The 66th Annual College National Finals Rodeo was held in Casper, WY on June 15-21, 2014, and a local resident was part of a team that made history at the event.
The CNFR is described as the "Rose Bowl" of college rodeo where the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) crowns individual event champions in saddle bronc riding, bare back riding, bull riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, team roping, barrel racing, breakaway roping, and goat tying. National team championships are also awarded to both men’s and women’s teams.
Over 400 cowboys and cowgirls from over 100 universities and colleges compete each year, and Clark Adcock, son of Joe and Chandra Adcock of Smithville, was there as part of UT Martin Rodeo Team. Adcock is a junior at UTM and has qualified and competed at the CNFR each of his three years of study there. He competes in team roping, tie-down calf roping, and steer wrestling, and is the second ranked tie-down roper, and the third all-around cowboy in the nation for college rodeo athletes.
Adcock earned the reserve champion honors in the tie-down calf roping in Casper, while the UTM men’s rodeo team earned the national championship title, the first time a team from east of the Mississippi had ever won a team title in the history of college rodeo.
On the second day, Adcock had a blazing 8.3 run in the tie down roping to claim first place. The rest of the team competed well and were all solid in the average. In the second round John Alley and Adcock made a fantastic run on a tough steer in 6.3 seconds to finish fifth in the round. Adcock continued his strong finals with an 8.8 run in the calf roping, splitting eighth in the round and leading the average.
Alley and Adcock’s team roping steer unexpectedly stopped in a round and they received a no time, but UT Martin still had a small lead after three rounds, and had qualified three cowboys into the Championship Short-go Round in four events.
Later, Adcock had an 8.8 run that placed him second in the round, the average, and the nation. He tied three out of four calves in eight seconds.
The UT Martin team had built up a sizeable lead at the rodeo and had to wait to the very end of the bull riding event to see if it would hold. The score held and the team made history bringing home the first National Team Title to UT Martin.
Adcock finished third in the nation in the men’s All-Around competition. Unable to take his own horse, Adcock borrowed a ride from Dr. Frank Colwell. The horse, "Miss Doc," garnered more points than any other horse at the event, and would have been horse of the year if it had been registered on time.
