From blazing runs and frame-worthy celebrations to heartwarming wins on the biggest stage, each year we see some of the best moments of the rodeo season at the NFR.
While we can’t actually relive the 2023 NFR as we close out the year, we’re looking back on some of our favorite moments from this year’s NFR.
Derrick Begay’s fishing trip
If there was any doubt about Derrick Begay and Colter Todd being true cowboys, they crushed it in Round 8. Begay and Todd were leading the average heading into the round as the only team to have caught all their steers when Begay’s loop came back around and wrapped around the right horn.
Begay was able to get it right at the backend of the arena for a legal catch, and Todd came around and cleaned it up effortlessly on the backend. They were 13.3 to hold their top spot in the average.
Begay and Todd would go on to clinch their first-ever NFR average titles, undoubtedly a fan-favorite moment.
TWade’s and Thorp’s 3.3
Round 8 just might have been a memorable moment in itself. Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp hadn’t had the NFR they wanted or needed prior to the eighth round. With a barrier, legs and a no-time, they needed to turn things around if they wanted to be back in contention for the world title.
They did that and more, blasting their steer in 3.3 seconds. That’s right, they tied the world record and won the round, bumping them back into world title contention. They’d go on to win the ninth round as well, and, spoiler alert, win the 2023 world title.
Summers’ and Long’s round tear
Clint Summers and Jake Long left Las Vegas in much better positions than they arrived. The No. 13 header and No. 10 heeler were on a tear in the rounds, winning four and placing in two others.
They kicked off the 2023 NFR with back-to-back round wins in Rounds 1 and 2, and they’d go on to win Round 4 and split Round 7.
All in all, they both pocketed $172,515 during the Finals, finishing second in the world when it was all said and done.
Proctor and Medlin’s 3.1
We know, we know…this one didn’t have a fairytale ending. But for a moment in time, we witnessed history. Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin were fresh off a third-round win and a $12,877 check in Round 4 when they blasted their steer in 3.1 seconds in the fifth round.
The crowd erupted, as did Proctor, believing they just witnessed the team break the NFR arena record and world record of 3.3 seconds. But, in a matter of seconds, Proctor and Medlin were flagged for a crossfire and given the 30-second penalty. We’ll never forget the electricity, nor the glimpse of just how fast it could get in the Thomas & Mack.
(And did we mention how class-act Proctor’s post-round video was about the call?)
Rogers and Eaves break the ice in Round 6
Erich Rogers and Paul Eaves had a tough start to the 2023 NFR, so when they got the win in Round 6, we couldn’t help but feel relieved for them.
Plagued by no-times and a leg, Rogers and Eaves hadn’t won a dime prior to the sixth round. Rogers made a change to the lay of his rope, and though he skipped his loop on, it was good enough for the round win. They were 3.5, the fastest run of the Finals at that point, to take home $30,706.
Our coverage of the 2023 NFR and ProRodeo season was made possible thanks to CSI Saddlepads, Resistol, Fast Back Ropes and Soft Ride Equine Comfort Boots.
