ProRodeo Sports News - April 3, 2020

COWBOY GRILLE WITH MATT NABER

A lot has changed for team roping header Luke Brown since he was originally featured in the “Cowboy Grille” 10 years ago. The South Carolina cowboy has grown into a ProRodeo powerhouse, with 12 consecutive trips to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo and more than $2.23 million in career earnings. ProRodeo Sports News gave the 45-year-old cowboy a look at his past “Cowboy Grille,” and while some things have changed, he’s still the same Luke Brown fans have come to know.

How was your 12th trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo different from the first one? Luke: Man, I don’t know that it’s any different, but I know the place better and the plan of attack a little bit better now. It’s still nerve-racking and as hard as you can imagine roping for that kind of money every night. How do you feel about your chase for the world title? Luke: I’ve been close a couple of times. It’s great to make a living roping, but as for the world title, if it’s ever my turn that would be awesome. All I can do is try. Looking back at your start, did you think you’d be where you are today? Luke: No, and it’s still hard for me to believe that I get to rodeo for a living. It was one thing to make the first NFR, but to make a living the last 12 years doing what I love to do is amazing. If you hadn’t found success in ProRodeo, what would you be doing now? Luke: Well, my dad has a construction company and that’s what I did before I rodeoed. I’m sure that’s where I would be. How has your family grown in the last 10 years? Luke: I married my wife, Lacy, in 2011 and our daughter, Libby, is 6 now. A lot has changed since 2010. It’s more fun getting

LUKE BROWN

to rodeo with them, they go everywhere I go. I don’t think I would want to rodeo if they couldn’t come. How has competing in ProRodeo impacted your life in the last 10 years? Luke: I rodeoed my whole life since I was a kid, but by doing it for a living I have met some amazing people. I made some of my best friends. It’s a different lifestyle and everyone takes care of everyone the best they can. I’ve gotten to go to new places and ride some great horses too, and that wouldn’t have happened had I not rodeoed for a living.

Tell us about your past roping partners, what was it like roping with them? How do you go about finding partners now compared to 10 years ago? Luke: I have been lucky with some great partners. I roped with Martin (Lucero) for four years, then Kollin (VonAhn) for four years, Jake Long for three years and Paul Eaves last year. Now I’m with Patrick Smith. Those are all exceptionally great guys in the arena and in life. Sharing that experience with those guys at the NFR and roping with the best in the world sure makes heading a lot easier. I’ve learned something from every one of them about life and about team roping. Is roping with Allen Bach still one of the greatest things to ever happen to you? Luke: Allen Bach has been a huge part of getting me over the hump to get to the NFR, and we are still great friends. He’s a great mentor for me and a lot of people. I owe him a lot. How have your other horses compared to Slim Shady and P.J.? Luke: I still own Slim, he’s retired and just hangs out in the pasture around the house. I have ridden a lot of good horses since then and have been lucky on the horsepower. I got a horse in 2012 who has been my cornerstone horse, named Cowboy. He was kind of Slim Shady’s replacement, and I’ve had some other ones that were good too, but those two are my favorites. Has your advice for young team ropers wanting to start traveling full time in the PRCA changed? Luke: I still agree with it. The people who do it for a living know the fundamentals. The best advice is to learn from a pro. It takes so much longer to figure out on your own

how to fix bad habits. But if you go straight to the source and learn it right away, you can cut your learning experience time in half. Since moving to Texas and being around guys who make a living roping, I learn something every day. Surrounding yourself with the right people is super important. You live down the road from Chad Masters now, right? Are you still friends? Luke: Yeah, I live about two miles down the road from him, and we rope together almost every day. Ten years ago, we asked what the last movie you went to see was. Do you remember what it was? What’s the last one you saw now? Luke: I don’t remember that movie ( It’s Complicated ). The last one I saw now I have seen quite a few times, Seven Days in Utopia . It’s a really good golf movie and relates so much to what we do every day with the mental game of team roping. Has your opinion on seafood changed since 2010? Luke: I still hate seafood. Which PRCA header would win in an arm-wrestling match now? Luke: Oh, I remember that! I would like to see Clayton Hass.

ProRodeo Sports News 4/3/2020

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