Team ropers form a winning partnership from a chance meeting

There are dozens of ways to potentially describe how Kaleb Driggers and Junior Nogueira came to be team roping partners. No matter the description, one thing is undeniable — this tandem simply knows how to win.

After capturing the 2021 world championship together, the defending duo didn’t slow down in the new year. In 2022, Driggers and Nogueira won nearly $228,000 apiece, by far the most prize money ever captured by team ropers over the course of the regular season.

For context, Driggers was ahead of the next closest header in the PRCA standings by more than $80,000, while Nogueira had the next closest heeler beaten by around $97,000 heading into the 2022 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

Through four rounds of the Wrangler NFR, the duo is still well ahead of the field in the race for the world championship. Driggers and Nogueira got a third-place check in Thursday’s first go-round, then split third and fourth on Friday night.

“It’s just the chemistry I guess,” Nogueira said with a laugh.

Competing in front of 18,000 fans at the Thomas &Mack Center during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is certainly a long way from the jackpot events where these two cowboys first crossed paths years ago.

At jackpots, ropers are given the chance to compete twice, once with their primary partner and again with a second partner. Driggers, a Georgia native, had heard about the standout competitor who came to America after dominating the competition in Brazil. Both ropers had primary partners they competed with, but when it was time for their second run, they opted to compete together.

Driggers and Nogueira quickly realized they worked well together, and in 2016 the duo joined forces as primary partners. They took a one-year break in 2020 before reuniting for what can only be described as a historic two-year run.

“Honestly, that’s what’s crazy — you can take two guys who rope pretty good on their own, but they might not rope as great together,” Driggers said. “I guess some of the tendencies or stuff each of us have tends to complement the other. It’s been a good partnership.”

In 2021, the pair placed in six of the 10 NFR rounds, including a victory in Round 4, to earn almost $144,000 apiece at the event. That success led each of them to finish with more than $260,000 in earnings for the season en route to securing their first world titles.

As it turns out, that was a precursor of things to come.

In 2022, the dominance started early with a victory at the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo in February. From there, the pair won or co-championed another 14 rodeos while collecting more prize money than any other team roping tandem in the sport’s history.

“I think we went into probably late April/early May, and we probably had 80 grand won already. That’s something where we normally have about 20 or 30,” Driggers said, noting that Fort Worth alone put around $20,000 in each roper’s ledger.

Added Nogueira: “We’ve always been pretty good in the summertime, but we’ve never had a really good winter. This winter was special, and then we had a great summer, too. I think that’s what made a big difference in our season.”

While their performance thus far has been nothing short of dominant, they are not completely comfortable with their grip on the world standings.

As they proved last year, success at the Wrangler NFR can lead to six figures very quickly, which can shrink a sizable lead in the blink of an eye. With so much money up for grabs in Las Vegas, these seasoned veterans are sticking with the routine that got them this far.

“Nothing has changed. It’s still the same preparation. We’ve still got to do good because we know how good the NFR pays,” Nogueira said. “I’m just looking forward to doing my job and roping against the best ropers in the whole world. Anything can happen. We’re just going to take it steer by steer.”

Added Driggers: “We have a really good time roping together, and we’re always there for each other no matter what. If one of us messes up, the other one brings us up. I think that’s one thing — we never get too shortsighted on the main picture and just kind of keep moving forward.”

If Driggers and Nogueira are able to defend their world titles, it would be the first time the same pairing won back-to-back championships since Clay Tryan and Jade Corkill did so in 2013-14.

While another world title is the goal, competing against the best cowboys in the world is still a feeling that remains unchanged. Over their respective careers, Driggers and Nogueira have combined for 17 NFR qualifications.

Even with high expectations and added pressure, this NFR experience, their sixth together, feels just as special as the first.

“No matter how many times you’ve been there, it’s always exciting to get to go back,” Driggers said. “Just the environment, the atmosphere. It’s a little bit smaller (arena) than what we rope in normally, and it feels like all the spectators are right there beside you, and it’s loud. It’s a great time, and it’s what we’ve always dreamed of as little kids. I don’t ever want to take that for granted, that’s for sure.”