World Champions crowned at 50th Wrangler National Finals Rodeo

McDaniel, of Porum, Okla., won his first world title in record style, setting a new Wrangler NFR average record of 859 points on his way to $126,292 in Wrangler NFR earnings and $216,967 in season earnings. He was happy as can be after claiming his first gold buckle in just his second Wrangler NFR.

"It’s indescribable," McDaniel said. "I’ve been waiting for this my whole life. Today is the best day of my life. This week I came in here in 10th place, and I knew I had to dang sure jump out there in the first round and place high and be consistent in every round to catch those guys. The Lord blessed me with the right horses all week, and I felt like I rode pretty well, so I’m just tickled to death."

McDaniel's traveling partner Steven Dent finished second in the final Crusher Rentals PRCA World Standings with $210,799, while 2007 World Champion Bobby Mote finished third with $205,592. Tilden Hooper won the 10th round with a 90-point ride on Classic Pro Rodeo's Scarlet's Web to finish a rough Wrangler NFR on a high note. Dent and Mote needed to win the round to have a chance at the world title, but finished fifth and 10th, respectively, in the round.

Steer wrestler Luke Branquinho knows what it's like to win a gold buckle, claiming a world title in 2004, and he added another world championship to his resume in 2008. Branquinho finished second in the 10th round to Trevor Knowles with a 3.7-second run to clinch the Wrangler NFR average title and secure his second gold buckle of the decade. Branquinho, of Los Alamos, Calif., finished the season with a PRCA record $242,018 in earnings, while 2006 World Champion finished second in the world with $171,130. He is the first steer wrestler to win multiple world titles since Ote Berry (1990-91).

He had a hard time describing his emotions after winning the title.

"I couldn't even tell you," Branquinho said of how he felt. "It's kind of a relief, actually. I didn't sleep very well last night, wondering what could happen. I had a good steer, and I knew I had a chance to win good money on him in the go-round, which would have taken care of the average. It's a great honor. Watching this event growing up, it's special to be able to have two championships, just like John W. Jones Jr. I looked up to him -- just to be able to be in a category like that is amazing."

Knowles, of Mount Vernon, Ore., won at least a share of the last four rounds to finish with $87,350 in Las Vegas, second among steer wrestlers behind only Branquinho's $111,238. Branquinho placed in eight of 10 rounds en route to his second gold buckle.

Team roping was one of the most hotly contested events throughout the 10 days of the Wrangler NFR, and the race for the world titles came down to the wire. In the end, 2006 World Champion Header Matt Sherwood and partner Randon Adams won the coveted gold buckles, finishing fourth in Round 10 to clinch the world titles with PRCA record earnings of $189,568. Sherwood, of Pima, Ariz., finished ahead of six-time and reigning World Champion All-Around Cowboy Trevor Brazile, who won the Wrangler NFR average in 60.1 seconds with Patrick Smith and earned $163,358 on the season. Adams, of Logandale, Nev., finished ahead of Jade Corkill, who earned $166,673 roping with Luke Brown, in the race for the gold buckle.

"It's unbelievable," said Sherwood, who broke the earnings record set by Chad Masters a year ago. "To be here among the greatest ropers in the world and be crowned the world champion is truly unbelievable. There were several different scenarios that could have played out. We knew that if we just made a smooth run on the last steer, we would win the championship."

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