K.C. Jones, Burlington, Wyo. In his career, K.C. Jones has received the highest acclaim from the entity he respects the most: his fellow cowboys. Jones has earned the praise, sitting as one of the most versatile cowboys to have ever traveled down the rodeo trail. He’s won the Timed Event Championship four times and stands[...]

Daniel Green, Oakdale, Calif. Daniel Green has won the average championship and the top prize at the Timed Event Championship twice. Last year, though, he settled for a $4,000 check for having the fourth fastest go-round of the competition. That’ll have to do, but look for that finish to be a motivating factor for Green,[...]

Three world champions advanced out of the third bracket at the San Antonio Stock Show Rodeo, but they squeaked into the semifinals by finishing fourth in their respective disciplines. Reigning world champion team ropers Turtle Powell and Jhett Johnson and three-time world champion barrel racer Sherry Cervi moved on in the tournament-style format. Powell and[...]

Jimmie Cooper, Monument, N.M. In Colorado Springs, Colo., there is a display with the likeness of Jimmie Cooper inside the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. It’s been there since 2005, when he was inducted into the hall that recognizes greatness in the sport. Of course, Cooper belongs there, because he has accomplished much, from his 1981[...]

Jim Ross Cooper, Monument, N.M. The first time Jim Ross Cooper qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, he and his twin brother, Jake, roped on ProRodeo’s biggest stage together. Jim returned to Las Vegas this past December, roping with header Brandon Beers. They placed in two go-rounds and earned a little more than $18,000[...]

Steve Duhon, Jasper, Texas Growing up in Opelousas, La., Steve Duhon was an athlete who excelled at pretty much everything he did. In fact, he had an opportunity to play football at Louisiana State University, just a stone’s throw from Duhon’s hometown. But his excellence in the rodeo arena outweighed his talent on the gridiron.[...]

Chad Masters, Clarksville, Tenn. In the years that Chad Masters has been part of the Timed Event Championship field, he’s collected a check just once. Do you want a little irony? Masters, a man who won a gold buckle in heading in 2007, earned that $3,000 setting a new heading mark of 5.1 seconds during[...]

Dean Gorsuch, Gering, Neb. Look for Dean Gorsuch to surpass the $1 million mark in PRCA earnings this year. As of Feb. 1, 2012, Gorsuch was within $21,000 of that magical mark. That’s phenomenal, considering the Nebraska cowboy didn’t start rodeoing full time until 2005. He was spurred into his championship form with a successful[...]

Broc Cresta, Petaluma, Calif. Each of the last two ProRodeo seasons, Broc Cresta has shown the world his tremendous talent as a team roping-heeler, qualifying for the 2011 and 2012 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. That’s just the culmination of a lifetime lived around the world of rodeo. You see, Cresta’s grandfather, Bill Cresta, has been[...]

GOODWELL, Okla. – The key to winning in rodeo is consistency. Tradition helps, too. The men’s and women’s rodeo teams at Oklahoma Panhandle State University have both on their sides as they begin the spring portion of the 2011-12 season in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s Central Plains Region. The teams carry with them a[...]