2020 Media Guide - World Champions

Bareback Riding Biglow wins five rounds en route to a world title

A dream became a reality for bareback rider Clayton Biglow at the 2019 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. The Clements, Calif., cowboy captured his first career gold buckle with a performance for the ages at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Biglow won five rounds at the Wrangler NFR, including Round 10, with a Wrangler NFR record- tying ride of 93 points on Northcott Macza’s Stevie Knicks. It was all part of a victory binge for Biglow. He also won the average with 886.5 points on 10 head and earned $243,891 at the Wrangler NFR. That total was the most money earned of any contestant at the Wrangler NFR – not counting ground money – and earned him the RAM Top Gun Award. “This is crazy,” said Biglow, 23. “I have been dreaming of this for a long time, and I don’t know what to say. This is something you work for your entire life, and when it finally happens, you don’t realize it happened. It hasn’t hit me yet, but it will. It’s hard to put into words.”

Biglow set a bareback riding record for most money in a regular season with $425,843. The previous high was $374,272 by Tim O’Connell in 2016. Biglow alsomade history by becoming the first bareback rider to win four consecutive rounds at the Wrangler NFR, winning Rounds 5 through 8. “This is the Finals I dreamed of,”he said.“I liter- ally laid in bed every night for the last threemonths thinking about this moment. That gold buckle is going right on my belt.” Biglow said chasing a gold buckle was amental challenge. “To get my mind off the gold buckle, I just kept thinking, ‘Go win that Top Gun,”’ he said. “If you win that, the world championship is yours because you’re going to win more money than anybody else.” As the 2019 Top Gun Award recipient, Biglow earned a 2020 RAM 3500 Heavy Duty Truck, a one- of-a-kind RAM Top Gun-branded revolver from Commemorative Firearms and a custom Top Gun buckle from Montana Silversmiths. Biglow also became

2019 WORLD CHAMPIONS

the fourth cowboy from California to win a bare- back riding world cham- pionship. He joins Smoky Snyder (1932, 1936), Frank Schneider (1935) and John Hawkins (1963). It was Biglow’s fourth appearance at the Wran- gler NFR (2016-19); his best finish in the world standings before 2019 was fourth in 2018. “This (winning a gold buckle) is motivation and relief,” Biglow said. “This motivates me to do it again next year and the year after that.That’s what I want. I finally got my first one, and I’m ready for as many more as they will give me.” – Tracy Renck

PRCA ProRodeo photo by Dan Hubbell

Biglow won five rounds at his fourth Wrangler NFR, capturing his first gold buckle after winning $243,843, more than any other contestant.

2020 PRCA MEDIA GUIDE

3