PSN_Dec3 2028

40 YEARS IN VEGAS IN VEGAS CONTINUED

it was going to go and if it would stay but the money speaks for itself.” Gjermundson was one of the six 1985 world champi ons that returned to Las Vegas in June of 2025. There, he and the other world champions mingled with the 2024 world champions and reflected on the 40-year run the NFR has had in Las Vegas. The move from Oklahoma City was surprising for Gjermundson, personally. He recalled watching the

Gjermundson captured his fifth title in 1985. Nuce won his first. Team ropers Jake Barnes/Clay O’Brien Cooper won their first title together that year. They went on to win seven total. Ote Berry captured his first of four steer wrestling world championships in 1985, and the great Lewis Feild won the PRCA All-Around World Championship and bareback title, his first title at the time. Feild won five overall in his career. The 1985 NFR was the start

final round of the NFR at a neighbor’s house in his hometown of Marshall, N.D., in 1975. Back then, Hesston broadcasted only the final round of PRORODEO’s biggest event. Gjermundson dreamed of rodeoing under the bright lights in Oklahoma City and achieved that goal four times in his career. Then, he rode for the first time under the even brighter lights of Las Vegas. That first NFR at the Thom as & Mack Center changed the course of rodeo forever. “It made rodeo a major sport. It drew audiences from everywhere, not just rural or ranch cowboys,” Gjermund son said. “It’s gotten bigger

of a decade of dominance for barrel racer Charmayne James. She and her horse, Scamper, which she pur chased for just $1,200, won their second of 10 straight world championships. James won 11 overall. She was just 15 in 1985. Tie-down roper Joe Beaver began cementing his legacy in PRORODEO at the NFR’s debut in Las Vegas. He won his first of eight total world championships in 1985. Over the course of his career, he made the Thomas & Mack Center his own with dominant runs, winning five tie-down world titles (1985, 1987, 1988, 1992 and 1993) and three all-around (1995, 1996 and 2000). “The House that Joe Built”

and better every year since 1985. I think 10 years from now they’re talking about $25 million (total payout).” More than changing the trajectory of the sport, the NFR brought Vegas back to life. December proved to be a tough month for Sin City. Tourism decreased drastically. Taxi drivers were laid off for the month – and sometimes longer. Businesses received little to no foot traffic. It was a difficult time with low temperatures in the middle of three major hol idays – Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. But the NFR revived the city. “Michael (Gaughan) and Benny (Binion) knew what they were doing when they put it together,” said Ted Nuce, the 1985 PRCA Bull Riding World Champion. “It was going to spark a light in Las Vegas. It sparked a light in us to come here and have a chance at the money. And 17,000 people followed us. It was a perfect union.” The 1985 NFR was special for many reasons, well beyond the change in location. It saw the emergence of some of PRORODEO’s biggest stars and Hall of Fame cowboys and cowgirls, much like it did 36 years prior in Dallas.

isn’t just a nickname in Beaver’s eyes. It makes him a part of Las Vegas. An honor he says he will always cherish. “I think it was kind of like the rodeo world said, ‘Is that going to work in Vegas?’” Beaver said of the NFR. “I think a lot of people thought the same thing with me. I dressed different, I had long hair … I wasn’t the normal NFR calf roper. “The ‘House that Joe Built,’ it made me want to dig deeper and prove I belonged.” PRORODEO has continued to evolve since arriving in Las Vegas. Payouts are even higher; the lights are even brighter and the notoriety of winning a gold buckle continues to grow year after year. Beaver still recalls the excitement he had in 1985 winning his first title in Vegas. Being a part of that mo ment, as well as the growth of the sport, makes it that much sweeter. “It’s not where it should be, but rodeo is getting there,” Beaver said. “To be a part of that is something special. All of that started in 1985 (with the move to Vegas). I’m lucky to have been a part of that.”

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