UT Martin Cowboy’s National Championship Bull Rider Airs On ESPN-U By Joe Lofaro, Sports Information Director MARTIN, Tenn. -- The Collegiate National Finals Rodeo (CNFR), which took place in Casper, Wyoming on June 13-19, was replayed on ESPN-U six times in mid August, giving The University of Tennessee at Martin rodeo fans a chance to re-live senior Jeff Askey’s national championship bull ride on China Grove. Askey, who won the championship by earning 248 points on three rides, clinched the title with an 88.5 point ride during the rodeo finale. Askey won the first go at the CNFR with an 86.5-point ride. He didn't have a score in the second go, but came back in the third go with a 73-point ride, which was good enough for sixth in the round. Hailing from Beech Creek, PA, Askey is the first UT Martin cowboy to win a national championship since 1993 when Frank Graves and Bret Gould won the national team roper title. Skip Emmitt was the first UTM cowboy ever to win a national championship in 1975. Emmitt won the all-around and the bareback riding. The CNFR is the “Rose Bowl” of college rodeo. It is the event where the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) crowns individual event champions in saddle bronc riding, bare back riding, bull riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, team roping, barrel racing, breakaway roping, and goat tying. National team championships are also awarded to both men's and women's teams. Over 400 cowboys and cowgirls from over 100 universities and colleges compete in Casper each year.