|
Speed Williams and Rich Skelton spent exactly one day in first place during the 2004 season. Fortunately for them, it was the last day.
In a wild and crazy finish that left everyone at the Thomas & Mack Center and at home scratching their heads, the Texas team ropers secured their record eighth consecutive world titles.
Their improbable victory puts Williams and Skelton alone at the top of the PRCA record book, ahead of ProRodeo Hall of Famers and longtime heroes Jake Barnes and Clay O'Brien Cooper, who have won seven world titles.
"It puts you in your own league," Williams said of the milestone. "It puts you where nobody else has been, nobody else has done that. It's special because we've struggled this year. I struggled throughout the year, and my partner didn't have the Finals that he expects to have.
"It's probably as special as the first one. The first one came as a big surprise. This one is probably the sweetest."
Williams, 37, and Skelton, 38, overcame numerous obstacles and setbacks during the season. Injuries impacted their horsepower. Both became first-time fathers, which made it hard to leave home. And the rest of the team roping field stepped up its game to challenge the throne.
The tandem didn't win a dime until Rodeo Austin (Texas) in March and didn't see the Top 15 until summertime. They trailed by more than $30,000 until late summer, when they made their move.
Things got so bad for Williams, that he gave Skelton the option of finding another partner.
"I was not turning enough steers for him, and I wanted to go home and regroup," Williams said. "I was sick of competing at a level that was below what I expected of myself. I told him that I would not quit him, but I wanted him to know that he had an option."
Skelton thought about that prospect for less than a minute.
"I just kept thinking that if we could get to the building [Thomas & Mack] that we'd have a chance," Skelton said. "Eight is just unbelievable. I started out to win one, and now I have eight. I thought seven was a record nobody would ever beat."
Williams and Skelton entered the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in fourth place, about $16,000 behind the leaders, who included David Key and Cooper and 1996 World Champion Steve Purcella and Britt Bockius.
Williams and Skelton started with a victory in Round 1, but received a no-time in the second round. They rallied for victories in the fifth and ninth rounds, moving to within $4,000 of Key and Cooper entering the final round.
Five teams actually had a shot at winning the world title on the final day.
Williams figured he and Skelton would need to place in Round 10 to wrap up the world title. When Skelton missed on an uncooperative steer, things turned upside down. They hustled down the arena and caught the steer in 20.3 seconds.
"I didn't know what we had to do," Skelton said. "I thought after I missed that I made us lose the championship because it was so close."
Moments later, they watched Key miss on a do-or-die throw. Key and Cooper were out of the aggregate and needed a round win to capture the gold buckle.
"I was trying to do the math, but all the numbers ran together," Williams said. "Rich asked me, and I said I ain't saying one way or another."
When the PRCA rodeo secretary finished crunching the numbers, Williams and Skelton had won $70,393 at the Wrangler NFR and $150,427 for the season, about $6,000 more than Clay Tryan and Michael Jones, who set a Wrangler NFR earnings mark with $95,102 and won the aggregate title.
"It's a great honor to win a world title, much less competing against your peers and heroes and the people you grew up with," Williams said. "I told Clay [Cooper] when I rode back there [before the event] that if I can't win the world, there's nobody I'd rather have win it than him. He was my hero growing up because I was a heeler. He's still a hero."
|
For comments and information please email us at: prorodeo@prorodeo.com | For technical questions email: webmaster@prorodeo.com