Franks keeps adding NFR cash
LAS VEGAS – When nickels are mixed with dimes, they eventually add up to dollars. That seems to be how Cole Franks is playing his game in Sin City this week during his second appearance at the National Finals Rodeo. He’s placed five out of six nights, so that’s good. He even finished in a […]
Casper earns another NFR check
LAS VEGAS – It’s been a bit of a waiting game for saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper. He’s done well, riding all six of his horses. He’s placed three times, albeit each paycheck was on the smallish end of the spectrum at the National Finals Rodeo, where go-round winners earn nearly $29,000 per day for […]
Aus rocks at Round 6 of the NFR
LAS VEGAS – On the third night of the National Finals Rodeo, when nastiest bareback horses were on display, Tanner Aus made a little mistake, and it cost him. On Night 4, he made a bigger mistake and suffered a no-score, virtually taking him out of any shot for this year’s world championship. It was […]
Pope knows this NFR is special
LAS VEGAS – The tears never flowed, but Jess Pope was obviously emotional when talking about one of the great champions in bareback riding. J.R. Vezain never won a gold buckle, but he qualified for the National Finals Rodeo six times, the last after he suffered a catastrophic back injury while riding a bucking horse […]
O’Connell gets his Knicks at NFR
LAS VEGAS – The Stevie Nicks most folks know is best known for her provocative voice and retro sound from her 1970s and ’80s stardom. Tim O’Connell knows a different superstar by a similar name in Macza Pro Rodeo’s Stevie Knicks, and the two matched up for the fourth time during Monday’s fifth go-round of […]
Franks adds another NFR check
LAS VEGAS – Here’s the thing about working with animals, even some of the best ever: Sometimes they don’t have their day. That was the case with Frontier Rodeo’s Gun Fire, the 2022 PRCA Bareback Horse of the Year, during Monday’s fifth go-round at the National Finals Rodeo. Cole Franks, who set an arena-record, 93-point […]
Heisman is Proctor’s NFR star
LAS VEGAS – As an avid University of Oklahoma sports fan, Coleman Proctor knows a thing or two about the football team’s Heisman history. Since the 1950s, the Sooners have had seven winners of college football’s most cherished individual prize. From Billy Vessels in 1952 through Billy Sims in 1978 to Kyler Murray in 2018, […]
Pope puts his mind to NFR test
LAS VEGAS – A night after riding one of the rankest horses in rodeo to win the third round of the National Finals Rodeo, Jess Pope got a bit of a break with Stace Smith Pro Rodeo’s Star Witness. “At this stage and at this level, everyone is supposed to ride those horses perfect,” said […]
Casper earns another small NFR check
LAS VEGAS – Saddle bronc rider Wyatt Casper is riding well, but his pocketbook isn’t showing it just yet. In four nights at the National Finals Rodeo, he has placed twice and collected just $3,886. That’s less than stellar at ProRodeo’s grand finale, which pays go-round winners nearly $29,000 per night. In both instances, he […]
Shadbolt snags first NFR check
LAS VEGAS – Every step of every day can be a learning experience; the stage is just bigger for an athlete competing in a championship event. Bareback rider Garrett Shadbolt is learning a few things about his sport and about himself at the National Finals Rodeo. It may feel a bit like a slow course, […]
Franks rolls back into NFR money
LAS VEGAS – The bareback riders at the National Finals Rodeo went from one extreme to another in 24 hours. It’s just part of the Las Vegas experience, for most visitors, but these men are in town on a business venture. They tried their hands at the hardest-to-ride broncs in the sport Saturday night, then […]
O’Connell snags 3rd NFR check
LAS VEGAS – The sky is the limit for a bareback rider with the talent of Tim O’Connell, a three-time world champion. He may have come close to it Saturday night. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been that high in this arena for that many seconds in a row,” O’Connell said of his 82.5-point […]
Struxness strikes in Round 3
LAS VEGAS – For some, earning the first paycheck at the National Finals Rodeo provides a sense of relief. J.D. Struxness has been through all this before. He didn’t let the fact that he hadn’t placed on the opening two nights of the championship bother him. He just went back to work and found his […]
Proctor among Round 3 leaders
LAS VEGAS – Now in his seventh trip to the National Finals Rodeo, team roping header Coleman Proctor has learned to trust himself and those special things around him. It showed during Saturday’s third go-round, when he and his heeler, Logan Medlin, stopped the clock in 4.3 seconds to finish in a tie for fourth […]
Smith earns share of Round 3 title
LAS VEGAS – The pressure-packed National Finals Rodeo can add a lot of stress to the 120 men and women that have earned the right to compete for the sport’s championship. The purse is $1.4 million, and there are big checks paid out daily. If a contestant does not beat most of the people in […]
Pope wins NFR’s third round
LAS VEGAS – Jess Pope looks at things a little differently than most people. He’s a bareback rider, so it comes with the business. It works for him, and it worked Saturday night with an 86.5-point ride on Stace Smith ProRodeo’s Mr. Harry to win the third go-round of the National Finals Rodeo. It was […]
Harrison earns key awards
Cinch entertainer wins three PRCA honors for 2022 LAS VEGAS – For most of his career, Cinch entertainer John Harrison has been one of the preeminent men in ProRodeo. He is an award-winning comedian and a standout barrelman, working the National Finals Rodeo in that capacity for an eighth time. On Nov. 30, he added […]
Casper gains momentum at NFR
LAS VEGAS – Wyatt Casper’s first saddle bronc ride of the 2022 National Finals Rodeo wasn’t significant to most. He scored 83.5 points on Rosser Rodeo’s California Dreamin and finished 10th in the opening round of this year’s championship. There was no money, and his place in the world standings didn’t really change. Still, it […]
Franks staying in the NFR game
LAS VEGAS – At a lot of rodeos Cole Franks went to this season, a $1,555 payday for an eight-second ride was pretty nice. At the richest rodeo in the world, though, it’s just a nice way to stay in the game. That’s the way it went Friday for Franks, who rode Rafter G Rodeo’s […]
Breuer hungry for more at NFR
LAS VEGAS – When Ty Breuer arrived in Sin City for his sixth chance to ride at the National Finals Rodeo, he came in with a fire in his belly. “I’m feeling good and hungry, so hopefully it just keeps going,” said Breuer, a seven-time NFR qualifier from Mandan, North Dakota. He earned a little […]
Joy fills O’Connell on every ride
LAS VEGAS – For the second straight night, three-time world champion Tim O’Connell earned some Las Vegas cash by placing at the National Finals Rodeo. He rode Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Network Gazer for 84 points to finish fifth in Friday’s second go-round, earning $7,462. It’s more than $21,000 less than he had hoped, because round […]
Pope handling NFR business
LAS VEGAS – When it’s time to win in Las Vegas, Jess Pope rolls the dice and trusts where they will land. He’s a two-time National Finals Rodeo average champion, so this format suits him. On Friday night, he rode Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Wilson Sanchez for 85 points to finish fourth in the second […]
Aus rolls to big Night 2 payday
LAS VEGAS – Stock contractor Cullen Pickett is popular among a lot of cowboys, but he’s a big name on the men who ride bareback horses. Pickett Pro Rodeo has 11 bareback broncs at this year’s National Finals Rodeo, and Tanner Aus was matched with one in Topped Off during Friday’s second round. The two […]
Proctor earns first-round pay
LAS VEGAS – Coleman Proctor tried to change things up a bit in his seventh trip to the National Finals Rodeo. He’s only placed in the first go-round one other time, and that came six seasons ago. He and his partner, Logan Medlin, stopped the clock in 5.6 seconds to finish sixth on Night 1 […]