2019 PRCA Media Guide - Announcers

2018 Wrangler NFR Announcers Randy Corley

Randy Corley was delighted to go to Las Vegas for the 2018Wrangler NFR, his 18th time to announce the season’s culminating event in theThomas &Mack Center. Corley, who was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2017, has been named PRCA Announcer of the Year 12 times – more than anyone else – between 1984 and 2005, then again in 2011 and 2015. He works rodeos from tiny Hill City, Kan., to giant San Antonio. He has announced in Caldwell, Idaho, every year since 1982 and at Puyallup and Kitsap County, Wash., since 1983. In 2005, he and Amanda became the first father-daughter tandem to work the NFR – as announcer and timer. Originally a bareback riding and bull riding contestant, Corley started making radio commercials, then went to broadcasting school with the idea of becoming a rodeo announcer. Long-time PRCA announcer Hadley Barrett

heard him in North Platte, Neb., and invited him to apply for his first card with the PRCA, which he did in 1980. Randy and his wife, Michelle – the daughter of his mentor, Barrett, who passed away in 2017 – live in Silverdale, Wash., and enjoy spending time going to and from rodeos they are working and visiting their adult children: Amanda, Kassi, Cole and Brittney. Lately, says Corley, the Bible has become his favorite book to read. “I’ve learned that I can talk to God any time of day, and I don’t even need a microphone.” Wayne Brooks Veteran PRCA announcerWayne Brooks has worked theWrangler NFR eight times in 18 years, but he says it’s a similar experience each time.

“It’s exciting, it’s nerve-wracking, it’s exhausting, it’s everything you expect at an event of that magnitude, with that number of people in the audience, that caliber of contestants, and that muchmoney involved,”Brooks said.“That’s a pretty stout recipe there, whether it’s your first time or your 20th.” And yes, even veteran announcers like Brooks, have to put in some extra preparation for the Wrangler NFR. “The three of us start getting on the phone amonth ahead of time, swapping livestock and cowboy information,” he recalled. “We talk about where we’re going to go with certain match-ups. One of us might talk about how many gold buckles a certain cowboy has, the next guy might talk about his earnings history, the next might mention that he’s a nice guy with a great family.

“That’s one of the mostWestern crowds that we’re in front of, all year,”he noted.“You really work to not be wrong about any information. Shawn Davis is amazing. Having that many years to perfect that event, which they have done in every detail … there’s never any question on how it’s supposed to go. That adds a whole level of pressure to be good, to be smooth, to be correct, to fall in line with the timelines that are in front of you, to say everything correctly. It’s not just a thrill – it’s the crown jewel of our industry.” Roger Mooney Rodeo announcer Roger Mooney worked his third Wrangler NFR in 2018 and told ProRodeo Sports News it meant a whole lot to him.

“I truly believe that this rodeo is the greatest rodeo on the planet, and there’s a reason for that,”he said.“It’s the best cowboys, it’s in the city of entertainment, it’s the greatest fans in the world, and the most beautiful people in rodeo come to Las Vegas.” In 2000 and 2004, the Georgia native served as an alternate, but in 2018 when Boyd Polhamus stepped down from announcing (at the Finals) to take over for Shawn Davis, that opened a third spot. Mooney has been a professional rodeo announcer for more than 30 years. “It’s 14 years since I’ve been on the stage out there (at the NFR),”Mooney said.“Pressure is a privilege. I truly believe that this rodeo is the greatest rodeo on the planet, and there’s a reason for that.”

The 52-year-old and his wife, Ashley, have a 7-year-old son, Cash, and a 6-year-old daughter, Morgan. Mooney said when he told Cash he’d gotten a job in Las Vegas, his son replied,“Daddy, you’ve got a rodeo every week. But if we get to go to Las Vegas, it’s special.” Mooney said he puts in hundreds of hours of preparation to announce at the NFR. “It’s just amazing,”he said.“The last time I was in Las Vegas, I think I was going 20-21 hours a day. You get a little nap and then you’re back out. And if things don’t go well, it could be 24 hours a day.”

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ANNOUNCERS