World Champion: Minnesota native wins PRCA steer wrestling world title
“Failure isn’t failing, it’s just an opportunity to start again.”
At the Minnesota native’s sixth Wrangler NFR, pro rodeo’s world championship, the 30-year-old missed his first steer to have a no-time in round one.
“I had a disappointing start,” he said, “but the family and friends around helped pick me up and remind me that there were still nine more rounds and a bunch of money left on the table.”
Struxness’ world title came after what he calls “a fantastic year all the way around.” This year he and fellow steer wrestler Ty Erickson decided to rodeo together and both would ride Erickson’s talented horse Crush.
In April, Struxness won the American Rodeo, winning $100,000. None of it counted towards the PRCA standings, but it was an appreciated addition to the bank account and the start of an excellent rodeo season.
“With both of us (he and Erickson) having good winters, your confidence is always high coming off that.”
Struxness, who lives in Perrin, Texas now, grew up near Milan, Minn., the son of Dan and Missy Struxness. His dad competed in high school rodeo till he went to college and played football. In high school, JD competed in the steer wrestling, team roping and tie-down roping, qualifying for the National High School Finals all four years.
His dad helped him learn, as did other local guys like Willie Stevens and others who were amateur and circuit rodeoing. While in high school, Struxness spent two summers in South Dakota at retired steer wrestler Paul Tierney’s house, working for him and learning from him. “I’d go to Paul’s and work for him, and he would help me practice every day. It was a trade off; work for the help in the practice pen.”
Struxness spent a year at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo., then transferred to Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, with Wrangler NFR qualifier Stockton Graves as head coach and Kody Woodward as assistant coach. “I knew it was the place I needed to go if I wanted to get better and take steer wrestling serious.”
He graduated in 2017 with a degree in agriculture and a minor in animal science.
He qualified for the Wrangler NFR in 2016-17, then again 2019, and then in 2022-24.
Crush, Erickson’s steer wrestling horse and the 2024 Nutrena Steer Wrestling Horse of the Year presented by AQHA was another part of Struxness’ win this year.
He and Erickson traveled together all year, both riding Crush.
But when Erickson broke his ankle and snapped the tendons at a rodeo in Clovis, Calif. in April, Crush went home with Erickson to Montana for time off. The hiatus was a good thing; when Erickson returned to action at the Calgary Stampede in July, the horse was rested and fresh.
Erickson won Calgary, “and that got us fired up and rolling again,” Struxness said. “We just rolled on into the next couple of weeks, and the rest of the summer, I just kept chipping away, picking up wins.”
While Crush was home in Montana, Struxness bull dogged on his horse, Izzy. Over the July fourth run, when rodeo season is extra-busy, Erickson hauled Crush to the Montana rodeos for Struxness and Rowdy Parrott to ride, to ease Crush back into the rodeo season.
Struxness’ world title is the second world title won on the fourteen-year-old black gelding. Erickson won the world on him in 2019.
Erickson’s wife Cierra bought the horse off the race track when the gelding was four years old, and Erickson put the training on him.
“Ty’s done an outstanding job with that horse,” Struxness said. “He backs into the corner, stands so good, and gives you time in there to make sure everything’s ready. He just stands there, on ‘go’ the whole time, so when it’s time to go, he’ll let you get the start.
“That horse can run a lot, and he gives you a chance to catch every steer. He creates a lot of opportunities with the way he runs, and he gives you the opportunity to place on some steers that you might not normally be able to place on.”
In July, Rowdy Parrott jumped into the rig with Struxness and Erickson, and the three of them rode Crush. All three men competed at the 2024 Wrangler NFR, all three of them riding Crush.
Often bulldogging horses will be ridden by multiple bulldoggers at a rodeo, but this year Erickson limited the number of rides on Crush.
“Ty loves that horse,” Struxness said. “He doesn’t want to overuse him throughout the summer, and wanted to make sure he was rested and ready to go for the guys Ty had on him. What these horses take throughout the year, and what they need as far as adequate rest to keep performing throughout the summer, is a lot. Giving them adequate rest and keeping the runs limited goes a long ways to keeping those horses healthy.”
It was also his family who traveled with him that contributed to Struxness’ wonderful rodeo year.
He and wife Jayden and their two daughters, ages five and three, spent plenty of time with Erickson and his wife Cierra and their two children, a daughter and a son.
“The (little) girls have a lot of fun together,” Struxness said. “It worked out so good for me and Ty to travel together, and the way our families and kids get along and have a blast together, that’s special in itself.
“That goes a long ways for the spirits during the summer, to be able to hang out with them and having the girls play so well together. Being able to see your family a lot during the summer, and you find a place like at Ty’s where we can stay and the kids have a blast, it doesn’t make you feel so far from home.”
At this year’s Wrangler National Finals, Struxness placed in eight of ten rounds, winning first once and second place three times and pocketing nearly $150,000.
It was after round six, standing at the stalls talking with Erickson and veteran steer wrestler Matt Reeves, who hazed for Struxness, Erickson and Parrott, that Struxness realized he had a chance to win a world title.
“I started realizing some guys were opening the door for us to work our way back into an opportunity to compete for the title,” he said. “I started to open up and take some chances, and max steers out to place as high as I could.”
The morning of the final round, round ten on Dec. 14, Struxness knew he could do it.
“I woke up and just had a feeling all morning. My confidence was so high, I knew the horses were working great all week and they would do their job, and it was up to me to do my job.”
He had an idea of what needed to happen in round ten for him to win the world.
“Depending on the shake-up in the average, I knew I had to win first or second. I was hoping to move up a spot in the average.” He won second in the round and stayed at eighth in the average (last hole) which was enough to take the title.
It was a close race; Struxness won the world championship by about $1,500 over Will Lummus, who was reserve world champ.
Struxness praised his hazers throughout the season.
Reeves hazed for him at the NFR, and during the regular season, Erickson usually hazed for him on a horse named Junior that Kody Woodward lent to him for the summer.
Struxness was grateful for Crush and the horse’s ability.
“The year we had on that horse was just phenomenal,” he said. “We really appreciate everything Ty’s done for us with that horse. When you get on a horse like that, it’s a game changer that gives you a bit of an edge over everybody else, because of the range of steers you get to place on.”
And he is very thankful for his support team, especially his wife.
“My wife (Jayden) does a lot for me, and especially the week of the Finals. Throughout the year, she’s always supportive,” said Struxness. Jayden motivates him to keep going, even when the strain of the road wears on him.
“She does a lot. She makes sure the kids are taken care of, and she makes sure the horses are in shape, ready to go and compete the best they can. And during the Finals, she’s there, doing whatever I need. She makes sure to make my life as easy as it can be, with the chaos.
“Having the family support, you can’t beat it. It’s what keeps us going in this game, is having those people back there, that help you and push you along, and keep pushing you towards your goal.”
