Dick Yates qualified for 13 Wrangler National Finals Rodeos, and in his 85 years he’s seen team roping go from a second-class, amateur sport to the richest event in all of the Western performance world. And along the way, he’s led his family—late wife Jan, son, J.D., daughter Kelly, and grandson, Trey—to become one of team roping’s powerhouse dynasties.

In this interview from a Roping.com shoot, Yates muses about all the changes he’s seen in the sport as its evolved.

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