The rodeo world standings are set and the top 15 athletes in each event are taking a trip to Las Vegas for the National Finals Rodeo. After qualifying six other times, steer wrestler Jesse Brown is now looking to secure the world title for the first time.
No. 1 Steer Wrestler
At 34 years old, the cowboy out of Baker City, Oregon, has been gunning for this chance since joining the PRCA in 2016. Now, a decade later, he’s earned the No. 1 spot in the world standings with $236,548.
He’s worked extremely hard to get there this season, and solidified his spot at the top, putting nearly $30,000 between him and Tyler Waguespack at No. 2.
This achievement did not come easily, as he had to battle it out all season long. He clinched a title at 14 different rodeos this season, starting the year off strong by winning the Columbia River Circuit Finals and then going on to win at the legendary Puyallup Rodeo by the end of the season.
As the No. 1 steer wrestler in the world, Brown has set the speed standard high. His fastest run of the season came in September when he blazed into the arena at the Evanston Cowboy Days. He earned the win with an impressive time of just 3.1-seconds, and he’ll have to find that time again if he wants to win at the Thomas & Mack Arena.
Back For Blood in 2026
After finishing at No. 3 last year (the best of his career), Brown came back with a vengeance this season to land on top. He remained consistent all season long, pushing fast in the arena and pocketing big checks even if he didn’t win.
In his last run of the season, Brown finished second at the finals of The Governor’s Cup. His runs here never exceeded the four-second mark, finishing his run in just 3.7 seconds in the first two rounds and 3.9 seconds in the finals for the second-place finish. His performance scored him a check for $43,433 right when it counted at the end of the year.
Brown is leading the pack for steer wrestlers with an average run time of 5.6 seconds. He’ll have to channel a faster speed though if he wants to find success in the Thomas & Mack arena.
Brown is no stranger to the Las Vegas stage, as he’s thrown his hat into the ring six other times consecutively since 2020, but has yet to come out on top.
After winning the Resistol Rookie of the Year title in 2017, Brown was marked as a top competitor in the sport. Now, all his hard work is coming to fruition this season as he has the chance to win his first ever world champion title.
Add us as a preferred source on Google