Steer wrestler Don Payne is back in the spotlight after his recent win at RODEOHOUSTON.
Steer wrestler Don Payne is known for his quiet strength. Yet when he enters an arena, his runs make their mark. He takes the steers down, brushes himself off, and is on to the next one.
The past few seasons have held several highlights for him with 2023 really being his breakout year. In that season, he won the Henderson County First Responders PRCA Rodeo (Athens, Texas), the Crockett (Texas) Lions Club PRCA Rodeo, the Durant Oklahoma Pro Rodeo, and the Sitting Bull Stampede of Mobridge, South Dakota. Payne was also the co-champion at the Ute Stampede in Nephi, Utah, and won the Gooding, Idaho Pro Rodeo.
The Stephenville, Texas cowboy also qualified for his first National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 2023. He performed exceptionally well in Las Vegas and won the NFR Average Title for going 44.9 seconds on ten head. He also placed in six rounds, collecting $133,569 in total. His debut was cinematic–not only did he win the average, but he also was the only cowboy who entered the event with no sponsors at all backing him. His plain button down shirt spoke only of his own grit and his family by side. He’s gained sponsors since then, but still has that self-reliant, understated attitude that continues to drive his success.
And success he has had. In 2024, he earned over $218,180. That year he finished twelfth place in the Pro Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) Ram world standings. He won the Santa Rosa Roundup in Vernon, Texas and was co-champion of the Pioneer Days Rodeo in Clovis, New Mexico.
Payne also returned to the NFR in 2024 and placed in two rounds, putting him sixth overall in the average with a time of 47.7 seconds on ten head.
He carried this energy over into 2025, where won the rodeo at Sheridan, Wyoming, and was co-champion at the Livingston Montana Roundup Rodeo. At many of these rodeos you’ll find his brother, Grady Payne, hazing for him, and his wife and two kids cheering him on.
While he has dealt with injuries and setbacks along the way, he is kicking off the 2026 spring season with a bang after his recent RODEOUHOUSTON win. During Super Series 4, Payne won first place in the second round with a time of 4.1 seconds. He received a $3,000 payout. This time was faster than any of the winning runs in the first round as well, with Ryan Shuckburgh coming in first in the first round of Super Series 4 with a 4.5 second run.
Payne’s momentum should only continue to build with a summer full of opportunities on the horizon. The PRCA currently lists his career earnings as $525,670 and growing. He may not always be the one burning up the headlines, but he is the one who can burn up the arena and find success through his abilities and his hard work.
Read more about Payne here in this article by Rodeo Roundtable writer Madi Roelofsen (Down the Road With Don: Dynamic Duo Ready for RODEOHOUSTON).