At 52, the Gardnerville, Nev., resident is one of the older cowboys on tour. Clay has the respect of cowboys everywhere, holding more Team-Roping championships than anyone and is the holder of Seven World titles in Team-Roping. After a year on the sports copy desk, became a reporter covering the Iguanas hockey team. One day Dan, a boy who wears glasses, is chasing a stray horse when he stumbles upon Watts and his gang of cattle rustlers. Ive always roped since I was a little kid. Born Clay O'Brien Cooper on May 6, 1961, and best-known as the pint- sized "Hardy Fimps" in the western coming-of-age film, The Cowboys (1972); Clay O'Brien became a favorite with John Wayne, who appreciated a real cowboy when he met one. All-Round: 1988 When they catch up to the rustlers, Nightlinger offers to help the boys make a plan. And vice versa. But when I first met him, I didn . Robert Carradine made his feature film debut in the film, as did fellow child actor Stephen Hudis. He made his first movie debut with John Wayne in The Cowboys and went on to appear in numerous Western movies and television shows. The Golden Knights made their second move before Fridays NHL trade deadline, acquiring forward Teddy Blueger from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Team Roping: 1989, 1999, 2003, Dodge City Roundup / Dodge City, KS Hes an idol to most of us guys that team rope, Davis said. Team Roping: 1981, 2006, 2012, Deadwood Days of 76 Rodeo / Deadwood, SD He was the same guy, he said. Career Highlights O'Brien Cooper finished second in the heeler world standings in 2012, missing out on the gold buckle by just $1,131. The next morning, the boys show up at Andersen's ranch to volunteer for the drive. [4] It was the feature film debut of Robert Carradine. Cooper, born May 6, 1961, in Ray, Ariz., started roping at age 6. Cooper, born May 6, 1961, in Ray, Ariz., started roping at age 6. Personal Moved to San Antonio in 1979. When I started back last year on the road to try and qualify for the NFR, I didnt really know where I stacked up competition-wise, because I havent traveled very hard for several years. Like us on Facebook. Events: Team Roping (Heeling), Steer Roping Born: 5/6/1961 Ray, Ariz. Every airport we go to someone recognizes him from his acting days, Masters said. , money, salary, income, and assets. Clay has the respect of cowboys everywhere, holding more Team-Roping championships than anyone and is the holder of Seven World titles in Team-Roping. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Its what I loved to do and what I wanted to pursue, so thats the direction I went, he said. 2012: (Partner Chad Masters) Placed in five rounds en route to winning the Wrangler NFR average title in 73.4 seconds on 10 head; it was his fourth NFR average title, tying him for third on the all-time list. Clay qualified for his first WNFR in 1981. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The film won the Bronze Wrangler Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture at the Western Heritage Awards. In all three films, an adult takes a group of youngsters and initiates them into manhood by instructing them the "right" skills and values. At about the same time, Cooper decided to give rodeo. One great lesson Clay shares is that you dont have to be perfect to receive God, just be willing to admit your mistakes. Remaining pint-sized for several years, Clay could be found in pleasant but typical Disneyesque fare throughout the 1970s before he left acting and returned to cowboying full-time, where his undisputed talent truly lies. Clays rodeo achievements are impressive by any standard and this mini-bio can not even begin to cover them. Clay became involved in acting due to his stepfather and being in the right place at the right time. They were casting for a movie called The Cowboys starring John Wayne. Hi! He has qualified for his 29th Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR) in second place behind Jade Corkill. For the 2015 film, see, "William Dale Jennings; Pioneering Gay Activist", "William Dale Jennings, 82, Writer and Gay Rights Pioneer (Published 2000)", http://www.emanuellevy.com/comment/the-cowboys-the-making-of-john-waynes-western-1/#sthash.bIL1BRPV.dpuf, "AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores Nominees", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Cowboys&oldid=1134248446, Alfred Barker, Jr. as Clyde "Fats" Potter, Glenn Randall, Jr. (credited as J.R. Randall), This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 18:55. About. Unable to find exactly where they buried him, they place the marker in the approximate location of his grave and head for home, accompanied by Nightlinger. Won the Lynden (Wash.) PRCA Rodeo, with Chad Masters. Watts, who reveals he has been trailing the herd, releases Dan but threatens to slit the boy's throat if he says anything to Andersen. First started covering boxing in 1997. setTimeout(function(){var t=document.createElement("script");t.setAttribute("src","https://sample.dragonforms.com/getEmbeddedClientScript.do?embeddedsite=TW_dispatch_nl"),t.setAttribute("type","text/javascript"),document.body.appendChild(t)},5); Become a subscriber today and youll recieve a new issue every month plus unlimited access to our full archive of backlogged issues. When not roping. Clay, who dropped his last name for film work, was a real cowboy, brought up on a California ranch. Though he enjoyed a successful acting career through his early teenage years, Clay ultimately decided to pursue his true passion roping. Mrs. Kirkwood 1 episode, 1974 Harris Yulin . Team Roping: 1990 (tie), 1992 (tie), West of the Pecos / Pecos, TX Riding in among a stampede of horses, the boys kill all of the rustlers except Watts, whom they find pinned beneath his horse with a foot entangled in a rope. Rob Leonard, an assistant coach for the Baltimore Ravens last season, will be the Raiders defensive line coach. Clay O'Brien Cooper. Young Clay caught the roping fever. Thats how I got to try out for The Cowboys, he said. Orin Larsen of Goodwell, Okla., hangs on tight during bareback riding action at the AT&T Center. O'Brien Cooper said he hasn't acted in more than 30 years, and he has no desire to do so again. This article is about the 1972 film. Clay learned to ride at an early age and had started to rope by age of five. He and his wife, Alisa, who is from the Reno area, moved to Gardnerville after their two adult daughters, Bailey and Quinn, left home. Team Roping: 1988, 1990, 2000 A busy wedding weekend is looming for the Raiders, and it includes the surprise revelation that two of Las Vegas biggest sports stars are tying the knot. All-Around: 1989, Greeley Stampede / Greeley, CO In 1994, Cooper and partner Jake Barnes set the NFR average record of 59.1 seconds on 10 head; the same year, the duo also set the PRCA record for most team roping world titles (seven), a record that stood until 2004. Standing a respectable 6 feet, Clay and his wife, Beth, have two daughters, Bailey and Quinn. Top titles Latest Filmography 1987 1975 1974 1973 1972 1969 1954 Connections Waylon Jennings Joan Hackett Billy Green Bush Genres New Releases My lifes been a fairy tale.. It was a good experience.. As a child actor, he made his screen debut alongside John Wayne in the 1972 film The Cowboys, and went on to appear in film and TV roles in Gunsmoke, Little House on the Prairie, The Apple Dumpling Gang, and more.By age 16, however, acting for Cooper had been replaced by a new . The film received praise for its musical score, the original plot, and John Wayne's performance, but several critics debated the film's implication that boys become men or confirm their manhood through acts of violence and vengeance; Jay Cocks of TIME and Pauline Kael of The New Yorker were especially critical of this aspect of the film.[7]. Native of South Bend, Ind., graduated from Indiana University in 1977 with a degree in journalism. (John Locher/Las Vegas Review-Journal), Heeler Clay O'Brien Cooper competes in the team roping event on the third night of the National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013. He's content to rope as long as I have a desire to compete.. Won Rounds 2 and 4 and split the win in Round 5 at the Wrangler NFR, placing in five total rounds Won Rodeo Austin (Texas), with Derrick Begay Who Is Clay O'Brien's Wife? Team Roping: 1991, Buffalo Bill Rodeo / North Platte, NE Jade was . As heeler, he's teamed up again with header Chad Masters, 33. Team Roping: 1999, Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo / Ogden, UT World Titles Won: 7 (1985-89,1992, 1994) Standing a respectable 6 feet, Clay and his wife, Beth, have two daughters, Bailey and Quinn. Once Coopers voice changed and he couldnt land child roles anymore, he turned his attention to rodeo and never looked back. I was grateful to have the opportunity and be able to compete at a high level against the best in the world. This is a carousel. 6-0, 200 Wife, Alisa (married 2004); daughters, Bailey, Quinn Made his acting debut in the John Wayne film The Cowboys (1972) when he was 11 years old, portraying Hardy Fimps; worked in film and television through 1976, including roles in Gunsmoke, Little House on the Prairie, The Apple Dumpling Gang, Marcus Welby, M.D, Cahill U.S. Joined PRCA: 1979 World Titles Won: 7 (1985-89,1992, 1994) Wrangler NFR Qualifications: 29 (1981-95, 1997-98, 2000-04, 2006-08, 2012-15) Home. Since I was a kid, I always wanted to rope for a living. . The team's time was 6.0 seconds. I wanted to see if I could still compete at the top level, he said. By 15 or 16, O'Brien Cooper knew what he wanted to do. At the last moment, ABC decided to reduce the show's runtime from one hour to thirty minutes, which, given the show's large cast, made it difficult to tell stories effectively. He was inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in 1997. Considering Cooper made his NFR debut in 1981, the year before Davis was born, he probably has a hat or pair of boots thats older than Davis. [citation needed], The Cowboys has earned somewhat mixed reviews from critics. Lonny Chapman as Homer's Father Charles Tyner as Stonemason Sarah Cunningham as Annie Andersen, Wil's wife Allyn Ann McLerie as Ellen Price, a teacher Maggie Costain as Phoebe, a prostitute Matt Clark as Smiley, a ranch hand Jerry Gatlin as Howdy, a ranch hand Walter Scott as Okay, a ranch hand Dick Farnsworth as Henry Williams He stayed in show biz until 1976, but his main interest from the age of five: rodeo. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. As a nine year-old Clay landed the role of the youngest and smallest cowboy. Roy Dale Cooper (born November 13, 1955) [1] is an American former professional rodeo cowboy who competed in Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) events for more than two decades. Team Roping: 1981, 1983, 1988, Cheyenne Frontier Days / Cheyenne, WY Team Roping: 1982, 1985, 2012, Grand National Stock Show & Rodeo / San Francisco, CA ProRodeo Hall of Fame & Museum of the American Cowboy, 103 Pro Rodeo Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80919, Copyright 2021 ProRodeo Hall of Fame & Museum of the American Cowboy. Won the Wrangler Champions Challenge (Logandale, Nev.), with Aaron Tsinigine The seven-time world champion has almost $4 million in ProRodeo's earnings, but it's been his steady demeanor, paired with his monthly presence in The Team Roping Journal and our predecessor, Spin To Win, that's made him one of the most beloved names in all of team roping. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. While they prepare, a group of mysterious men led by Asa "Long Hair" Watts shows up asking for work, but Andersen catches Watts in a lie about his past and refuses to hire them. Stampede; the Dodge City (Kan.) Round-Up; the Walla Walla (Wash.) 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