Cole won more than $15,000 at Cheyenne Frontier Days - Jackie Jensen Photography

Written by: Siri Stevens

Cole Patterson shatters regular season earnings record with $104,516

Announcers used to introduce Cole Patterson to the crowd as the son of four-time world champion steer roper Rocky Patterson (2009-2010, 2012, 2016). That’s not the case any more as the young steer roper won the 2021 steer roping world title.
“I’ve grown up my whole life being ‘Rocky’s son,’ so it’s definitely a change whenever they have something to say about me other than what my dad’s done,” Cole said. “It’s hard to believe that you’ve joined that elite group of people that have won. In steer roping it’s particularly difficult since there’s only been about five guys who have won it in the last 30 years.”
Cole shattered the steer roping regular season earnings record with $104,516, a solid $15,089 leap over the previous record of $89,427 set by Tuf Cooper in 2018.
“When you go in with a lead like that, everyone expects you to win,” Cole said. “After the first night of the Finals I was just thinking about the average since I had about a 7-second lead and winning the average is just as hard as winning the world, I think.”
Now he has both buckles, as world champion and winnger of the 2021 National Finals Steer Roping average with 97.7 seconds on nine head.
Cole’s horse is also making a name for himself as RBS Badger Tigger, or just “Tigger” for short, won the 2021 Nutrena Steer Roping Horse of the Year Award.
“I didn’t have him for all of last year, but I had him for all of this year and I’m still pretty green at this, so I feel like I’m getting better as he’s getting better,” said Cole, 26. “He had no other option but to win it after the year we’ve had and the places we won. He’ll never will know he was Horse of the Year, but I am grateful that he did win it since he changed everything for me.”
This is the second horse Cole’s ridden to win this award. In 2019, Mr. Blackburn Chex 113, “Dunny,” won and helped Cole claim the 2019 Steer Roping Rookie of the Year title. Cole bought Tigger during the spring of his rookie season and he wasn’t a steer horse at the time.
“I cracked him out too early and too green, so we had some growing pains together my rookie year,” Cole said. “But then the COVID break came along and I guess that’s when he figured it out. He scores good, has tons of run and is really strong. Man, he also has about the perfect drag for me too. I can’t name a downfall on him. He’s definitely been what I needed.
“I don’t know what he’s thinking, but he definitely has a personality – he is a pain in the rear to tell you the truth. He’s like a spoiled kid; he knows he’s good, so he expects special treatment and he’s super lazy when you get on his back. In the arena, he struts around after you tie a steer on him. He’s definitely got a personality.”
Cole finished 15th in the PRCA world standings in 2019 with $43,671 and was fourth in 2020 with $87,405. The Pawnee, Okla., cowboy credits a lot of his growth to Tigger.
“I don’t know why, but the wins all seemed to come at the right time,” Cole said.
Cole got married shortly after last year’s NFSR on Nov. 21, 2020, and his wife, Natalie, watched the season unfold.
“It was kind of surreal but definitely very exciting,” Natalie said. “It was like, ‘how can we top this?’ I didn’t think it could get much better, but then it did. I’m so proud of him. His horsemanship has really evolved over the last few years, same with his roping. He’s getting comfortable in knowing what to do in different situations and adapting to anything that can happen and that comes with experience.”
Now he’s shooting for the 2022 world title.
“Everyone is chasing the same thing, you know, so the crazy part about it is there’s people who dedicated their entire lives to trying to win one and never did. You know it’s not easy, but that’s it for me.”

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