Roy Cooper and his three boys, Tuf, Clif and Clint / Cooper family

In the world of tie-down roping, no one changed the game more than Roy Cooper. In his generation, he was the greatest. So much so that it isn’t even anything anyone would argue with you about. The New Mexico born cowboy arrived to this world November 13, 1955 and he left it on April 29, 2025.

Known to nearly everyone as Super Looper, Roy Cooper was revolutionary to the sport. He was the best, and he knew it. In 1976, he qualified for his first National Finals Rodeo as a Rookie where he went on to be the World Champion and that was just the beginning. He would follow that accomplishment with seven more world titles making a total of eight in his illustrious career.

Super Looper was the PRCA Tie-Down World Champion in 1976, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983 and 1984. He was also the All-Around World Champion in 1983. Making it a triple crown that year, he was named the 1983 Steer Roping World Champion.

The roper who would revolutionize the sport won more rodeos than can be listed and amassed an incredible amount of Circuit Year-End Championships as well.

The accomplishments came due to his incredible work ethic but he also had some stellar bloodlines running through him. Roy was the son of champion roper Dale “Tuffy” Cooper and Betty Rose Hadley Cooper who had been born and raised on a ranch herself. Together they raised their family in Monument, New Mexico.

Super Looper started his career as many do in the junior ranks of rodeo. He was a born champion and he proved it. He gathered several American Junior Rodeo Association championships including six All-Around cowboy titles. He went on to college rodeo for Southeastern Oklahoma State College where he was the 1975 NIRA Calf Roping Champion.

Throughout his time in the arena, he changed the sport. Cooper was one of the first cowboys to get off the right side of the horse when tie-down roping and “hold” his slack. He tied calves in 8-seconds when that was a feat nearly unheard of. Comparing to today, it is like tying a calf in six seconds.

All of his accomplishments led him to be the first $2 million cowboy ever in ProRodeo – a title he earned in 2000 after a long and impressive career.

It didn’t take long for the rodeo community to recognize the impact this cowboy was having. In 1979 he was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame after just being a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association for three years. In 1983, Cooper became a member of the National Rodeo Hall of Fame. Over the years, he was also inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame and the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame.

For most of his rodeo days, Cooper lived in Durant, Oklahoma but in 1990 he relocated to Childress, Texas. He found his final home in Decatur, Texas where he spent many years surrounded by his three boys.

The talent and work ethic ran true to his children, who all have found success in the rodeo arena. You could see the pride in his face when he sat in the stands or stood in the arena watching them compete.

Clint is the oldest of the three with Clif in the middle and Tuf the youngest. They were the light of their father’s life. In 2010, Roy had a dream come true when all three of his boys qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in the same year.

Roy stated, “That’s a Triple Crown for me. I’ve dreamed about it, and it happened. I’ve taught my three boys to rope, and they’re doing very well. This is a great life for us.”

The Cooper family and all of their connections have long been considered some of the “royalty of rodeo”. Shada Brazile is his step-daughter and that, of course, brought him close to the all-time great Trevor Brazile. Stran Smith, the 2008 World Champion Tie-Down Roper was his brother-in-law.

Social media is flooded with memories of a man who left a remarkable legacy on the world of rodeo. Past, current and likely future World Champions all commented with an underlying theme, “The greatest of all time.” That’s the respect he earned from not just his peers but those who continue to this day to look up to him.

A house fire took the man from this world on a fateful April day. Rodeo didn’t just lose a cowboy, we lost a legend. The ropings won’t be the same without you, the stands at the National Finals Rodeo won’t be the same without you. We will all miss hearing your greeting, “Hey, baby.” Rest in peace Roy.

The entire staff at Rodeo On SI extends our condolences to the rodeo community, Roy’s friends and certainly his family.