Denton Fugate scores 90.5 points on Rip of Lyndal Hurst Pro Rodeo. Fugate finished third at the El Paso Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding Tour event in February of 2020.
Its been a childhood dream come true and words can’t describe the feeling of working since I started and finally making it where I wanted to be,” Denton Fugate on qualifying for his first NFR.
"I never could get it out of my system; I like the adrenaline rush," said Denton Fugate about his start in rodeo riding sheep, calves, then bulls. The Missouri native, now a resident of Arkansas, has been knocking on the door to his dreams for years earning bull riding titles in PRCA, Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding, PBR, CBR, and multiple state association’s competitions.
Rodeo is something Denton has grown up with, so he’s no stranger to the lessons of the road, even during a Pandemic.
“You have to know what your body can handle, from being hurt, to which places you need to enter,” said Fugate.
Denton Fugate with a few of his friends..Eli Vastbinder and Koby Radley in Del Rio, Texas.
In the beginning, Denton Fugate was the 2011 Youth Bull Riders Junior Bull riding World Champion while still studying for his high school diploma. Eight years later and several association title buckles on his mantel, Fugate reached a turning point in his career and qualified for his first National Finals Rodeo. Earning six rodeo bull riding titles for a total of $52,236.09 in 2020, Fugate enjoyed his highest season riding average and won six PRCA event titles.
“Both of my parents, my mom ran barrels, and my dad team roped, and I got started getting on sheep, and it kind of stuck with me,” he says of climbing through the ranks up to bull riding he attended Three Rivers College and was on the rodeo team.
"I like raising bulls whenever I'm home, bucking futurity bulls, and raising up one so I can see if I can have one that can go to bigger shows one day," he says.
“The biggest challenge would probably be entering and staying healthy. You’ve got to enter the right dates to be able to go to the biggest rodeos. The biggest reward is being able to ride an 1800 pound beast that there’s no possible way that you should be able to ride.”
Fugate on Jeff Harris’ High Hopes during the Shoot Out Round of the 2020 Casa Ford ELP Tuff Hedeman Bull Riding.
He completed 23 qualified rides from 80 attempted beasts in anything but a regular season of pro rodeo. He earned 8 round wins with the first on Feb. 22 in San Antonio at the annual Stock Show. He thrilled the crowd with a 90 point ride aboard Andrews Rodeo’s Make My Day in the final round to put $23,000 in his bank. The Missouri-Arkansas cowboy boosted his PRCA standings and bank account, winning round one at Rodeo Houston before the rodo shut down. Fugate rode Cervi Rodeo’s bull Jack Hammer for 93 points and the highest marked ride of his season.
Fugate had $32,127 by mid-March and was in the top ten standings when rodeos were halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When rodeos began to return, he was more than ready. "I was more than excited to get back to it. Getting to travel with my buddies again was great.”
“I had been getting on bulls throughout the whole quarantine-shutdown deal. Fugate relocated to Ash Flat, Ark., at the beginning of the year with the intent of improving his bull riding skills.
“I was spending a lot of time down here (in Ash Flat), and a place came up for sale. I ended up being able to buy it,” Fugate said. “Now, I live probably a quarter-mile from Cline (Cline Pro Rodeo). It's really convenient. I can get on bulls just about whenever I want."
In 2020 Fugate posted two 90 point plus rides, and his average ride score for 2020 is 83 points.
With a career-best regular season now behind him, he earned the 15th spot on the roster edging out Levi Gary by $1,961.40, and his spirits are high as he heads to Arlington to ride for more. Fugate became a PRCA professional in 2015 after qualifying as a finals contestant for the 2014 PRCA Permit Challenge Finals.
Fugate finished 34th in 2019 with $41,208.
Professional
2020 Highlights
• Won the Range Days Rodeo (Rapid City, S.D.)
• Won the Buffalo Bill Rodeo (North Platte, Neb.)
• Won the San Antonio (Texas) Stock Show & Rodeo
• Won the Trinity Valley Exposition Fair & Rodeo Xtreme Bulls (Liberty, Texas)
• Won the Range Days Rodeo (Rapid City, S.D.)
• Co-champion at the Guadalupe County Fair & PRCA Rodeo (Seguin, Texas)