Tyson Durfey entered Cheyenne with one mission: win The Daddy.

The 2016 World Champion tie-down roper and 14-time NFR qualifier captured his first Cheyenne Frontier Days title on July 27, 2025, stopping the clock at 10.9 seconds in the final round to seal the deal. Durfey walked away with $17,700 and jumped to No. 37 in the PRCA World Standings with $47,930 earned on the season.

A Win 20 Years in the Making

Durfey’s win was two decades in the making, and the weight of that long pursuit wasn’t lost on him.

“It’s one of those rodeos that I always wanted to win and never really even came close, except once,” Durfey said. “A few years ago, I wasn’t even rodeoing hard, but I made the short go. It was the first time in 20 years I’d made it, and I dropped the ball in the short round.”

“Growing up, I liked the old-school style of roping—let ’em out, run ’em down, control your go. I always thought I’d do better at that rodeo, but I never really did. I placed in rounds and stuff, but never came close to the championship. To finally get it done after however many years is incredible.”

Cheyenne Survival

His week in Cheyenne didn’t start out with a bang. Durfey barely cleared the cut in the qualifying rounds with a 13.3-second run, just one-tenth ahead of the bubble.

“My first run was basically a survival run,” Durfey said. “I looked at the calf and she had more muscle on her than Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime. She was one of those calves that’s pushing everything else. So that was just survival—tie her down, get back.”

In the performances, Durfey threw down a 12.8-second run that placed him second in his bracket and punched his ticket to the semifinals.

“I didn’t know my calf that well, and I made a little mistake with my piggin’ string,” Durfey said. “I should’ve probably won the round, but I ended up third. From then on, I was really focused. I started paying attention to how I set up my runs and committed to dialing in.”

Best Run of His Life

That focus paid off. Durfey delivered a 9.4-second run in the semis—just a tenth off the arena record—and split the round win with Riley Pruitt.

“That was the best run of my life, probably the best I’ve seen all year,” Durfey said. “I scored good, sent the calf the direction I wanted, got a shoulder fall and kept everything tight.”

“When you’re roping at Cheyenne, it’s important to keep the rope tight from the time you pull your slack to the time you throw your hands up. If the calf ever gets up and that rope bounces, they can get a good breath of air and a calf with any try is going to kick.”

As he prepared for the short round, Durfey admitted that his usual mental tricks weren’t enough to steady his nerves.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous,” Durfey said. “I did all my breathing exercises, everything I always do to calm down and none of it worked. Finally I just rode into the box and said, ‘Lord, you’re going to have to take over on this one.’”

“My mare was getting more on the muscle every run. She almost pulled through the bit and I pretty much had to stop her at a dead standstill on the line. But I didn’t lose focus.”

Durfey capitalized on a strong calf and made the 10.9-second run that sealed the deal.

“Luckily, the calf didn’t kick, and I had the right one,” Durfey said. “If you’re going to win Cheyenne, you’re going to draw good. I’ve never seen anybody win there who didn’t.”

The moment was made even more special by the people who were there to witness it.

“It was always a goal of mine to have my kids be old enough to see Dad be good at something in athletics,” Durfey said. “My son’s four, so he’ll have a memory of it. My daughters are six and about to be nine, so they’ll definitely remember. It’s awesome to have that goal come true.”

A Comeback from the Brink

That milestone might not have happened if Durfey hadn’t made the choice to come back after a serious health scare in 2023. What began as unexplained headaches, rashes and vision loss escalated into life-threatening chest pain and a trip to the cardiologist that changed everything.

“After I explained everything to the cardiologist, he said, ‘I think you’re having a heart attack right now,’” Durfey said. “They took me in for a heart cath, cut me open and ran a tube to my heart. I didn’t have any blockage, but my blood was so thick from an autoimmune disease that my heart couldn’t pump it.”

Durfey underwent 15 treatments at a health clinic in Pocatello, Idaho, before he started to feel like himself again. And while he was lying on the operating table, the idea of a comeback was born.

“I had that coming-to-Jesus moment where I thought, ‘What do I wish I would’ve done more of with my life?’” Durfey said. “Number one was more time with my family, number two was deeper relationships with my friends and number three, I wish I’d rodeoed longer.”

“That day I said, ‘We’re not wasting any more time.’ We’re going to do what we love, at as high a level as we possibly can.”

Double Mare Power

Durfey credited his two standout mares, Baby Rey and Fancy, for helping him stay consistent this summer. Baby Rey was the one who he trusted at Cheyenne.

“I bought Baby Rey from Riley O’Rourke, the young steer roper,” Durfey said. “He trained her from scratch and made the circuit finals on her. She’s nine now, and she’s incredibly fast, sharp in the ground, strong and honest. I don’t think there’s a setup I wouldn’t run her in.”

Fancy, his seven-year-old, held down the season until recently.

“I bought her from Patrick Martin,” Durfey said. “The moment I knew I had my health back under control, I literally left the health clinic in Idaho and flew to Patrick’s ranch to buy her. She’s a tick greener than Baby Rey, but she’s been great. I rode her all year until about a month ago.”

While some guys swap horses depending on the setup, Durfey doesn’t have to.

“I would ride either of these horses in any setup—long setups, short setups, big calves, little calves,” Durfey said. “These two horses are literally the best two I think I’ve ever had in my whole life. Nikko, the horse I won the world on, was an excellent horse who won money everywhere from Cheyenne to the Thomas & Mack. I think I like those kinds of horses best because I know I can count on them when I need them, without worrying about the setup.”

All Gas, No Brakes

Now, with The Daddy finally checked off the list, Durfey’s focused on finishing strong and punching a ticket back to Las Vegas.

“I’d like to try to get to 80 rodeos,” Durfey said. “I’ve got about 35 left, and we’re going to all the big ones, all the tour rodeos—anything we can get to. We’re going hard and we’re doing it as a family. We’re having so much fun with it. I’m not done yet.”