All in the family: Stetson Wright beats dad’s record en route to rodeo title

Tie-Down Roping Champion Bryson Sechrist. (Photo by K.P. Wilska)

Hank Williams Jr. said it in a song: “I’m just carrying on an old family tradition.”

And along came Stetson Wright, busting his way to an arena record as he won the saddle bronc championship in the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s ProRodeo Tournament finals Saturday night at Dickies Arena. His score of 91.5 points eclipsed the previous record of 91 set by Stetson’s father Cody Wright in winning the 2011 competition, which was held at Will Rogers Coliseum.

The rodeo finals topped off the successful return of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo following last year’s cancellation because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In all, nearly 216,000 fans poured into Dickies Arena to see rodeo competition during the 2022 Stock Show, which ran from Jan. 14 through Feb. 5. The ProRodeo Tournament got under way Jan. 21.

Stetson, from Milford, Utah, is the reigning world champion in the Professional Cowboys Association (PRCA). He is the third member of his family to earn a gold buckle in the famous rodeo. His father won it three times, and his uncle Jake Wright took the championship in 2017.

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Another reigning PRCA world champion, Kaycee Field from Genola, Utah, scored 93 points to claim the top prize in bareback riding. It was his fourth time to win a rodeo championship at the Stock Show.

Rodeo Winners

Here is a complete list of champions in their respective events at the ProRodeo Tournament, with their earning for the championship and total earnings in parentheses (total purse money in this year’s tournament was  $991,731):

Bull Riding – Sage Kimzey, Salado, Texas, 91.5 points, $20,000 (total $29,927)

Breakaway Roping – Kelsie Domer, Dublin, Texas, 1.8 seconds, $20,000 (total $26,800).

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Bareback riding – Kaycee Feild, Genola, Utah, 93 points, $20,000 (total $26,360).

Saddle Bronc Riding – Stetson Wright, Milford, Utah, 91.5 points, $20,000 (total $25,880).

Team Roping – Kaleb Driggers, Hoboken, Ga., and Junior Nogueira, Presidente Prude, Brazil, 4.2 seconds, $20,000 (total $25,093).

Barrel Racing – Wenda Johnson, Pawhuska, Okla., 16.08 seconds, $20,000 (total $24,520).

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Steer Wrestling – Tristan Martin, Sulphur, La., 3.9 seconds, $20,000 (total $24,260).

Tie-Down Roping – Bryson Sechrist, Apache, Okla., 7.2 seconds, $20,000 (total $23,760).