A look back at the 2018 ProRodeo season serves as a crystal ball, of sorts, for the new year. The world champions were crowned less than a month ago, with three Texans earning those prestigious Montana Silversmiths gold buckles—all-around titlist Trevor Brazile earned his 24th world title; tie-down roper Caleb…
Championship Saturday at the National Finals Rodeo featured a wide range of emotions, from the giddiness of 24-year-old Hailey Kinsel to the teary goodbyes of Trevor Brazile to the remembrances of loved ones lost in 2018 for Caleb Smidt. All three Texans earned those coveted Montana Silversmiths gold buckles while…
A regulation basketball court is 94 feet long, 50 feet wide. Now, imagine those dimensions with rounded corners, a floor filled with dirt and 17,000-plus screaming fans. That’s the National Finals Rodeo, the sport’s grand championship that hosts the very best in the game from each season. Other than dirt,…
In December 2013, upon discovering that there was a void for live rodeo coverage in the western marketplace, Wrangler Jeans launched the Wrangler Network. The first and only free rodeo and western lifestyle digital platform that offers 24-7 content to all. As the go-to resource for…
Before he met his fiancé, Richmond Champion only ventured north of the border for a few large Canadian rodeos each year. Then Paige Lawrence entered her life. From the tiny burg of Kennedy, Saskatchewan, Lawrence was living in Calgary, Alberta, when the two began dating. That’s when Champion, a four-time…
Working or competing at every large rodeo in the United States is a magnificent feat, and it’s one that John Gwatney is proud to have on his resume. He has been decorated for his knowledge in the sport. A man who has competed in every event inside the arena, he…
Gold may be a rare commodity for many, but a couple of cowboys in Decatur own it in a bushel basket. Between them, Trevor Brazile and Tuf Cooper own 27 world championship gold buckles. They are great ropers, great horsemen, great cowboys and the faces of the ProRodeo. They’re also…
Neither Jacobs Crawley nor Sterling Crawley can remember the first time they were horseback; they were just too young. “They have pictures of us in diapers leading horses,” said Sterling Crawley, 27, the youngest of the bronc riding brothers who grew up in Ennis and graduated from high school in…
Just as the Earth revolves on its axis, the rodeo world is cyclical. One season begins before another ends. In ProRodeo, the 2018 regular season concluded Sept. 30. The qualifiers to the National Finals Rodeo are securing their final arrangements to compete in the sport’s grand championship, held inside the…
It takes a certain spirit to handle the rugged terrain of West Texas. It’s a virtual desert with just enough vegetation to make a decent place to raise livestock. That’s why Marvin McKinley Fisher Sr. moved from Arkansas to Andrews more than a century ago. He passed it along to…
