We heard a lot about the former New England Patriots tight end this winter when he was invited to compete alongside from biggest names in steer wrestling at RFD-TV’s The American, but Sean “Bear” Pascoe is proving he’s quite the hand in multiple rodeo events. Pascoe made headlines at the Bob Feist Invitational when he and partner Steve Simons took home a paycheck worth $95,220 for winning the No. 11 Reno Million.

“Throwing the hell out of a steer in steer wrestling is like scoring a touchdown,” Pascoe said in a BFI press release. “But getting a good start and spinning one and your man sets him down? That’s pretty good, too.”

Anyone who is even slightly involved in the team roping game knows about the one called the “BFI.” The Bob Feist Invitational attracts the best professional ropers in the world to compete for its $700,000 payout in the open roping, with other roping categories for amateurs, kids, and women bringing the total into the millions. 

The former NFL player, who wrapped up his career in 2016, is getting back to the cowboy lifestyle. Pascoe grew up on a ranch in California where his father, who also had the opportunity to become a professional football player but who decided to follow the path of ranching and rodeo, instilling the cowboy lifestyle in Pascoe and his brother, Ryan, at a very young age.

The ranch kid known as "Bear" followed his own path through college and professional football, eventually defeating the New England Patriots 21-17 as a member of the Giants at Super Bowl XLVI in 2012.

After a seven-year career in the NFL, Pascoe hit the pro rodeo trail in 2017 and showed a lot of promise, finishing the regular season as the No. 5 steer wrestler in the permit standings and earning a spot in the PRCA’s Permit Member of the Year Challenge where he walked away as the champion. 

From there, Pascoe had the huge opportunity of being invited to compete at the finals of The American. Pascoe has been competing as a rookie in the PRCA this year and currently sits sixth in the rookie world standings. 

While he was in town to compete for Reno Rodeo, Pascoe entered the BFI team roping for the first time since he was a teenager.

“I haven’t been to this roping since I was 16 years old,” Pascoe said in the release before commenting on the event producer’s work. “Corky (Ullman) and Daren (Peterson) have done a great job. The cattle were outstanding.”

Pascoe and Simons won the first round of the event with a time of 7.04 (worth $6,920) and, while they didn’t place in the second or third rounds, the pair came back to the short round and made the second-fastest run at 8.81 ($3,300) to ultimately win the $85,000 average check with a total of 34.21 seconds on four.

With any luck, you could see Pascoe not only competing in the steer wrestling at professional rodeos across the country but also in the team roping.

“I entered the team roping at a handful of pro rodeos and didn’t have much luck,” Pascoe said. “But I’d like to revisit that. I’d love to be a multiple-event guy. One of my goals is to be invited to the Timed Event Champions of the World.”

Other champions of the BFI included:

• Bob Feist Invitational: Chris Francis and Cade Pasig 43.34 on six
• Hooey Junior BFI Open: Britt Smith and Carson Johnson 28.13 on four
• Hooey Junior BFI No. 10: Jett Stewart and Brayden Schmidt 33.39 on four
• Charlie 1 Horse (All-Girl) Team Roping: Lari Dee Guy and Whitney DeSalvo 30.76 on four
• Charlie 1 Horse Breakaway: Taylor Munsell 9.42 on three