that weekend, went to a couple of rodeos and a match roping. “I ended up winning the match roping, placing at both rodeos, and I paid for him.”
Smoky was “no speedster but he was quick,” he said, “for probably a good 100 feet. He’d get out of the box so quick, I’d get a shot off quick and I wouldn’t have to run my calves so far. He was quick and he was stout. He basically looked like a miniature draft horse.”
Roy was the first calf roper in his part of the country to dismount on the right. It happened by accident. It was the early 1960s, at a rodeo in Michigan, and Roy was late in arriving. His dad advised him to not break the barrier, because the calf was fast. “When that calf came out, he flew,” Roy remembers. “I caught up with him at the bucking chutes. I was committed on the right side, and we were running so fast, I finally ended up throwing the rope and flew off the right side. And from that day forth, I got off on the right.”
His wife Sharon was a farm girl, not a rodeo girl. She had always wanted a horse, so when they married, Juan bought her a saddle with a high back. “It was like a death trap,” Sharon laughed. “It had big swells in the front and the back came up. When you got in that saddle, you weren’t going anywhere.” She learned to ride and enjoyed it.
The couple volunteered in several associations. In the 1980s and 1990s, Roy was president and Sharon was secretary of the Michigan Ropers Association. They held the same roles in the Mid-States Association for three years.
When their children rodeoed in high school, there was no high school association in the state of Michigan, so they, along with others, traveled to Ohio to compete. After a few years, Roy said, “this is ridiculous. What does it take to get a high school association in Michigan?” It required $300. He went on a campaign at his rodeos, asking for donations. By the time the collections ended, he had $1,500. He and Sharon were founders of the Michigan High School Rodeo Association in 1989 and stayed on as board members till their kids were through high school.
Their children: Raul, Ryan and Mindy, all competed in rodeo at one time or another. Raul was a roper, finishing third in the National Inter-Collegiate Rodeo Association in the steer wrestling. He continues to rodeo and is a PRCA judge. Ryan, a rodeo clown, worked PRCA events for years, including the 2010 National Finals Rodeo. Mindy, a barrel racer, qualified for the National High School Finals Rodeo.
Raul remembers his dad always stood for what was right, even when no one was watching. He often told his kids, “this is not going to benefit you,” he’d say, regarding whatever situation they were in, “but it is the right thing to do.” He always dressed western for rodeos. “When you went to a rodeo, you’d better look the part,” Raul said. “Boots polished, jeans starched, a long sleeve shirt and a hat.”
In addition to his fulltime job, rodeo board memberships and competition, he and Sharon had 160 acres, a couple dozen head of cattle and horses, a stud and brood mares. He was plant superintendent by the time he retired from his job in 2004 after 44 years of service.
He roped his last calf in 2009. He’d had his knees replaced and didn’t want to put them through jumping off a horse.
He’s won two calf roping titles in the Mid-States (1978, 1983) and two in the Michigan Ropers Association (1974, 1978). In 1974, he finished in the top twenty in the world in the International Pro Rodeo Association.
“He was fast when nobody was fast,’ remembered his friend, Jeff Tracy. The Orient, Ohio cowboy roped against Roy numerous times. In the Ohio area in the ‘70s and ‘80s, cowboys were making runs of eleven, twelve, and thirteen seconds. But when Roy came to town, he was tying calves in the tens. “He was extremely fast from the horse to the calf, he was well mounted, and he was a competitor. He wanted to beat you and still be good friends while doing it.”
Oftentimes Roy and Sharon’s oldest boy, Raul, rodeoed in high school in Ohio without his parents. Roy made Jeff Raul’s parental guardian while in the state. The Rodriguez family “isn’t big on patting themselves on the back,” Jeff said, “but they let their actions do the talking.”
Roy had a family to support with his rodeo. When he bought his first house, he had a decade to pay it off. “I got it paid in ten years, with the help of rodeo,” he said.
“He had a family to support,” Jeff said. “He was good. No matter where you put him, he would have been an excellent athlete. It just happened that he roped calves.”
Roy and Sharon have four grandsons and one granddaughter: Paxton and Preston, the sons of Raul and Polly; Rad and Riot, the sons of Ryan, and Reese, the daughter of Mindy and Gary Fetzer.
He’s loved his life. “I’ve been blessed, with almost everything I’ve done. I have a wonderful wife, I have good kids, and good grandkids. So what more can a person want?
“I would do it all over again. I’d do it just like I did it the first time.
“I’m blessed.”