LAS VEGAS — Jesse Brown had zero intention of living a rodeo life. Now, he's one of the great stories at this year's National Finals Rodeo.
Ironically, life turned for Brown while competing as a quarterback at Washington State.
“My football career wasn’t going where I’d envisioned it. At the time I was thinking, ‘Oh dang, this kind of sucks.’ But if it had gone better, maybe I wouldn’t be here and I wouldn’t have gone to Montana State,” the steer wrestler said.
Brown started playing football in his hometown of Baker City, Oregon, in the fourth grade. That ultimately fueled a preferred walk-on offer in Pullman (Wash.) from Cody (Wyo.) native and Cougars head coach Mike Leach. It was a time Brown never imagined a rodeo life.
“No," Brown said laughing without hesitation. "I didn’t even think I’d be riding a horse or anything like that when I was at Wazzu. Never thought I’d be at the Thomas and Mack, or rodeoing in general."
Brown, who currently sits fourth in steer wrestling's world standings, didn’t even take the sport seriously until 2015. His career gained traction after transferring to Montana State.
Now, he’s a five-time qualifier at the NFR who refuses to let off the gas. Brown won Monday’s round in 3.6 seconds and split Wednesday's Round 7 win with world leader Dakota Eldrige in 3.5.
“Yeah, it was really tough ... and that (run) was towards the end. It was a really good pen of steers and Dakota was 3.5 on a steer that nobody’s really done much on,” Brown recalled after the round.
Though Brown was a rodeo man at Montana State, he admits he’s definitely keeping an eye on the Bobcats’ undefeated season and their current playoff run — sort of the best of both worlds.
“I liked football, but I love rodeoing,” he said.
