FORT WORTH, Texas, (Feb. 8, 2025) — The 2025 edition of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s $1.5 million FWSSR ProRodeo Tournament came to a close in Dickies Arena on Saturday night.
The big money winner was bull rider Maverick Potter from Waxahachie, Texas, and his win could be a game changer for his season. He qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 2022 and finished the season in 12th place. The next two years were filled with struggles. Potter finished 45th in 2023, and last year was 24th. While it didn’t put him among the top 15 that qualify to compete for world titles, that finish was good enough to get him a spot here.
Potter competed in Bracket 1 of the tournament and was the only bull rider who was successful in both rounds. He earned $7,000 in those rounds, came back to the Semi-Finals and was successful again. In fact, Potter was the only man to ride all four of the bulls that he climbed on. In the Championship Finals, he notched the high score at 89.5 points on Sutton Rodeo’s Mr. Demon to win $20,000. When all his winnings were added together, he was the biggest money earner at this year’s rodeo with $30,333. That money will put him well on the way to qualifying for this year’s NFR in Las Vegas next December. He was unranked in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world standings prior to this rodeo and is likely to move all the way to the top.
Shad Mayfield’s winning ways continued as he earned his second consecutive Fort Worth tie-down roping championship. Mayfield grew up in Clovis, New Mexico, but lives in nearby in Lipan, Texas, now. He stopped the clock in 7.6 seconds for the title. After winning this rodeo last year, he qualified for his sixth NFR and went on to win his first gold buckle as the All-Around World Champion. Shad was the 2020 world champion tie-down roper and has been working hard to win that championship again. The win here will help him to make the trip to Las Vegas again next December for rodeo’s championships.
Another local competitor that took home a title was barrel racer Andrea Busby from Brock. She was riding her great mare, Born on Derby Day, that she calls Derby. They had the fastest run on Saturday night at 16.16 seconds and earned $27,700. It was a big win for Busby who qualified for her first NFR last December and is hoping to be back there next December.
Jesse Brown from Baker City, Oregon, earned $25,818 in the steer wrestling. He won his first title in Dickies Arena when he stopped the clock in 3.6 seconds. In the fastest event at the rodeo, breakaway roping Josie Conner, from Iowa, Louisiana, got the win with a 1.8 second run. She added $28,017 to her season earnings.
Team roper Tanner Tomlinson who lives at Mineral Wells, Texas, did the heading for Jay, Oklahoma’s Travis Graves. They are a new team for 2025, and the partnership worked well enough at the ProRodeo Tournament for them to get the win. They stopped the clock in 4.9 seconds in the finals for the title and earned a total of $25,350.
Nick Pelke of Mondovi, Wisconsin, made an outstanding 91.5-point ride on J Bar J Rodeo’s horse named Straight Stick to win the bareback riding. Pelke earned $26,136 total and, if his success continues, he will be traveling to Las Vegas to compete at his first NFR.
In the saddle bronc riding it was Idaho’s Kade Bruno who got the win. Bruno rode another horse from J Bar J Rodeo named Straight Moonshine for 92 points. He earned $27,636 and if his success continues through the rest of the year, he will be competing at his fourth NFR. He was leading the world standings before Fort Worth’s rodeo and extended his lead significantly.
Total payoff at this year’s rodeo was over $1.5 million. Plans are underway for the 2026 edition of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, scheduled for January 16 – February 7.
Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo ProRodeo Tournament Champions
Bareback Riding – Nick Pelke, Mondovi, WI, 91.5 points, $26,136
Steer Wrestling – Jesse Brown, Baker City, OR, 3.6 seconds, $25,818
Breakaway Roping – Josie Conner, Iowa, LA, 1.8 seconds, $28,017
Saddle Bronc Riding – Kade Bruno, Challis, ID, 92 points, $27,636
Tie-Down Roping – Shad Mayfield, Clovis, NM, 7.6 seconds, $28,433
Team Roping – Tanner Tomlinson, Mineral Wells, TX & Travis Graves, Jay, OK, 4.9 seconds, $25,350
Barrel Racing – Andrea Busby, Brock, TX, 16.16 seconds, $27,700
Bull Riding – Maverick Potter, Waxahachie, TX, 89.5 points, $30,333
FORT WORTH, Texas — The following are unofficial results from the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s ProRodeo Tournament Championship Finals on February 2, 2024.
Bareback riding: 1, Nick Pelke, Mondovi, Wis., 91.5 points on J Bar J Rodeo’s Straight Stick, $20,000. 2, Mason Clements, Spanish Fork, Utah, 90.5, $8,000. 3, Cole Franks, Clarendon, Texas, 89.5, $8,000. 4, (tie) Bradlee Miller, Huntsville, Texas, and Jacob Lees, Caldwell, Idaho, 89, $2,000 each.
Steer wrestling: 1, Jesse Brown, Baker City, Ore., 3.6 seconds, $20,000. 2, Don Payne, Stephenville, Texas, 4.5, $12,000. 3, Seth Peterson, Minot, N.D., 10.5, $8,000. 4, Eli Lord, Sturgis, S.D., 10.5, $4,000.
Breakaway roping: 1, Josie Conner, Iowa, La., 1.8 seconds, $20,000. 2, Kinlie Brennise, Craig, Colo., 2.8, $12,000. 3, TiAda Gray, May, Texas, 3.2, $8,000. 4, Joey Williams, Volberg, Mont., no time, $4,000 (based on fastest time in Semi-finals.)
Saddle bronc riding: 1, Kade Bruno, Challis, Idaho, 92 points on J Bar J Rodeo’s Straight Moonshine, $20,000. 2, Statler Wright, Beaver, Utah, 91.5, $12,000. 3, Gus Gaillard, Morse, Texas, 90.5, $8,000. 4, Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, Canada, 88.5, $4,000.
Tie-down roping: 1, Shad Mayfield, Clovis, N.M., 7.6 seconds, $20,000. 2, Kyle Lucas, Carstairs, Alberta, Canada, 7.7, $12,000. 3, Riley Webb, Denton, Texas, 7.9, $8,000. 4, Ty Harris, San Angelo, Texas, 8.3, $4,000.
Team Roping: 1, Tanner Tomlinson, Mineral Wells, Texas, and Travis Graves, Jay, Okla., 4.9, $20,000 each. 2, Cody Carter, Stephenville, Texas, and Blake Bentley, Stephenville, Texas, 5.0, $12,000 each. 3, Dawson and Dillon Graham, 9.1, $8,000 each. 4, Cyle Denison, Iowa, La., and Lane Mitchell, Bolivar, Tenn., 9.2, $4,000 each.
Barrel Racing: 1, Andrea Busby, Brock, Texas, 16.16 seconds, $20,000. 2, Megan McLeod Sprague, Marsing, Idaho, 16.21, $12,000. 3, Kassie Mowry, Dublin, Texas, 16.37, $8,000. 4, Toria Madsen, Blackfoot, Idaho, 16.31, $4,000.
Bull Riding: 1, Maverick Potter, Waxahachie, Texas, 89.5 points on Sutton Rodeo’s Mr. Demon, $20,000. 2, T Parker, Winnie, Texas, 84, $12,000. 3, (tie) T.J. Gray, Dairy, Ore., and Roscoe Jarboe, New Plymouth, Idaho, $6,000 each (based on Semi-Finals scores.)
PROVIDED COURTESY OF SUSAN KANODE / JOHNA CRAVENS FOR FORT WORTH STOCK SHOW & RODEO PRORODEO TOURNAMENT TO TENN TEXAS MEDIA
