Published: December 01, 2008 08:24 am      

BRETT HOFFMAN: Brazile no ordinary underdog

Everybody loves rooting for the underdog.

And in the world of pro rodeo, that means fans can cheer for Trevor Brazile.

Hold your horses. Trevor Brazile an underdog?

Isn’t he the roping legend who wins world all-around races by a landslide?

Looking at the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association’s world all-around standings, Brazile appears to be anything but an underdog. He leads Josh Peek by more than $100,000, going into the Dec. 4-13 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.

So, if Brazile says he enjoys being an underdog during ESPN’s late-night coverage of the NFR, he means he’s savoring the challenge of chasing down a single-event world title.

In the tie-down roping world standings, Brazile is ranked third with $114,133, $39,638 behind top-ranked Peek. In the team roping heading standings, Brazile is seventh with $73,214, $32,520 behind leader Matt Sherwood.

With that in mind, fans can expect to see Brazile attempt to make up ground in the two roping races every time the chutes open at the 50th National Finals.

“I’m back a ways in the team roping and the calf roping with no lead to protect,” Brazile said. “It’s fun being the underdog. You do get to go out and rope (aggressively).”

Each year, the all-around buckle is given to the cowboy with the most earnings in two or more events, and Brazile leads Peek by $104,157 ($270,770 to $166,613) in an attempt to snare his sixth all-around title in seven years.

A sixth title would match Larry Mahan, the all-around champion in 1966-70 and 1973, and Tom Ferguson who won in 1974- 79. It also would place Brazile one title shy of Ty Murray, who earned a record seventh all-around title in 1998.

Brazile’s strategy for winning the rodeo’s coveted versatility award is similar to Murray’s: Go for a blue ribbon in every performance.

“Every time that I concentrate on doing what it takes to win the single events, the all-around title race takes care of itself,” said Brazile, 31, a Decatur cowboy who also has two world steer roping titles and one tie-down roping gold buckle.

At the National Finals Steer Roping earlier this month in Hobbs, N.M, Brazile entered $21,954 behind Scott Snedecor in the race for the world title. But Brazile made a fierce rally that gave him a mathematical chance to win the gold buckle going into the final.

As both men prepared to rope their final steers, announcers had fans on high alert that Brazile was in striking distance. Had Brazile won the last round and the average, and had Snedecor not placed in the 10th round and held on to his sixth-place ranking in the average, Brazile would have edged Snedecor by $66.

When the dust settled, Brazile had pushed a little too hard in the final round and came up with no time, leaving him second behind Snedecor. However, Brazile left Hobbs with $40,192, more than any 2008 NFSR competitor.

Brazile said he savored the challenge of entering the steer roping finale with an outside chance of winning.

“It made it fun to come and watch,” Brazile said. “If it makes people buy a ticket to the steer roping finals next year, then I’ve done my job. I had a blast.”

Despite falling short of claiming the gold buckle, the $40,192 helped Brazile pad his lead over Peek in the all-around standings. And Brazile will have a clear advantage at the National Finals in Las Vegas because he is the only competitor among the 119 contestants to qualify in two events.

During the 10-round NFR, Brazile will attempt to reach two milestones. He needs $50,045 to surpass Joe Beaver as the PRCA career-earnings leader and $121,560 to become the association’s first $3 million cowboy, according to the PRCA.

Realistic? A year ago he pocketed $139,704 at the NFR in tie-down roping and team roping.

“I’m going for the money,” Brazile said. “The money is points. The money is gold to us.”

Brett Hoffman is a 20-year rodeo columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and a member of the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. He can be reached at brett@myrodeoinsider.com.