EVENTS
All-Around Champion Cowboy, 1981
A great timed-event competitor, Jimmie Cooper came by his talent naturally. He was born into a rodeo family at Monument, New Mexico, in 1956. His father was a professional roper in the 1950s, and his cousin Roy Cooper was a PRCA all-around champion. Jimmie Cooper attributes his success to coaching by six-time all-around champion Tom Ferguson.
Rodeo’s rookie of the year in 1980, Jimmie Cooper finished third in the nation in calf roping, tenth in steer wrestling, and fifth in all-around standings. From that year through 1986 he ranked in the top five in the all-around.
In addition to his 1981 all-around crown, Cooper’s victories in calf roping and steer wrestling brought him a single-season earnings record that year. A college-educated cowboy, an athlete, and an astute businessman, he typified the “new breed” of cowboys. He carefully planned each year’s entry schedule and averaged $95,000 a year in his first three seasons.
Now retired from active competition, he ranches near Monument, New Mexico.
