PRORODEO Sports News - March 27, 2026 Digital Edition

SHORT ROUND

of a blur, then it became a reality when we saw the clock. “Dustin’s so good at his job. I didn’t think he broke the barrier. We had a good-patterned steer. I don’t even think about the bar rier, because I just had to do my job and heel as fast as I can, and it worked out.” Yes, it did. It is the first time in the PRCA record books that there has been a sub-3-second team roping run. “It feels like a scoring contest (in Austin), because the steers are pretty slow,” said Egusquiza, who had a 3.3-second run with Flake last May at the Durant (Okla.) Pro Rodeo; Egusqui za also had a 3.3-second run with Travis Graves at the 2021 Oakley (Utah) Independence Day Rodeo. “I didn’t have to see as much (of the steer) and had a little bit more momentum when I got to the line, but I definitely cut the start down quite a bit on that steer. What’s crazy is that steer is dang near identical to that steer we were 3.3 on in Durant last year. “I’ve always considered myself a faster-type header, and the world record is always some thing that I’ve wanted to have, because that’s something you could say when you’re 50 sitting in your recliner. You’ve either got X amount of gold buckles, or you have the fastest run in history. “I’m a little lost for words still, but definitely the coolest night of my life.” It took 16 years for someone to beat the first 3.3-second run, first posted by PRCA World Champions Chad Masters and Jade Corkill in March 2009. Whether the 2.9-second run will be caught remains to be seen. “It’s a dream come true for sure,” Flake said. “Just to even break the 3-second barrier is (something) I never thought was achievable. I mean, you always think something’s achievable, but we run a lot of steers and never get that close.”

A pair of rodeo legends were recently inducted into the RodeoHouston Hall of Fame: champion bull rider Ty Murray and legendary bucking bull Bodacious. The RodeoHouston Hall of Fame recognizes individuals and animal athletes whose achievements have helped shape the sport of rodeo and the history of RodeoHouston. The ceremony took place on the second floor of NRG Center in front of the Hall of Fame’s permanent display. The pair represent the unique partnership between rodeo livestock and the athletes who ride them, each playing a defining role in the sport. Murray earned multiple RodeoHouston championship titles during his career, including All-Around Champion in 1990, 1993, 1994 and 1998, and Bull Riding Champion in 1990 and 1994. One of the last competitors to win the all-around title at RodeoHouston, Murray is widely regarded as one of rodeo’s most accomplished athletes. Murray, a nine-time PRCA World Champion – all-around (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998) and bull riding (1993, 1998), was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colo., in 2000. “To get recognized — in any way, really — is special,” Murray said. “I look at the other people on that wall with me, and they are all incredible people in this sport. I feel very grateful.” A fifth-generation cowboy, Murray dreamed of becoming a rodeo athlete from a young age. After a career that spanned 15 years and more than 6,000 rides on roughstock, he retired in 2002. Murray said he will never forget walking into the Astrodome for the first time at age 18, adding that RodeoHouston was one of the rodeos he looked forward to each year. Bodacious, like Murray, is considered one of the best at his craft. Often referred to as the “most dangerous bull in rodeo history,” Boda cious became the first animal athlete inducted into the RodeoHouston Hall TY MURRAY, BODACIOUS INDUCTED INTO RODEOHOUSTON HALL OF FAME

MARCH 27, 2026 PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS DIGITAL MAGAZINE 43