Whitfield returns to defend NFR crown

Thursday, Nov. 30, 2000 | 12:19 p.m.

Dates: Dec. 1-10

Site: Thomas & Mack Center

Purse: $4.5 million

Structure: 10 go-rounds of rodeo competition. Top 15 regular-season finishers compete for world championships in: bareback riding; saddle bronc riding; bull riding; calf roping; team roping (heading and heeling); steer wrestling; and barrel racing

Expected attendance: 175,000

TV: 10-round broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2

The 42nd edition of the National Finals Rodeo will have a tough time topping last year's event in terms of sheer drama and historical significance.

But the 105 cowboys and cowgirls assembled for this week's $4.5 million NFR will give it a go, anyway.

Professional rodeo's richest event returns to Las Vegas when the National Finals Rodeo kicks off Friday with the first of 10 sold-out performances at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Heading the list of reigning world champions returning to Las Vegas this week is 33-year-old Fred Whitfield, who last year became the first black world champion All-Around Cowboy in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association's 71-year history.

For good measure, Whitfield also won his fourth world championship calf roping title at the 1999 NFR.

Despite coming into last year's NFR with a $20,000 lead in the all-around standings and losing his lead to Cody Ohl with three go-rounds remaining, Whitfield said he never felt any pressure last year.

"I was never really under much pressure because those guys (Ohl and Blair Burk) were chasing me," Whitfield said. "I know there was a lot of doubt flying around here but I never doubted myself and that's why I'm the all-around champion."

The cool Hockley, Texas, resident said he realized the significance of becoming the first black to win the PRCA's highest honor, and added that he hoped it would open doors to other minority cowboys.

"There's lots of history when you're the first to do something," he said. "It's a great accomplishment for me, it's a great accomplishment for African-Americans in general.

"It's a great accomplishment (to win) in a predominantly white association. There are tons of black athletes that have all the ability in the world to rodeo, but they don't. I haven't been able to pinpoint (why) just quite yet, but there are lots more guys who could be in the same position as Fred Whitfield's in."

Whitfield, who again comes to Las Vegas as the top calf roper, heads a list of six reigning world champions who will be in Las Vegas through Dec. 10 to defend their titles.

The top 15 cowboys in each of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association's seven events -- saddle bronc riding, bull riding, bareback riding, calf roping, team roping, steer wrestling and barrel racing -- qualified for the season finale.

Whitfield comes into the 2000 NFR ranked first in the calf roping standings by a narrow $2,739 over Burk and is fourth in the All-Around standings, $30,159 behind front-running Scott Johnson.

But you can throw out the yearlong standings at the NFR. With tens of thousands of dollars up for grabs in every performance during the 10-day rodeo, a strong showing this week can vault even the 15th-place cowboy in any event into title contention.

In 1990, team roper Allen Bach came into the NFR in 15th place but roped his way to the championship. In 1992, Billy Etbauer posted the highest single-event NFR total in history when he won more than $100,000 en route to his first saddle bronc riding world title.

This year's closest battle is in steer wrestling, where Rod Lyman of Victor, Mont., holds a slim $154 lead over Teddy Johnson of Checotah, Okla.

While not all of the events at this year's NFR are as close as steer wrestling, not one front-running cowboy is coming to Las Vegas with a lock on the world championship.

Some of the other hotly contested battles that will be settled during the 42nd annual NFR:

The 42nd annual National Finals Rodeo will run through Sunday, Dec. 10 at the Thomas & Mack. Each of the first nine performances is scheduled to start at 6:45 p.m., with the Dec. 12 matinee finale starting at 11:45 a.m.