With a $2,153 check earned in Liberty Hill, Texas, Jackie Crawford became the WPRA’s first $1 million breakaway roper, a title she’s been chipping away at since she purchased her card in 2006.

The winningest WPRA roper of all time with 23 World Championships, it’s only fitting that Crawford became the first to cross the $1 million milestone.

“I got here with a lot of little checks that were hard at the time,” Crawford, 42, said. “I won’t be the last million-dollar roper, but I guarantee I hit the million dollar mark winning more individual checks than anybody else.”

Crawford is alluding to the hard years spent winning $1,500 checks at WPRA jackpots before breakaway began to pick up steam in ProRodeo in 2019, when it was added to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo and Cheyenne Frontier Days. With more ProRodeo opportunities came larger checks, and breakaway ropers began to make a better living with a rope in their hand.

Crawford took advantage, winning events including RodeoHouston in 2024, which paid $55,250.

But according to Crawford, the $1 million wasn’t even on her radar until recently.

“I had never even really thought about [the milestone,]” Crawford said. “I was doing a podcast with Steve Kenyon and he brought it up. It’s kind of neat because I’m kind of revamping and making new goals. So, it was a cool milestone and goal. To set the goal to make it to a million and be the first one to do it.”

The idea that more breakaway ropers will come along and break the $1 million glass ceiling—and eventually surpass Crawford in earnings—is something she welcomes.

“I mean, it’s going to be so fun,” Crawford said. “There’s going to be a ton of girls passing a million dollars. They’re getting the same opportunities as barrel racers, and you see how many of them hit the million dollar mark. They’re going to hit it a lot faster than me. It took a lot of tiny little checks along the way to add up to that million.”

Jackie Crawford’s $1 million resume:

This information is courtesy WPRA.

• 2024 – Finished 5th in the ProRodeo breakaway standings with $157,107 earned. Won RodeoHouston.
• 2023 – Added three more world titles to her resume at the WPRA World Finals bringing overall total to 23. She added another all-around title, team roping heading title and a tie-down roping world title. Finished the year ranked 12th in the ProRodeo breakaway roping with $89,484.
• 2022 – Finished 17th in the world with $45,712.
• 2021 – Entered her second NFBR ranked No. 7. Won a total of $12,120 after winning the first round, tied for the win in the third round, second in the fourth round, and sixth in the ninth round.
• 2020 – Won her 20th overall WPRA world title and 3rd breakaway roping title upon the conclusion of the first National Finals Breakaway Roping (NFBR) with $47,185 in earnings. Advanced to the first-ever Wrangler NFBR held in Arlington, Texas.
• 2019 – Won her 19th WPRA World Title (overall) in the all-around category
• 2018 – Won her 18th WPRA World Title (overall) in the all-around category, becoming the second most decorated member in the WPRA behind Wanda Bush with 32 world titles. Was reserve world champion in the breakaway roping with $18,886.
• 2017 – Reserve world champion in the all-around and team roping heading category.
• 2016 – Tied JJ Hampton’s record of 17 WPRA World titles after winning the all-around, breakaway roping and team roping (header) title
• 2015 – Won the WPRA World All-Around title
• 2014 – Won three WPRA World titles in breakaway roping, team roping (header) and tie-down roping. Was reserve world champion in the all-around category
• 2013 – Won two WPRA World titles in all-around and tie-down roping. Was reserve world champion in the breakaway roping with $5,217
• 2012 – Reserve world champion in the all-around and breakaway roping
• 2011 – Won two WPRA World titles in all-around and team roping (header). Reserve world champion in the team roping heeling category and the tie-down roping.
• 2010 – Won two WPRA World titles in all-around and tie-down roping. Reserve world champion in the team roping heeling category.
• 2009 – Won two WPRA World titles in all-around and tie-down roping. Reserve world champion in the breakaway roping
• 2008 – Won two WPRA World titles in all-around and tie-down roping
• 2006 – Finished third in the final WPRA tie-down roping world standings

What does the future look like for Crawford?

In 2024, Crawford hinted at slowing down her ProRodeo schedule, wanting to spend more time at home with Journey (4) and Creed (9).

(Journey is quite the hand with a rope!)

In 2025, she’d hoped to “hit big” in the Texas swing winter rodeos so she could back off the summer rodeo run. She’s rounded up $20,071 by mid-May, and is currently planning to hit a total of 40 to 50 rodeos, as opposed to breakaway’s new limit of 80.

“If it works, it works,” Crawford said. “If it doesn’t, it doesn’t. That’s not my end game right now. I don’t want to be burned out. I want to go to the ones that I really enjoy and then be able to come back home and spend some time with my family.”

From the Breakaway Roping Journal team, congratulations Jackie. 💜