Historical Moment Captured When Winner of Gold Buckle Was Determined by Just $676

The 2024 National Finals Rodeo showcased some of the tightest races I can ever remember and the All-Around was no exception

Shad Mayfield at the back number ceremony / PRCA Facebook

With truckloads of money on the line, all but one of the races for the World Championships in professional rodeo came down to Round 10 of the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, December 5-14, 2024. Many were tight, but none were tighter than the All-Around Cowboy, which came out a lot like the photo finish I predicted.

When the dust settled, Clovis, N.M., tie-down roper, Shad Mayfield earned his second World Championship. The 24-year-old cowboy left with a gold buckle and the coveted All-Around Cowboy title. Despite struggling with significant pain from torn labrums in both hips, Mayfield powered through the season and earned a title few have claimed in the past two decades.

With five NFR qualifications under his belt, as well as the 2020 World Championship in the tie-down roping, Mayfield took the opportunity presented in 2024 to earn an All-Around title. Since Trevor Brazile's reign began in the early 2000s, there have only been six cowboys to win the title in the past 22 years. Mayfield has now joined Brazile, Ryan Jarrett, Stetson Wright, Junior Noguiera, and Tuf Cooper on that list.

During the NFR, it became a three-man race between Mayfield, Coleman Proctor, and Junior Nogueira. Proctor and Nogueira battled back and forth for the second spot throughout the week, with Proctor jumping into No. 1 after a win in Round 9.

It all came down to Round 10, where Mayfield needed to hold down his position in the Average. Despite having to use his second loop on one calf in Round 9, he was still only 14.9 seconds at the bottom of the arena, his longest run of the week. Mayfield pulled checks in four rounds, earning $60,312. His average earnings were $40,750, bringing his NFR total to $101,062.

After the average money was factored in, Proctor ended up a mere $676 behind Mayfield.

During the awards ceremony after Round 10, Mayfield quoted in his Cowboy Channel interview, "It took God being on my side every step of the way. It's been a long year, I've battled a lot and overcame a lot. I'm thankful for everybody that's been in my corner. My great horse, Lollipop, she's more famous than I am, nowadays. She's been special to me. All the steer ropers that have helped me, my team roping partner, I'm really thankful for all of them."

That great horse, Lollipop, was the Horse of the Year, and she and Mayfield have a great story together.

While Mayfield may be known first as a tie-down roper, in 2024, he had earnings in the steer roping and team roping (heading) to add to his all-around earnings. He finished the year with $335,474 in earnings in the all-around.

Mayfield has particularly enjoyed his venture into steer roping, which he began in 2023. Earning $6,127 in the event helped him achieve the No. 1 spot in the All-Around standings, coming into the 2024 NFR.