Brazile Earns 20th Gold Buckle in Record Style
By Tracy Renck/for ProRodeo.com
MULVANE, Kan. – Trevor Brazile left no do doubt who the PRCA’s best steer roper was in 2014.
The legendary cowboy won one round and placed second in five others to capture his record 20th gold buckle Nov. 7-8 at the Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping at the Kansas Star Arena.
“I came here to win a championship and it is all special,” Brazile said.
Brazile won $43,858 at the NFSR to win the season title with a single-season steer roping record of $112,692. Brazile eclipsed the old record of $101,685 set by Rocky Patterson in 2010.
Brazile has now won five gold buckles in steer roping in 2006, 2007, 2011, 2013 and 2014. That puts him third place all time in the steer roping gold-buckle list behind only Guy Allen (18) and Everett Shaw (6).
Chet Herren finished second in the 2014 world standings with $72,191.
For good measure, Brazile also took home the average crown with a new record time of 114.1 seconds on 10 head. Patterson set the previous average record at 114.5 seconds on 10 head in 2001. J.P. Wickett was second in the average at 126.30 seconds, and was the only roper besides Brazile to stop the clock 10 times.
“Every one of those things you said is awesome,” Brazile said when told the list of new records he set. “Roy Cooper is always on me to win an average title, and I’ve kind of overlooked those along the way. Who knows, it may not last a year (his average record), but records are there to be broken.”
Brazile had the average lead after the first performance Nov. 7, with a 54.2-second time on five head, thanks to winning Round 1 and placing second in Rounds 2, 3 and 5. On Nov. 8, he had runner-up finishes in Rounds 6 and 7.
The main drama Brazile faced in Round 10 was trying to set the NFSR average record. He needed a 10.9-second run to tie Patterson’s average mark.
Brazile had a bobble, but still recorded a 10.5-second run to set the new mark.
“I wasn’t not trying to break it, I will say that,” Brazile said with a smile. “The only thing that really scared me is if I did happen to break it and my horse (Barney) got scared. That’s the only thing I was really worried about, my horse not taking the applause if it came down to that and got close, but he worked great all week.”
Brazile also increased his number of National Finals go-round wins to 57 in team roping, tie-down roping and steer roping. Brazile also has won 31 rounds in steer roping, which puts him behind only Allen (47).
Brady Garten was the story Saturday night, as he won Round 6 at 9.5 seconds, while Brazile was second at 9.6. Round 7 was more of the same; Garten was tops at 9.5 and Brazile was second at 11.2 seconds. Garten added a third straight round win in Round 8 in 9.8 seconds.
Scott Snedecor, the two-time world champion steer roper (2005 and 2008) who won Round 2 and Round 3 Nov. 7 added a Round-9 win on Nov. 8 with a 9.9-second run. Vin Fisher won Round 10 in 9.6 seconds.
For more in-depth coverage on the 2014 Clem McSpadden National Finals Steer Roping, see the Nov. 21 issue of the ProRodeo Sports News.
Courtesy of PRCA