On April 29, 2025, the rodeo world lost one of its greatest champions and most beloved figures. Roy Cooper — PRORODEO Hall of Famer, icon, mentor, and family man — tragically passed away in a house fire at his home in Decatur, Texas. He was 69.
For those who grew up around the sport or ever watched a rodeo on TV, the name “Roy Cooper” has long been synonymous with greatness. But beyond the gold buckles, the world titles, and the decades of dominance, Cooper’s true legacy lives in the lives he touched, the generations he inspired, and the unmistakable spirit he brought to the sport of rodeo.
A Cowboy from the Start
Born on November 13, 1955, in Hobbs, New Mexico, Roy Dale Cooper was raised in a household where roping wasn’t just a hobby — it was a way of life. Under the watchful eye of his father, Tuffy Dale Cooper, Roy learned the fundamentals of roping and horsemanship from a young age. His siblings — Clay Tom and Betty Gale — were also raised on the family ranch, and the values of hard work, respect for the land, and the western way of life ran deep in the Cooper household.
By the time Roy was a teenager, it was clear he wasn’t just a ranch kid who could swing a rope. He was a prodigy. In 1973, he claimed the National High School Champion Calf Roping title, a sign of things to come. He went on to college rodeo at Cisco Junior College and Southeastern Oklahoma State University, capturing the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association title in 1975.
The Rookie Who Shook the Rodeo World
Then came 1976 — a year that would change the landscape of rodeo forever. In his very first full season in PRORODEO competition, Roy not only clinched the PRCA Tie-Down Roping World Championship, but also took home the Resistol Rookie of the Year award. No cowboy had ever done both in the same year. That unprecedented debut sent a clear message to the rodeo world: a new era had begun.
The wins didn’t slow down. Roy would go on to win five consecutive tie-down roping world titles from 1980 to 1984, matching a record set by Dean Oliver. His smooth, lightning-fast style in the arena earned him the nickname “Super Looper,” a moniker that stuck, though Roy never really embraced it himself.
“In Oklahoma City at the Finals, a guy from Sports Illustrated hung it on me,” he recalled humbly during a podcast interview in early 2025. “I’m not one to brag. I’m just Roy.”
1983: The Crown Jewel Season
If there was a year that defined Roy Cooper, it was 1983 — the season that cemented him as one of the sport’s all-time greats. That year, he achieved what only a handful of cowboys have ever accomplished: rodeo’s Triple Crown — winning three world titles in one year (tie-down roping, steer roping, and the all-around championship). It was a perfect storm of skill, grit, and just the right dash of luck.
“All-Around – I wanted that baby one time,” Cooper admitted. And he got it.
What made the feat even more remarkable was the context. He wasn’t favored to win in steer roping. That title was expected to go to Guy Allen, a roping legend in his own right. But on that magical run, Roy dug deep and came out on top.
“I ain’t supposed to beat Guy Allen,” he said. “He and Trevor Brazile are the greatest steer ropers that ever walked.”
Beyond the Buckles
Roy Cooper didn’t just win — he changed the game. His approach to steer roping, for example, included techniques that were unconventional at the time. Struggling to find the bottom leg during a tie, he once got advice from PRORODEO Hall of Famer Sonny Davis to “just string the top leg.” Roy did, and the move stuck. Now, it’s become common practice.
Over his career, Cooper racked up a mountain of accolades:
8 PRCA World Championships (six tie-down, one steer roping, one all-around)
8 NFR average titles (four in each of tie-down and steer roping)
20 round wins at the NFR
33 total qualifications for the National Finals Rodeo and National Finals Steer Roping
Qualified in three different events in the same year (1981), a rare feat matched by only a few elite cowboys
He was still winning when most athletes would have retired. At age 40, he won the NFR average in tie-down roping. That same year, he also won the prestigious Calgary Stampede. Much of that success came aboard his beloved horse Topper, the PRCA/AQHA Horse of the Year in 2003 and 2005.
“I made a living off that horse,” Roy said. “He fed my family.”
A Family Man and a Mentor
Of all his achievements, Roy took the most pride in one thing: family. His sons Tuf, Clint, and Clif all followed in his boot prints, qualifying for the NFR in tie-down roping. In 2010 and 2011, all three competed at the Finals together — a proud moment Roy compared to another Triple Crown.
“One of my greatest memories is when Tuf, Clint and Clif all qualified for the NFR in the same year. That was the Triple Crown for me,” he said.
His son Tuf would go on to become a four-time world champion, adding yet another chapter to the Cooper legacy.
Roy didn’t stop giving back when his pro days ended. For over 40 years, he organized the Roy Cooper Junior World Roping Championships during the July 4th weekend. The event became a proving ground for up-and-coming talent and a celebration of youth, family, and the rodeo lifestyle.
Friendships That Spanned Generations and Genres
Among Cooper’s closest friends was none other than George Strait, the “King of Country.” The two met in 1983, just before Roy’s legendary season. After a performance in Oklahoma City, Roy was approached by Strait’s road manager and invited onto the tour bus.
“Me and him sat there and talked for two hours before he had to play. We just connected,” Roy said. “He’s one of the best friends I could’ve ever had.”
Their friendship lasted decades. Roy once joked that he’d only ever take off his All-Around World Champion buckle for one reason — to give it to George Strait if he’d wear it.
The Final Ride
Even in his later years, Roy stayed close to the sport. He could often be found on the road, traveling to Cheyenne or Calgary to support his kids and reconnect with old rodeo friends. Always humble, always honest, and always smiling, Roy remained a cowboy’s cowboy to the end.
“I’ve got the life, man,” he said in an interview not long ago.
And he truly did.
A Legend Remembered
Roy Cooper wasn’t just a Hall of Famer. He wasn’t just a world champion. He was a teacher, a friend, a father, and a cowboy in the purest sense of the word. He carried himself with class, worked harder than anyone, and never forgot his roots.
The lights will burn a little dimmer in rodeo arenas around the country, but Roy Cooper’s legacy will never fade. It lives on in the records he set, the sons he raised, and the thousands of young cowboys and cowgirls he inspired.
He roped his way into history — and into our hearts.
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