[“Ryan Rouse is the western sports manager for Community Coffee and my family has known the Rouses for a long time.,” said Riley Webb, now a 2x Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier in the tie-down roping. “We have always been close, but the Community Coffee Team is one big family, so it made sense to be a part of it.
“I tend to like the iced coffee more than hot coffee, so I always drink the vanilla waffle cone lattes,” said the 20-year-old cowboy.
According to statistics the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association posted, Riley earned $188,597 during his rookie year in the PRCA.
“I’ve been with Community Coffee for three years,” Riley said. “My girlfriend [Josie Connor, a breakaway roper in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association] is also a part of the team, as well.”]
Riley Webb is a rising superstar in the PRCA and said he attended his first rodeo at only two weeks old. “I was born the first week of August, and the North Texas Fair and Rodeo is the third week of August. “My mom and dad have lived in Denton, Texas, for 25-plus years, and I grew up here,” he said. “They put on different roping events and junior ropings, so I started out just riding my pony around at those.” Together, Dirk and Jennifer Webb own and operate Webb Roping Productions and Ultimate Calf Roping. Together, they provide roping opportunities for ropers ages 8 to 80 plus. These are Junior World Finals sanctioned events.
“My mom and dad have always helped Roy Cooper put on his junior ropings for as long as I have been alive,” Riley said. “So, my dad already had an in with the Cooper Family when I started roping. Clint Cooper, who has made the NFR several times, helped me get started with my horse at the time,” he added. “He has always encouraged me and always wanted me to reach my full potential.”
Riley said for him, it has always been roping that he wanted to pursue a career in. “Ever since I was a kid, it was always my dream to make the NFR and win rookie of the year,” he said. “I played baseball for a while, but when I turned 11, I decided to really focus only on roping.
“I did the church play days and rodeoed in junior high school, and then when I got to high school, I went to White Horse Christian Academy and did their distance learning program, so I did not have to be in a classroom,” he said. “My high school rodeo career was a little different than most kids.”
Riley was the 2020 Texas High School Rodeo Association Reserve Tie-Down Champion his sophomore year and then won the National High School Rodeo Association Tie-Down Roping title the same year.
During this time, he also made history by being the youngest person to qualify for the San Angelo Fiesta Days roping and The American Rodeo in the same year. “I was roping for a million dollars at 16.”
He bought his PRCA permit shortly after he turned 18. “It really was like a dream. I roped at Mesquite, Texas, Wichita Falls, Texas, and Denton, Texas, all in the same weekend,” he said. “I won all three rodeos that first weekend to fill my permit. I set the arena record at Denton, my hometown rodeo,” he added. “That was huge for me. Everyone wants to get the hometown win, but to do it in my first go was amazing.”
Riley said when he stopped worrying about where he was ranked in the standings and started to focus solely on roping, he began to realize he could achieve the goals he had set at such a young age. “I always pray and ask God for protection and ask him for the ability to show off the talent that he’s given me before every run.”
At the 2022 WNFR, Riley was awarded the Resistol Rookie of the Year in the tie-down roping and the all-around. “I’d say I had a good rookie year. I didn’t have the best NFR last year, but that made me want to work harder and get off on the right foot when I was going into the 2023 season,” he said. “I really had a chance to show up and show out this year.”
According to statistics posted by the PRCA, in 2023, Riley had 28 go-round wins and won $280,405 before the WNFR. He will be going into his second WNFR leading the tie-down roping.
At the 2022 WNFR, Riley wore back number 40. This year, he will wear back number 2.
