BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN
He snuck it at No. 13 this season, but it wouldn’t be a Wrangler NFR without Jake Brown there in the bareback riding, his qualification this year makes it six in a row.
Statistically, Brown had one of the best years of his career despite going to less rodeos due to COVID-19. His average score was 83.72, besting his previous record of 83.1 in 2018. He also had 27 percent of his rides in 2020 marked 85 points or better. Prior to this year, the best mark of his career was 24 percent which also came in 2018.
The Texas cowboy won four rodeos in 2020: Belton (Texas) CoC 4th of July Rodeo, Won the Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days Rodeo and the Sandhills Stock Show & Rodeo in Odessa and the Texas Circuit Finals.
The highest score of those came in Guymon, where he was marked 89 points. It was one of two times this season Brown had 89 points or better, the other came in Fort Worth.
JAKE BROWN - 89 POINTS ON NEW SCARLET IN GUYMON
Brown also won some nice checks for a series of third-place finishes in Prescott, Cody, Deadwood and Phillipsburg in the summer stretch.
In Prescott in early July, he won $3,755 for an 86.5-point ride on Happy Trails. A few days later, he rode Cherry Bomb for 87 points in Cody to earn $3,336.
At the end of July, Brown was 86 points on the back of Smilin’ Bob in Deadwood to win $2,395. He was also 86 in Phillipsburg on Fearless, which won him $1,919.
