Rich Skelton (born June 18, 1966) is an American former professional rodeo

team roping Team roping also known as heading and heeling is a rodeo event that features a steer (typically a Corriente) and two mounted riders. The first roper is referred to as the "header", the person who ropes the front of the steer, usually around ...

world champion and a 2018

ProRodeo Hall of Fame The ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy was opened in August 1979 as a museum designed to "preserve the legacy of the cowboy contests, the heritage and culture of those original competitions, and the champions of the past, p ...

inductee. He is an eight-time

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States and Canada, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the National ...

(PRCA) World Team Roping Champion, and is regarded as one of the most consistent team ropers of all time.

Early life

Skelton was born in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...

on June 18, 1966. However, he grew up mostly in

Electra, Texas Electra is a city in Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area. The population was 2,791 at the 2010 census., down from 3,168 in 2000. Electra claims the title of Pump Jack Capital of T ...

. When Skelton was growing up, he spent every free minute he had perfecting his roping skills. He attended

Vernon College Vernon College is a public community college in Vernon, Texas. History The two-year Vernon Regional Junior College welcomed its first student body of 608 in 1972, and had a Board of Trustees of seven members. In 1970, the Wilbarger County vote ...

Career

Skelton joined the PRCA in 1986 as a team roping heeler. His first partner in team roping was hall of famer Tee Woolman. In 1997 Woolman reduced his schedule, so Skelton teamed up with header hall of famer Speed Williams. Their partnership continued together for 9 years. In that time, they tied or broke all existing team roping records. Skelton competed in team roping,

tie-down roping Calf roping, also known as tie-down roping, is a rodeo event that features a calf and a rider mounted on a horse. The goal of this timed event is for the rider to catch the calf by throwing a loop of rope from a lariat around its neck, dismou ...

, and

steer roping Steer roping, also known as steer tripping or steer jerking, is a rodeo event that features a steer and one mounted cowboy. Technique The steer roper starts behind a "barrier" - a taut rope fastened with an easily broken string which is fasten ...

in his entire career; and also placed fourth in the

all-around The All-Around is an award given to a rodeo competitor who is most successful in two or more events. Most individual rodeos and championships determine the winner of this award at the conclusion of the other events or championships. Championsh ...

once in his career. He placed in the top 15 in the World Standings going on 7 years. He qualified for the

National Finals Rodeo The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) is the premier rodeo event by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). The NFR showcases the talents of the PRCA's top 15 money-winners in the season for each event. The NFR is held each year in the f ...

22 times, in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014, and 2015. He also qualified once for the

National Finals Steer Roping The National Finals Steer Roping (NFSR), organized by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), is the premier championship steer roping event in the United States. It showcases the talents of the PRCA's top 15 money-winners in the steer ro ...

in 2007. The highlight, though, are the eight consecutive World Team Roping Champion titles which he and Williams earned in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004. Rich Skelton is regarded as one of the most consistent and competitive team ropers of all time. Skelton ended his career with nearly $3 million in earnings. When he retired after 2018, he was 44th in the World Standings.

Awards and qualifications

* 22-time NFR qualifier * 8-time World Champion * 1-time WNFR Average Champion * 3-time RNCFR Champion * 12-time RNCFR qualifier Source:

Award winning horses

Skelton has owned and ridden some of the most accomplished and skilled roping horses in the industry. Two of his favorites have won awards several times. Chili Dog, registered name Pets Ten, has won the AQHA/PRCA award twice, in 2004 and 2005. Roany, registered name Boons Smooth Val, won the AQHA/PRCA award four times, in 1997, 1998, 1998, and 2001. His horse "Z", registered name Mr. Moon Freckles, finished in a tie for third in 2006.

Honors

* In 2006, Skelton was inducted into the

Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, a western, historical museum in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, "honors those men and women who have shown excellence in the business and support of rodeo and the western lifestyle in Texas." The Hall of Fame ...

. * In 2018, Skelton was inducted into the

Personal life

Skelton has since retired, and he enjoys golf and hunting. He, his wife Rhonda Smothers-Skelton, and his daughter reside in

Llano, Texas Llano ( ) is a city in Llano County, Texas, United States. As of 2010, the city population was 3,232. It is the county seat of Llano County. Geography Llano is located at (30.750953, –98.680038). It is on the Llano River, northwest of Aus ...

. Both are

barrel racer Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to run a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. In collegiate and professional ranks, it is usually a women's event, though both sexes compete at amateur an ...

References

Other sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Skelton, Rich 1966 births Living people Roping (rodeo) People from Electra, Texas People from Llano, Texas Sportspeople from Fort Worth, Texas ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees