Paul Tierney, Oral, S.D.

It’s been 27 years since Paul Tierney walked into the Fabulous Lazy E Arena to show off the all-around skills that had made him famous.

It’s been 25 years since he won the first of four Timed Event Championship titles. That was in March 1987, when Tierney was one of the biggest names in ProRodeo. You see, he won the Tie-Down Roping World Championship in 1979. A year later, the South Dakota cowboy ended Tom Ferguson’s six-year reign as all-around champion and became the second PRCA cowboy to surpass $100,000 in single-season earnings.

For all that, Tierney was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2008. His likeness appears in the museum with the greatest names who have ever competed in the sport.

His likeness also appears in the Lazy E Arena’s Roper’s Cantina, where champions are displayed. In addition to that magical 1987 Timed Event, Tierney won the elusive and prestigious title in 1991, 1997 and 2001, becoming the only cowboy in the event’s history to have earned the title in three decades.

Next weekend, Tierney will compete against his two sons, Jess and Paul David, both of whom excel in ProRodeo now. Jess Tierney qualified for the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping last November, and Paul David Tierney was one of the top 25 all-around cowboys last season.

Now Paul Tierney will make history again. Retired from competition, he sneaks into this field as an injury replacement for Trevor Brazile, who was injured about a week before the Timed Event begins. But he gets to make history by competing with two talented sons.

That’s a great bonus.