At age 40, Allen refuses to slow down

Thursday, Dec. 2, 1999 | 3:32 a.m.

PRCA

Guy Allen

World titles: 1977, '80, '82, '84, '89, '91-98 World Champion Steer Roper

Hometown: Lovington, N.M.

Date of birth: Sept. 5, 1958

Height / weight: 6-2, 200 pounds

1998 earnings: $99,132

1998 NFR earnings: $11,205

Joined PRCA: 1976

NFR qualifications: 23 (1977-99)

Watch out Jim Shoulders, here comes Guy Allen.

While it may seem premature to begin talking about "The Legend" topping Shoulders' PRCA record of 16 world titles, it's certainly worth considering. Allen clinched his 13th gold buckle more than a month before the 1998 National Finals Steer Roping even began, and has shown no signs of easing up.

In an event where men several years his senior regularly win paychecks, Allen, 40, has dominated like no cowboy in the history of professional rodeo. He's won eight straight world titles and finished the 1998 season with $99,132.

Not dominating enough for you? Well, consider this: Allen finished just $330 short of the combined winnings of second and third-place ropers Trevor Brazile and Marty Jones. In addition, consider that in 1998 Brazile became only the second cowboy in PRCA history to cross the $50,000-mark in steer roping earnings for a season.

Allen has done it five times, and during the '98 season he came within $868 of crossing the $100,000-mark.

Add to the mix 22 consecutive NFSR qualifications, an NFSR earnings record ($23,925 set in 1997) and three NFSR average titles (1989, '91 and '97) and you have a steer roping dynasty.

But unlike the Oakland Raiders or the New York Yankees, Allen isn't the type of athlete fans love to hate. In fact, he takes his success in stride.

"Fortunately this year, I had a super year," Allen said after collecting his '98 gold buckle at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Okla., during the Halloween weekend.

It's rare to see the second-generation cowboy excited about much, but the chance to become the first in his event to top six figures had Allen downright giddy toward the end of 1998.

By the time he collected $6,227 for winning a fourth Pendleton (Ore.) Round-Up average title, Allen stood a mere $12,073 away from the elusive six-figure season he'd imagined.

"That's always been a dream of mine," Allen said before heading to the '98 NFSR in Oklahoma. "Even just a few years ago I wasn't sure it was even possible, but it's something I've always wanted to accomplish."

Unfortunately, Allen's fourth-round NFSR steer got up leaving Allen with a no-time in the round, and significantly dimming the cowboy's chances for $100,000.

Like 11 other of the PRCA's top steer ropers, "The Legend" fell victim to a pen of fresh steers seeing their first action at the NFSR. By the time he needed two loops to rope his eighth-round steer, Allen's dream had ended in disaster.

Well, sort of. After all, he did still win the world title by more than $43,000.

"When you start out the season, it's always your dream to win the world championship," he said. "I'm disappointed (about falling short of $100,000), but it's hard to complain about a year when you win the world title."

Complaining may be the one thing Allen isn't good at anyway. After all, when you win money at 39 of the 48 rodeos you enter in a season, you don't get too many opportunities to complain.

Of course, it would have been only fitting to see the most prolific steer roper in PRCA history top the $100,000-mark the same season in which the NFSR payoff surpassed six figures for the first time.

But there's always next year.