Crawford
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, December 11, 2020
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State University alumna Jackie Hobbs-Crawford made history at the Wrangler National Finals Breakaway Roping world championship Thursday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, taking the event’s inaugural crown.
In recognition of her achievement, Tarleton lit the Smokestack.
“It was nerve-racking because obviously what a big thing this is and will go down in history,” she said. “Of course, you have nerves, but if you can turn those nerves into positive energy and use them in the right direction it is a good thing.”
Thursday’s title was the Stephenville resident’s 20th world championship and her third in breakaway roping, and it happened with her carrying an extra rider. Jackie is six months pregnant.
The victory came down to her last run. She finished third with an 11.8-second time, giving her third in the go-round. Her road to the championship also featured a 2.0-second Round 9 win, a 2.3-second runner-up finish in Round 10, then a 1.8 clocking to split the win in the eight-woman semifinals.
A roper since she was 12, Jackie has enjoyed success at every level.
She was the Oklahoma State High School breakaway roping champion in 2000 before earning a rodeo scholarship to Vernon College. There she won the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association title in the event and was part of a women’s team championship at the College National Finals Rodeo.
After Vernon she moved to Tarleton and by graduation had accumulated three NIRA individual national titles and two team crowns, earning induction into the university’s Rodeo Hall of Fame.
Along the way she became a trailblazer — the first woman to qualify for the semifinals at RFD-TV’s The American roping event in Arlington, and now winner of the first NFR breakaway roping championship.
“It has been a long time coming, and there have been a lot of women throughout the history of our sport who really pushed for this and just never got the door cracked open,” she said. “It’s a great asset to rodeo.”
Tarleton, founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven education marked by academic innovation and a dedication to transform today’s scholars into tomorrow’s leaders. It offers degree programs to more than 14,000 students at Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, RELLIS Academic Alliance in Bryan, and online, emphasizing real-world learning experiences that address societal needs while maintaining its core values of tradition, integrity, civility, excellence, leadership and service.
Contact: Phil Riddle
817-484-4415
[email protected]
