PRCA for the Record: Odessa
Bareback riding permit-holder Jayco Roper and NFR denizen Jake Brown split the win and broke a 13-year-old record that was shared by five ProRodeo athletes during the 2020 Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo in Odessa, Texas.
The previous Odessa bareback riding record of 87 points was set in 2007 by Bo Casper and Russ Hallaby, and matched by Ty Breuer (2009), Austin Foss (2017) and Taylor Broussard (2019).
That record fell when Roper and Brown made 88-point rides in 2020, Roper on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s South Suds and Brown on Beutler & Son Rodeo’s On Tap With Nutrena.
“That was one of the most nerve-wracking rodeos, for sure,” Roper said. “I had an eliminator horse and Justin McDaniel had me hyped up about it, and it was only my second ProRodeo.”
Roper also knew his roommate, Yance Day, had been bucked off South Suds before.
“I grew up watching the NFR, and the eliminator pen is scary to watch so I was really nervous,” Roper said.
Ten days later, Roper began his rookie year.
Brown knew what he was in for with Beutler & Son Rodeo’s On Tap With Nutrena, having won the long round of the 2018 Greeley (Colo.) Stampede on him with an 87-point ride.
“It was really cool, I had gone to that rodeo a million-and-a-half times since it’s in my home state, but it’s nine hours from my house,” Brown laughed.
Brown went on to qualify for his sixth consecutive trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and finished 15th in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $59,547.
“I like those home-state rodeos since they’re special to me and more people know about them around here,” Brown said. “They know about Cheyenne, but they might not realize how big Cody (Wyo.) is – but they know what Odessa is. It’s neat to talk to people around the state who know your home-state rodeos, so I like winning in Texas.”
Roper finished second in the 2020 PRCA | Resistol Rookie Standings with $13,734.
“It’s pretty crazy, and I’m hoping to do a lot more of that stuff this year and exceed my expectations since my bar is already set pretty high,” Roper said.
Both cowboys are set to compete at Odessa again this week.
“I have a good chance to win this year, I drew Tic Tac (Beutler & Son Rodeo’s Nutrena’s Tic Tac),” Brown said.
Tic Tac is the same horse that Tristan Hansen made an 89-point ride aboard to win the finals at the 2020 RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo in Greeley, Colo., in September.
Now a part of the ProRodeo Tour, an Odessa win is worth more than ever, and ProRodeo athletes will have their shot at winning the rodeo as well as breaking Brown and Roper’s record, and the rest, Jan. 8-16.
Fans can catch the Odessa action on the PRCA on the Cowboy Channel Plus app, Jan. 8-9 at 8:30 p.m. (ET) and Jan. 13-16 at 8:30 p.m.
Rodeo Records
| Total payoff: | $343,913, 2007 |
| All-around: | $12,394, Rich Skelton, 2007 |
| Bareback riding: | 88 points, Jayco Roper and Jake Brown, 2020 (170/2, Joe Gunderson, 2005) |
| Steer wrestling: | 3.2 seconds, Ronnie Fields, 2010 (7.5/2, Jake Shaw, 2012) |
| Team roping: | 3.6 seconds, Travis Tryan/Michael Jones, 2010 (8.5/2, Tanner Green/Scotty Raines in 2017 and Jake Cooper/Logan Medlin in 2018; Dustin Egusquiza/Kory Koontz, 2019; 16.2/3, Travis Tryan/Allen Bach, 2006) |
| Saddle bronc riding: | 87 points, Sam Spreadborough, 2003, Cody Wright, 2011, and Preston Burr, 2019 (Jeff Willert, 169/2, 2007) |
| Tie-down roping: | 7.3 seconds, Randall Carlisle, 2010 (16.1/2, Clint Cooper, 2010, and Blair Burk, 2013; Trent Creager, 27.6/3, 2007) |
| Barrel racing: | 13.79 seconds, Layna Kight, 2008 (28.06/2, Kassie Mowry, 2010; Sabrina Ketchum, 42.62/3, 2006) |
| Steer roping: | 8.8 seconds, Brent Lewis, 2018 (41.6/4, Trevor Brazile, 2002) |
| Bull riding: | 91 points, Brian Herman, 1995, and Colin McTaggart, 2010 (Jim Crosby, 165/2, 2007) |
Courtesy of PRCA