Your slogan here
Welcome
Here you can
enter your
own text
Second title
The right image =>
As well as the background
can be changed as well
Third title
Here you can
enter information
for your users
as well

Roper Jeff Copenhaver Passes Away World Champion tie-down


Jeff Copenhaver, the 1975 PRCA World Champion Tie-Down Roper and a key participant in the Cowboy Ministry was pronounced dead on May 17, in Granbury, Texas. He was 73.

Copenhaver is the son of ProRodeo Hall of Famer and two-time Saddle Bronc Riding World Champion Deb Copenhaver. Deb died on Feb. 6th, 2019 at the age 94.

"It was a great ride," said Sherry Copenhaver about her union with Jeff over 43 years. "I want people to remember that he made a difference for God in this Earth and that he was a great mentor, a great roping coach and I lived with a champion, and I lived with a fighter."

Jeff and Sherry shared one child, daughter Shandy who is got married to Cody Stromberg.
In addition to them are the Tarleton guys who are in Casper include saddle bronc riders Money Wilson, who completed the season in fifth place in the Southwest and the ropers Paden Whinny, who is also as a NFR Live Free 2022 qualified rider and Brayden Roe.


Jeff was a finalist at Jeff qualified for National Finals Rodeo six times between 1971 and 1973, and 1978. He finished fourth and fifth on the world rankings both in 1974 and'76, and was world champion in 1975.

"Jeff lived life with a passion and zeal," Sherry declared. "He was able to give back to others. He was able to be a great mentor and tutor and helped others become world champions."

Jeff was born on Jan. 12 1949. He was was raised on the ranch of Post Falls, Idaho.

Jeff began roping at the age of four, and by the age of 11, he was playing seriously. Alongside the help of his father, roper George Richmond, and Warren Wuthier, Jeff also honed his roping abilities through watching old films of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame Dean Oliver and Jim Bob Altizer Roping.

Jeff did experience an intense period of one week of wanting to go on roughstock rides, but the urge to ride quickly faded.

"When I was 14 years old, I weighed 175 pounds, which was too big to start with, and I decided right quick to leave the broncs and bulls to someone else," Copenhaver wrote in an article published on date of May 31st, 1978 report in The ProRodeo Sports News. "I had been roping since I was about 11 years old, and I liked tying down calves best, anyway."

Jeff was a member of the PRCA in the year 1968. He took home his Columbia River Circuit Year-End title in 1976, and Lone Star Circuit, now called The Texas Circuit, in 1978 and was the champion of Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo in 1974. Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo in 1974 and in 1978.

"A contestant might have all the ability in the world but he's not going to do any good until he learns how to win by eliminating all his mistakes," Copenhaver stated during the article published on May 31, 1978 piece in the PSN.

Jeff was a trainer of champion breakaway and tie-down ropers for over 30 years throughout his native U.S. and Canada. He also has taught champions from Australia as well as Cuba.

in 1986 Jeff as well as Sherry founded America's very first Cowboy church, Billy Bob's in the historic Fort Worth (Texas) Stockyards. Jeff and Sherry were on the road for a long time and internationally , teaching roping classes and encouraging others to be champions for God throughout the world.

The author also wrote an autobiography with the title "God Wants You to Win!"

"It was great to accomplish a goal that was my whole life," said Copenhaver of winning the title in the world in a December. 9, 2008 article in the Spokesman Review. "It consumed my every thought, every breath, my very existence. That night I sat on the edge of my bed and asked, 'Is that all there is?' Even with the satisfaction of accomplishing that there was a void, and it started a three-year search."

According to an article in the Spokesman-Review newspaper, the following year, during the rodeo at Madison Square Garden in New York Copenhaver and his spouse, Sherry, ran into an old acquaintance, "a calf roper from Connecticut, you can imagine how rare that is," Copenhaver told reporters.


"The greatest thing about Jeff is he had a heart for the Lord," Ross stated. "When you have a heart for God then you have a heart to want to help people. That's what his mission was. I met Jeff many, many years ago and I had such a love for him and his family."

Funeral services for Copenhaver's funeral will be held around 10:30 a.m. (CT) on May 23 in the Cowboy Church of Erath County in Stephenville, Texas.

The annual School Public Finals Rodeo is scheduled for June 12-18 in Casper, Wyoming, and Tarleton State College will be all-around addressed, with eight understudy athletes expected to compete.


The Texans are led by NIRA Southwest District steer wrestling champion Ty Allred and Brody Wells Brody Wells, the territorial seat champion in bronc riding.

Breakaway ropers Sarah Angelone and Maddy Deerman will speak to Tarleton's ladies in Wyoming following receiving first and third place awards independently, at the end of the local standings.


The rodeo dates back to 1969. Tarleton rodeo boasts seven titles for public groups and the individual titles of 28 CNFR champions.
This website was created for free with Webme. Would you also like to have your own website?
Sign up for free