With one Gold Buckle and now eight National Finals Rodeo qualifications to his name, Ty Erickson is not only in the hunt once again, he’s one of the most decorated steer wrestlers in this year’s field.
The $1 million dollar bulldogger is sitting No. 5 going into this NFR with $124,275, trailing fellow NFR veterans Jesse Brown, Tyler Waguespack and Will Lummus in addition to the man with the record-breaking regular season, NFR newcomer Dalton Massey.
BIGGEST PAYDAYS
Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, $16,760
At one of the largest indoor rodeos of the year, Erickson went to work placing in both Go-Rounds of Bracket 5 before finding himself second in both the Semifinals and the Finals, where he was 4.3 seconds to win $12,000. His fastest time of the rodeo came in Round 2 with a 3.6-second run, which was also his second-fastest time of the entire season.
Puyallup Cinch Playoffs, $11,944
At his second to last rodeo of the regular season, Erickson threw down in Rounds 1 and 2 to be the No. 1 guy that made it back on two head. A 4.3-second run would be fast enough for the Semifinals win and a 4.2 would put him third in the Finals behind Dalton Massey and 10-time NFR qualifier Dakota Eldridge.
Montana Circuit Finals, $9,150
Winning Rounds 1 and 2 set Erickson up with the ability to finish inside the Top 4 in Round 3 and still win the Aggregate. The Montana cowboy did just that and with a time of 12.7 seconds, he chalked up his first big win of the season back in the middle of January. It is the third time he has won the Montana Circuit Finals, but first since 2015.
FASTEST TIMES
Oakley Independence Day Rodeo (Utah), 3.3 seconds
Over Cowboy Christmas, Erickson threw his fastest run of the entire regular season. With a time of 3.3 seconds, he was the Champion in Oakley, Utah by just one tenth of a second. This win added almost $5,500 to his season earnings. During the Fourth of July run, he also picked up checks in St. Paul, Cody, Livingston and West Jordan.
NOTABLE WINS
Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo, 4.1 Seconds
Erickson picked up one five wins on the season and three of them came in his home state. In Kalispell, he was the only bulldogger with a run faster than five seconds flat, which delivered him a W and $2,400.
Gem State Stampede (Idaho), 3.8 Seconds
Erickson stayed in the Mountain Time Zone for all of his wins this year with those outside Montana coming in Utah and Idaho. The Gem State Stampede win came on Aug. 27 and marked his final rodeo title of the season.
Meet the NFR Athletes is presented by Montana Silversmiths #EveryBuckleHasAStory #BrandOfChampions #FromGreatToGold
