Kory Koontz
Kory Koontz – Stephenville, Texas ($106,396)
22-time WNFR qualifier
Maybe double deuces will be the magic number for heeler Kory Koontz. He will compete at his 22nd Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and hoping to finally win a world championship.
When Kory qualified for his first NFR back in 1992, his current team roping partner, Dustin Egusquiza wasn’t even yet. In fact, by the time Dustin made his appearance on planet earth, Kory was making plans for his third trip to Las Vegas.
They started roping together at rodeos in 2017 and got the year kicked off to a great start with a win at the National Western Stock Show Rodeo in Denver in January. Then a tough summer run found them struggling. In the final two months of the season, they finished on the right side of the bubble.
Kory was 14th going into last year’s NFR and after winning $104,769 moved up to eighth place in the world standings. The veteran and rookie partnership turned out okay after all. And, with that success they made a commitment to rope together again this year.
This year, they didn’t get off to a start like they did in 2017 but were comfortably inside the top 15 going into the Fourth of July “Cowboy Christmas” run. Kory was ninth. With titles at Belle Fourche, S.D., and Oakley City, Utah, along with checks, Kory leapfrogged up to third.
That is where he enters this year’s NFR with $106,396. It’s been one of the most successful regular seasons that he has had since joining the PRCA in 1991.
While he is undeniably one of the best heelers in the world, part of his recent success can be attributed to Dustin, and not just because of how the Florida native ropes horns. The enthusiasm and motivation of someone just starting their career has rubbed off on Kory and is making him work hard to do his job.
Outside of the arena, Kory works just as hard at staying healthy. He has diabetes and even though he has an insulin pump, he still checks his blood sugar often, tries to eat right and keep to a schedule – a challenge for any rodeo cowboy.
This duo has garnered a lot of new fans in the past two years. Combined with the fans that Kory has accumulated through the years, there will be a lot of cheering for them in Las Vegas. Last year they tied for the win in the fourth round and won the seventh. The victory lap after the seventh was Kory’s 23rd. He’s far from done and planning to make many more.
