LAS VEGAS — Cooper James relied on consistency to qualify for the bull riding at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge.
But the Resistol Rookie didn’t have a PRORODEO event buckle, despite winning a few events – until Round 5 on Monday night.
James put on a clinic atop Sutton Rodeos’ Schott in the Dark for an 88.5-point ride before 16,862 fans at the Thomas & Mack Center.
“This is actually my first PRORODEO buckle that I’ll ever win, and it being at the Finals is pretty cool,” James said. “I’m so excited. I don’t know when I’m going to be able to go to sleep tonight.”
The 19-year-old from Erdah, Utah, earned one of three qualified rides in the round as the fourth man out and held on to secure the victory.
James said he started to get antsy watching the rest of the field try to knock him off. Josh Frost’s reride option—executed after the performance ended—added another delay.
But when the dust settled, James showed everybody that he wasn’t in Las Vegas as a spectator – he came to win.
“Honestly, a lot of people get really worked up here and get jitters,” James said. “But for me it’s just another rodeo. A lot of people didn’t believe in me all year, but I came to make a statement. I’ve done that so far.”
James credited Schott in the Dark for allowing him to turn heads in front of a sellout crowd.
“He was awesome. He’s a big muley, black, bald face,” James said. “I hadn’t seen him much in person at all. But looking at the videos, I was excited to get on him and we made it work.”
James moved up to the top spot in the NFR Average with 340 points on four head and fourth in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $266,438.
As he walked out of the arena, James said he’d wear his go-round buckle when he hops on another bull in Round 6 on Tuesday.