Wrangler NFR wraps up with record attendance
By Ag Weekly
Friday, December 29, 2006 4:33 PM CST
LAS VEGAS — The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) concluded its 10-day run in Las Vegas on Saturday, Dec. 9, before another sold-out crowd at the Thomas & Mack Center. The event attracted capacity crowds each night for a total attendance of 175,649 over 10 days, including a record attendance of 18,224 during the tenth and final performance, according to a press release from the organization.
World Champion All-Around Cowboy Trevor Brazile of Decatur, Texas, set the PRCA’s single-season earnings record en route to winning his fourth all-around buckle and fifth world title overall. He won $329,924 in 2006, breaking the mark of $320,766 set last year by bull rider Matt Austin. The other world champions included Will Lowe, bareback riding; Dean Gorsuch, steer wrestling; Matt Sherwood, team roping (header); Allen Bach, team roping (heeler); Chad Ferley, saddle bronc riding; Cody Ohl, tie-down roping; Mary Burger, barrel racing; and B.J. Schumacher, bull riding.
“This year’s Wrangler NFR was exciting and action-packed on a nightly basis,” PRCA Commissioner Troy Ellerman said in the press release. “I think rodeo fans were treated to one of the best Wrangler NFRs in history, one that they won’t soon forget. From top to bottom, it was a great event, and I’m proud to have our current group of world champions representing the best the sport of ProRodeo has to offer.”
An agreement between officials from Las Vegas Events (LVE) and the PRCA prior to the start of the 2005 Wrangler NFR will keep the world’s richest and most prestigious rodeo in Las Vegas through 2014. The purse in 2006 was $5.375 million, escalating to $6.375 million in 2014. The guarantee to each Wrangler NFR contestant increased from $6,197 under the previous contract to $10,000 in 2006. The contestant’s guarantee will escalate to $14,500 in 2014.
“The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo continues to be a signature event for Las Vegas,” said Pat Christenson, president of LVE.
“Each year, the city opens its arms to the competitors and rodeo enthusiasts from around the country. We will continue to look for ways to grow our partnership with the PRCA and build the NFR experience in Las Vegas, the world’s most exciting city.”
The 2007 Wrangler NFR will begin on Thursday, Dec. 6, running through Saturday, Dec. 15.
“The NFR has been the staple of our Thomas and Mack Center event schedule,” said Daren Libonati, executive director of the Thomas & Mack Center. “Its world-wide appeal creates so many other ancillary opportunities for our venues.”
The NFR has been a boon to Las Vegas since it arrived in Las Vegas in 1985. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority estimates that the 2006 Wrangler NFR attracted more than 40,000 out-of-town visitors, resulting in a total non-gaming economic impact of more than $48 million.
For more information about the Wrangler NFR, go to www.NFRexperience.com or www.prorodeo.com.
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