NFR History
NFR history goes back to Dallas in 1959. The National Finals Rodeo has since moved from Texas to Los Angeles and Oklahoma City, and it has been a December fixture in Las Vegas since 1985.
Last updated:
NFR timeline
1959
The first National Finals Rodeo is held at Fair Park Coliseum in Dallas.
1962
The rodeo moves to the Los Angeles Sports Arena, and team roping joins the program.
1965
Oklahoma City takes over as host. The first year there draws 47,027 fans.
1967
Barrel racing is added to the NFR.
1979
The NFR moves to the Myriad Convention Center in Oklahoma City.
1985
After a 5–5 PRCA board deadlock broken by president Shawn Davis, the NFR opens in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center.
2001
Wrangler becomes the title sponsor.
2015
The contestant purse reaches a record $10 million.
2020
COVID restrictions in Nevada move the NFR to Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, for one year.
2023
The opening performance is postponed after the UNLV shooting, and a double round later keeps the event at 10 rounds.
2024
An extension keeps the NFR in Las Vegas through 2035, worth $264,324,473 for contestants and stock contractors.
2026
The 68th NFR pays eight places per round instead of six.
Records and milestones
- Single-season PRCA earnings
- $927,940, Stetson Wright, 2022
- All-around titles since 2019
- Stetson Wright, 6
- Bull riding titles since 2014
- Sage Kimzey, 7
- Bareback titles since 2011
- Kaycee Feild, 6
- Steer wrestling season record
- $398,913, Tucker Allen, 2025
- Barrel racing titles since 2018
- Hailey Kinsel, 4
- Consecutive sell-outs by 2011
- 260 performances
- Attendance over 10 days
- More than 170,000
NFR world champions, 2011–2025
| Year | All-Around | Bareback | Steer Wrestling | Team Roping (Header) | Team Roping (Heeler) | Saddle Bronc | Tie-Down | Barrel Racing | Bull Riding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Stetson Wright | Rocker Steiner | Tucker Allen | Andrew Ward | Jake Long | Statler Wright | Riley Webb | Kassie Mowry | Stetson Wright |
| 2024 | Shad Mayfield | Dean Thompson | J.D. Struxness | Tyler Wade | Wesley Thorp | Ryder Wright | Riley Webb | Kassie Mowry | Josh Frost |
| 2023 | Stetson Wright | Keenan Hayes | Tyler Waguespack | Tyler Wade | Wesley Thorp | Zeke Thurston | Riley Webb | Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi | Ky Hamilton |
| 2022 | Stetson Wright | Jess Pope | Tyler Waguespack | Kaleb Driggers | Junior Nogueira | Zeke Thurston | Caleb Smidt | Hailey Kinsel | Stetson Wright |
| 2021 | Stetson Wright | Kaycee Feild | Tyler Waguespack | Kaleb Driggers | Junior Nogueira | Stetson Wright | Caleb Smidt | Jordon Briggs | Sage Kimzey |
| 2020 | Stetson Wright | Kaycee Feild | Jacob Edler | Colby Lovell | Paul Eaves | Ryder Wright | Shad Mayfield | Hailey Kinsel | Stetson Wright |
| 2019 | Stetson Wright | Clayton Biglow | Ty Erickson | Clay Smith | Wesley Thorp | Zeke Thurston | Haven Meged | Hailey Kinsel | Sage Kimzey |
| 2018 | Trevor Brazile | Tim O'Connell | Tyler Waguespack | Clay Smith | Paul Eaves | Wade Sundell | Caleb Smidt | Hailey Kinsel | Sage Kimzey |
| 2017 | Tuf Cooper | Tim O'Connell | Tyler Pearson | Erich Rogers | Cory Petska | Ryder Wright | Marcos Costa | Nellie Miller | Sage Kimzey |
| 2016 | Junior Nogueira | Tim O'Connell | Tyler Waguespack | Levi Simpson | Jeremy Buhler | Zeke Thurston | Tyson Durfey | Mary Burger | Sage Kimzey |
| 2015 | Trevor Brazile | Steven Peebles | Hunter Cure | Aaron Tsinigine | Kollin VonAhn | Jacobs Crawley | Caleb Smidt | Callie duPerier | Sage Kimzey |
| 2014 | Trevor Brazile | Kaycee Feild | Luke Branquinho | Clay Tryan | Jade Corkill | Spencer Wright | Tuf Cooper | Fallon Taylor | Sage Kimzey |
| 2013 | Trevor Brazile | Kaycee Feild | Hunter Cure | Clay Tryan | Jade Corkill | Chad Ferley | Shane Hanchey | Sherry Cervi | J.W. Harris |
| 2012 | Trevor Brazile | Kaycee Feild | Luke Branquinho | Chad Masters | Jade Corkill | Jesse Wright | Tuf Cooper | Mary Walker | Cody Teel |
| 2011 | Trevor Brazile | Kaycee Feild | Luke Branquinho | Turtle Powell | Jhett Johnson | Taos Muncy | Tuf Cooper | Lindsay Sears | Shane Proctor |
How the NFR began
The National Finals Rodeo was created to crown rodeo's world champions in one final showdown among the top money earners of the season. The format has stayed simple: the best 15 in each event, 10 rounds, and a world title decided by total earnings. Dallas hosted the first three years, starting in 1959. Team roping came on board in 1962, and barrel racing followed in 1967.
From Oklahoma City to Las Vegas
Oklahoma City hosted the NFR for 20 years, from 1965 to 1984. By 1984, the PRCA board was split 5–5 on whether to move, and PRCA president Shawn Davis cast the deciding vote for Las Vegas. Part of the appeal was money: where Oklahoma City offered $900,000 to cowboys and $200,000 to contractors, the Las Vegas bid guaranteed $1.8 million and $700,000.
The bet paid off. The rodeo that came to town in 1985 has become one of the biggest events on the Las Vegas calendar, with more than 4 million fans attending by 2009 and 260 straight sell-outs recorded by 2011. It fills hotels, casinos and trade shows across the city each December.
NFR host cities
| Years | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|
| 1959–1961 | Fair Park Coliseum | Dallas, Texas |
| 1962–1964 | Los Angeles Sports Arena | Los Angeles, California |
| 1965–1978 | Jim Norick Arena | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| 1979–1984 | Myriad Convention Center | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| 1985–present | Thomas & Mack Center | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| 2020 | Globe Life Field | Arlington, Texas |
How NFR coverage has changed
The way fans watch has changed as much as the location. The NFR was syndicated from 1974 to 1986, then spent more than two decades on ESPN, from 1987 to 2010. Great American Country carried it from 2011 to 2013, followed by CBS Sports Network from 2014 to 2019. Since 2020, the Cowboy Channel and its streaming service, now called Cowboy+, have been the home of the rodeo. See how to watch NFR 2026 for this year's options.
The dynasties
In the 15 seasons shown in the champions table, a few names stand out. Trevor Brazile won the all-around title six times in the 2011 to 2018 stretch, and Stetson Wright has since won it six more times. Kaycee Feild won six bareback titles, and Sage Kimzey won seven in bull riding. In 2025, Stetson's younger brother Statler won the saddle bronc riding title. That family story continues in 2026, with all four Wright brothers in the field.
Sources
We compiled this page from the official NFR site's history and past winners pages, along with Wikipedia's National Finals Rodeo entry. The official past winners page doesn't show the 2019 all-around champion, so that entry comes from contemporary reporting on Stetson Wright's win.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the NFR held?
The NFR is held at the Thomas & Mack Center on the UNLV campus in Las Vegas, Nevada. It has been in Las Vegas since 1985, apart from 2020, when it moved to Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
When did the NFR start?
The first National Finals Rodeo was held in Dallas in 1959. It later moved to Los Angeles and Oklahoma City before arriving in Las Vegas in 1985.
Who won the 2025 NFR world titles?
The 2025 world champions were Stetson Wright (all-around and bull riding), Rocker Steiner (bareback), Tucker Allen (steer wrestling), Andrew Ward and Jake Long (team roping), Statler Wright (saddle bronc), Riley Webb (tie-down) and Kassie Mowry (barrel racing).