The 1985 world champions were honored at the 2025 Wrangler NFR, marking 40 years of rodeo history in Las Vegas and recognizing the champions who helped define rodeo as we know it today.
When the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo returned to Las Vegas in 2025 for its 40th anniversary in the city, it wasn’t just a celebration of an anniversary; it was a recognition of the year that reshaped rodeo history forever.
The 1985 NFR marked the first time rodeo’s championship event was held in Las Vegas, a move that would forever change both the sport and the city hosting it too. During opening ceremonies and special moments throughout the this years finals, the 1985 World Champions were honored on stage, recognizing the cowboys and cowgirl whose careers helped define what the NFR would become.
Las Vegas in 1985 looked far different than it does today. NFR experience states that at the time, the city’s population was around 590,000, with approximately 14.2 million annual visitors. Since then, those numbers have surged dramatically, with Las Vegas now welcoming roughly 37 million visitors each year and boasting more than 135,000 hotel rooms. Through that growth, the NFR has remained a cornerstone of the city’s winter calendar, evolving alongside it.
The Champions Who Launched a New Era
That first Las Vegas NFR produced a lineup of champions whose names are now inseparable from rodeo history. Many of these world champions would on to become the greatest to ever play the game.
Bareback riding that year went to to Lewis Feild, who not only captured the bareback world championship but also won the all-around title. He became the first roughstock cowboy since Larry Mahan in 1973 to accomplish that feat. Now, we see what the Field legacy has done for rodeo. Now, Lewis and his son, the legendary Kaycee Field, are known as the greatest to ever ride a bareback horse.
In steer wrestling, Ote Berry earned the first of what would become four world championships, launching a career that would define the bulldogging. Ote Berry is one of the biggest and most well-known names in the steer wrestling.
Team roping saw the beginning of a dynasty, as Jake Barnes and Clay O'Brien Cooper won the first of seven world titles together. This was an achievement that reshaped expectations for longevity and excellence in the event.
In saddle bronc riding, Brad Gjermundson claimed his fourth world title, adding to championships already won earlier in the decade. His consistency and dominance helped set the standard for excellence in the saddle bronc.
Tie-down roping introduced the world to a 20-year-old phenom in Joe Beaver. He claimed his first world championship in 1985 and earned Rookie of the Year honors too. That victory was the opening chapter in what would produce eight gold buckles and one of the greatest careers ever.
Barrel racing delivered one of the most iconic moments in NFR history, as Charmayne James and her legendary horse Scamper won the world title. Her Round 7 run is one of the most remembered ever. Scamper lost his bridle mid-run, and without skipping a beat the two of them still were world champions that year. Charmayne was only 16 years old.
Bull riding crowned Ted Nuce, who rode nine of ten bulls to secure the world championship. He did so my edging out future Hall of Famer Tuff Hedeman in a defining showdown till the end.
Why 1985 Still Matters
As the 1985 champions stood together on stage in Las Vegas this December, the moment served as a reminder that their wins were more than individual achievements. They were the foundation of greatness.
That year didn’t just crown champions, it introduced rodeo to a city that would amplify its reach, elevate its presentation completley and help turn the NFR into the global event it is today. Forty years later, the sport continues to build on what began in 1985, guided by the legacies of those first champions who proved that Las Vegas was more than ready for rodeo’s biggest stage.
In honoring them, the NFR didn’t just look back; it acknowledged the moment everything truly began.