His single ride on a bull was one second short of the eight required for a score. The top two names in bull riding are also new. Injury upon injury kept the bull-riding champion of last year, Terry West, out of the arena for most of the year, and he failed to make the finals this year. With the same spirit as Murray, he says he will heal and return. The championship could be decided by pocket change.
New names are also on the program's steer-wrestling page.
Last year's champion, Chad Bedell, finished the regular season in 21st place and won't be competing in the finals. Ote Berry, who won the title four times with 10 appearances in NFR competition, did not make the cut. Myers, the 1992 Resistol Rookie of the Year, is making his third trip to the finals, looking for his first championship. Byron Walker is making his debut trip to the National Finals Rodeo. Last year's world champion team ropers, header Steve Purcella and heeler Steve Northcott, are returning to defend their titles.