People from Raymore, and Peculiar may remember Pete Fager as a talented defensive specialist in baseball and football for Ray-Pec High School from 2013-2016, who graduated from Ray-Pec High School with the class of 2016.

People in Cass County can still see Fager roaming the area as a local professional as he works in different industries. But people around the nation are getting to know Fager and his defensive specialties in different rodeo arenas around the nation.

This past weekend, Fager saddled up at the Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo in Abilene, Kansas where he tackled a steer and brought him to the ground in 0:05.9 seconds, which was good for 4th place overall in the steer wrestling competition and earned Fager $1,145.

“I did my job against that steer,” Fager said. “That was a steer not a lot of guys were able to get, and I got him down. So, I feel like I did my job.”

Abilene’s Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo has been named one of the top 5 professional outdoor rodeos in America in multiple years, but it is not the only rodeo Fager, who still works other jobs in Peculiar, has received winnings from this year.

Fager has been a PRCA cowboy for the past two seasons, as he competed in 31 rodeos in 2021, earning $1,432 in different steer wrestling competitions.

With the $1,145 Fager won at Abilene this past weekend, he has now increased his total winnings in 2022 to $7,294. His earnings have increased, as his times and results have also improved.

Last year, as a rookie, Fager also competed in Abilene’s Wild Bill Hickok rodeo, but Fager was shutout of the money after posting a time of 0:09.4 seconds.

As a rookie, in 2021, Fager earned money in just two different rodeos, earning $790 when he finished in first place in Dayton, Iowa and $642 when he placed 4th in Coffeyville, Kansas.

This year’s $72,94 earnings are the result of Fager placing in the money in 8 different rodeos thus far this season.
“It (rodeo) is just really more of a hobby for me right now,” Fager said. “But, I definitely see me taking it to the next level.

“I’d love to take this to the next level.”

Fager’s top prize, thus far this season, came when he bulldogged the steer in 0:03.8 seconds at the Will Rogers Stampede in Claremore, Oklahoma May 27-28, which paid him $2,357.

Fager also earned $1,595 at the Buffalo Championship PRCA rodeo in Buffalo, Minnesota June 23-25 when he posted a time of 0:04.4.

Two weeks ago Fager posted a better time at the Cowley County PRCA rodeo in Winfield, Kansas, when he stopped the steer in 0:05.0 seconds, but that posting was not fast enough to earn him any winnings at Cowley County.

He also posted a time of 0:05.1 seconds on a steer July 8-9 in Iron River, Michigan, which helped finish in 5th place for $313.

Fager posted a time of 0:05.5 seconds on a steer July 7-10 in Hamel, Minnesota, but that time only allowed him to finish in 2nd place and did not earn him any winnings.
May 6-7 Fager rode in Hayesville, Kansas in the Hayesville Saddle Club Rodeo where he posted a time of 0:05.3, which placed him 2nd and helped him earn $658.
April 22-23 he rode in Madison, Wisconsin in the Midwest Horse Fair and Rodeo where he finished in a time of 0:05.5 seconds, which placed him 3rd and earned him $579, for his initial winnings in the 2022 season.
Fager competed in the final night of Abilene’s Wild Bill Hickok rodeo, and he was the final cowboy in the steer wrestling competition, so he knew he was in the money portion of the rodeo immediately after he posted the time of 0:05.9 seconds.

Kearney, Nebraska’s Jeff Richardson won the 2022 Wild Bill Hickok steer wrestling title with a time of 0:04.5 seconds, while Checotah, Oklahoma’s Riley Duvall finished second with a time of 0:04.8, Tucker Alberta, of Pleasanton, Kansas finished third with a time of 0:05.6 while Ashland, Kansas’ Jule Hazan, finished 5th, just behind Fager, with a time of 0:06.1.