The Huntsville Item, Huntsville, TX

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December 23, 2009

Rodeo legends gather at Fort Worth Stock Show event

Brett Hoffman

It was one big roundup of pro rodeo’s top heavyweights.

Earlier this month, Trevor Brazile, the defending world all-around champion, joined Larry Mahan, Tom Ferguson and Ty Murray for a press conference that was produced by the Fort Worth Stock Show.

Brazile, 33, and Murray, 40, are tied with seven Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association all-around titles. Mahan, 66, and Ferguson, 58, each have six gold all-around buckles.

But throughout the 2010 season, Brazile, a roping superstar from Decatur, will attempt to win a record eighth all-around title. He lassoed No. 7 on Dec. 12 at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

During a Dec. 15 meeting with reporters at the Fort Worth-based Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum, Mahan, Murray and Ferguson said they expect Brazile to have plenty of motivation to break Murray’s record. And they admitted to losing the desire to be competitive once they reached their goals.

Mahan, a bronc- and bull-riding legend who lives near Sunset, grabbed attention when he won a record sixth all-around title in 1973, surpassing Jim Shoulders’ record of five set in 1959.

“That was the bar at the time,” Mahan said of Shoulders’ record. “I never really thought about (breaking the record) until I won a couple of titles and then it was a goal that I set. But after I won my sixth all-around title, I decided to go into the western apparel business. At that point, I decided I wasn’t giving 100 percent to the game (rodeo) and realized that unless you do, you’d better give it up.”

Ferguson, who competed in tie-down roping and steer wrestling, immediately followed Mahan. The Miami, Okla., cowboy won six consecutive world all-around titles (1974-79).

Mahan and Ferguson shared the record for 15 years. In 1994, Murray joined them by winning his sixth title.

But breaking the record proved to be bigger-than-expected challenge for Murray. He was denied a seventh all-around title in 1995, 1996 and 1997 while dealing with injuries.

In 1998, Murray, a Stephenville resident, managed a full season of saddle bronc riding, bareback riding and bull riding and clinched his seventh title.

Murray said Brazile also could face a challenge.

“For me, the seventh (all-around) title was the hardest one, but it was the funnest one,” Murray said. “I’ve told Trevor that (No. 8) will be the hardest and you need to enjoy the process of it because it’s going to happen, but the process will be the funnest part of it. You have the highs and the lows and coming back after a slump.”

Brazile exudes confidence. Throughout the next year, he’ll compete in tie-down roping, team roping and steer roping.

“I’m going to win the all-around the same way I’ve tried in the past and that’s trying to win the world championship in each event that I compete in,” Brazile said. “When you do that, winning the all-around kind of takes care of itself.”

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