World Champions Crowned
By Ed Knocke
Trevor Brazile finally pulled off a feat Saturday at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo that only one other rodeo cowboy ever has been able to accomplish.
The Decatur, Texas, cowboy eventually staved off Josh Peek to earn his seventh world all-around championship to equal rodeo icon Ty Murray in the record book. In the process, he passed Larry Mahan and Tom Ferguson, who both had won six all-around titles.
After a lackluster start, Brazile not only earned the coveted all-around title, but he also captured his second tie-down roping championship in three years.
The roping crown also came down to the final round, where Brazile beat his brother-in-law, Tuf Cooper, by $13,994 for the title. Brazile needed a 13.2-second run in the final round to gain the championship. Although he didn’t earn money in the final round, he did a lot better, roping and tying his calf in 8.8 seconds to wrap up the honor.
All totaled, Brazile finished with $346,779 in earnings to beat Peek by $101,712 for the all-around championship. He ended up beating Cooper, $188,342 to $174,348, for the tie-down crown.
“The only day better than the 10th round is the day after the 10th round,’’ Brazile said. “It’s a relief. It’s been a tough week. If there’s a lesson for anybody out there, confidence is good, and there’s no room for cockiness in this sport. You can get set back really easy. This is the quickest serving of humble pie you can get in any sport.’’
Other world champions crowned on Saturday night were Bobby Mote of Culver, Oregon, in bareback riding; Lee Graves of Calgary, Alberta, in steer wrestling; Nick Sartain of Yukon, Oklahoma, and Kollin VonAhn, of Durant, Oklahoma, in team roping; Jesse Kruse of Great Falls, Montana, in saddle bronc riding; Brittany Pozzi of Victoria, Texas, in barrel racing; and J.W. Harris of May, Texas in bull riding.
In bareback riding, Mote earned his third world championship with an 88.5-point ride on Beutler and Son Rodeo’s Wonderland in the final round, finishing with $310,219 in earnings for the year and beating Clint Cannon for the title by $43,634. Cannon, who had recorded a season record $233,504 en route to the first-place spot entering the NFR, strained his left groin in the second round and never was able to showcase his outstanding riding style.
Graves earned his steer wrestling title after Luke Branquinho missed his steer in the final round. Branquinho, the two-time and defending world champion, had been leading the average, but after his miss, Graves took over the leadership and earned the $43,954 first-place average check which moved him to the world title.
Going into the final round, five teams had a chance to claim world championships in team roping. In the end, it was Sartain and VonAhn who emerged as the world champions, beating Luke Brown and Martin Lucero. The Oklahoma pair gained the advantage after Brown and Lucero got a no time in the final round and relinquished their average lead.
Kruse had been leading the saddle bronc standings for almost all of the season and he finished it off with an 84-point ride aboard Flying 5 Rodeo’s Spring Blues in the final round. He beat Cody DeMoss by $24,726. It was the fourth time that DeMoss, who has yet to earn a world championship, has finished as the runner up to the world champion.
Pozzi ending up winning the barrel racing title after Sherry Cervi defeated Lindsay Sears for the average title. Pozzi entered the final round leading the world championship race, but was third in the average while Sears was leading the category. Then came the final round where Cervi placed second with a 13.79-second run and Sears finished with a 13.94 that was good for fifth place. Pozzi placed third in the round with a 13.81 run and when Cervi moved ahead of Sears in the average, the title was Pozzi’s.
Harris became the first repeat champion in bull riding since Utah’s Blue Stone in 2001-02. A broken right (riding) hand prevented Harris from adding to the $219,275 total he had when he arrived in Las Vegas, making him the first bull rider to win the world championship without winning any money at the NFR since Bill Nelson won the gold buckle in 1971 in Oklahoma City. He also was the first to manage the title without a qualified ride in the NFR since Freckles Brown in 1962.