Cooper James captures big win at Ute Stampede Rodeo Xtreme Bulls

Living the life of a PRORODEO bull rider is something Cooper James loves – and he was loving it even more Wednesday night in Nephi, Utah.

James won the Ute Stampede Rodeo Xtreme Bulls with a 91-point ride aboard Stockyard ProRodeo’s Wild and Blue to capture the title at the Division 1 event.

“That’s a good-feeling bull. I’ve seen him a lot, actually. He’s older,” said James, 20. “I knew he was going to be right there out of to the right and then probably go back left if I kept riding him. I knew just by looking at him he was going to feel really good. I was so excited to get on him and glad I had the opportunity to make it work.”

James knew when he made the whistle the result was going to be favorable.

“Shoot I don’t know if it was just being here in my home state, the live crowd, or what it was, but I was pretty fired up getting off him,” James said. “I knew it felt good, but I wasn’t sure where they were going to put me. And when they put me at the top, it was exciting.”

James, who grew up in the small town of Erda, Utah, which is about 100 miles northwest of Nephi, had his own cheering section Wednesday night.

“I had a bunch of buddies who I high school rodeoed with there,” James said. “It was cool to see them.”

James entered the Ute Stampede Rodeo Xtreme Bulls 12th in the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings with $94,183. He will move up that chart after he earned $12,761 for his performance.

In 2024 James made a huge splash on the PRORODEO scene, winning the Resistol All-Around and Bull Riding Rookie of the Year honors. He made his Wrangler National Finals Rodeo debut that season, finishing third in the world standing with $371,302. He placed in a total of five rounds, highlighted by wins in Rounds 5 and 7. He placed second in the average race with 428 points on five head. He earned $212,304 at the NFR.

Unfortunately, his 2025 campaign was sabotaged by injuries as he finished 66th in the world.

“Last year I tore every muscle and ligament in my left hip and my left groin off the bone, as well as my right groin in half,” the 6-foot-2, 175-pound James said. “So, it was a tough year, but it lit a fire under me and put that chip on my shoulder again to come back swinging. I’ve kept that in mind all year not to take anything for granted.

“Be careful what you think about, because you can always be sitting at home or feeling sorry for yourself, but you’re blessed to be out here and blessed to be doing what you love.”

James revealed he’s also fought through an injury this season as well.

“Nobody knows about this, it’s the first time it’s getting out, but I actually tore my right quad in half the first week of May and sat out from May 13 to June 14,” James said. “I took 30 days off and rehabbed it and figured I was going to come back stronger. I think I’ve been able to do that so far.

“I got hurt at the (Cactus Jack Xtreme Bull Riding) in Uvalde (May 1) and then I got on one more at the Woodlake (Calif.) Lions Rodeo (May 10) and ended up fully tearing it there. I didn’t have surgery, luckily. They said it just tore the middle part of my quad. I just had to give it a little rest and recovery and some physical therapy.”

With plenty of rodeos and XBulls events left before the regular season concludes Sept. 30, James is keeping things in perspective.

“I just like to keep it one bull at a time. Just keep my eyes on the prize, and that’s riding that bull that day,” Jame said. “Focus on the task at hand and stay focused on what I need to do and do my job every day. I need to be as consistent as possible and stay on the ones I’m supposed to stay on.

“Shoot, I didn’t even know where I was in the (world) standings. I’ve just been riding bulls and having fun. I got back to having fun and loving what I’m doing. So, that’s been working for me. Being yourself and being authentically you has been the best help for me in my life. And just keeping my head on straight and knowing that I’m loving who I am and being me is the biggest thing for me.”

Up next for James is a handful of more rodeos in Colorado, Wyoming and Minnesota and then off to the West Coast.

“We’re on the road again,” said James, who now resides in Visalia, Calif. “I’m actually headed to Estes Park, Colo., right now. Then, we go to Casper (Wyo.) and then Sheridan (Wyo.), and then Hamel, Minnesota. Then, back to the West Coast, the best coast. I love every minute of it. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to be. A lot of people have to get up and go to work every day or do the same things over and over. That’s what you hear when you go into a coffee shop, is, ‘Oh, you know, just same old, same old. Still doing it,’ you know?

“But for me, I get to wake up and pretty much do what I want. I get to wake up and decide where I want to have my coffee for the day and get on the road and get to hang out with my buddies all the time and get on bulls for fun and make some money while I’m doing it. I’m living my dream. It’s awesome. It’s such a blessing that I get to live this life.”

-PRCA