Fred Whitfield

Born in 1967 and raised in the small town of Cypress, Texas, Whitfield grew up wanting to be a cowboy. He and his brother, Anthony, grew up riding Shetland ponies bareback and roping anything and everything in sight. During his career, he was a trailblazer, becoming the first African-American cowboy in PRCA history to win an all-around title and only the second to win a world title. He went on to become one of the most decorated cowboys in PRCA history. He won eight world titles, including seven in tie-down roping and one all-around during his storied career.

Always known for being cool under pressure, Whitfield made a name for himself in ProRodeo by consistently coming through in clutch situations. His signature “raise the roof” salute caught on with fans across the country who became accustomed to his dramatic victories. His 10-head total of 84.0 seconds en route to the aggregate title in 1997 established a Wrangler NFR record and is considered one of the greatest performances in the history of the Wrangler NFR. He was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 2004.