Behind the Top 15: Dawson Graham

No. 15 | $118,045

• Age: 27
• Hometown: Wainwright, Alberta
• Career earnings: $448,974
• Major Rodeos: California Rodeo Salinas; Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR); Walla Walla (Wash.) Frontier Days; Okotoks (Alberta) Pro Rodeo; Caldwell (Idaho) Night Rodeo; Medicine Hat (Alberta) Stampede; That Famous Preston Night Rodeo (Preston, Idaho); Wolf Point (Mont.) Wild Horse Stampede; Pile ’O Bones Rodeo (Regina, Saskatchewan); Daines Ranch Pro Rodeo (Innisfail, Alberta); Rocky Pro Rodeo (Rocky Mountain House, Alberta); Lea Park Rodeo (Marwayne, Alberta); Horse Heaven Roundup Rodeo (Kennewick, Wash.); Gem State Stampede (Coeur d’Alene, Idaho)
• Major Ropings: Ariat WSTR Finale #16.5 and Ariat WSTR Finale Open Super Qualifier
• NFR Qualifications: 2 (2025–26)
• Star Horsepower: Chex Yer Gun (Outlaw)
• Rope Choice: Powerline Lite S

For the first time in his ProRodeo career, Dawson Graham is heading to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 2025.

The 26-year-old Wainwright, Alberta, native has been working toward this feat with his younger brother and heeler, Dillon, for most of his life, starting out on the rodeo trail as a team nearly 10 years ago. Before that, they did what brothers do—everything together.

“From a young age, we’ve done everything together—baseball, hockey, everything,” he told The Team Roping Journal’s Kendra Santos. “We’ve been on the same team all our lives. Dillon’s always been super talented, so he always played up a league and was by far the youngest guy on the team. The nicest part about roping with your brother is having the same goals and always having a partner to practice and enter with.”

Their breakthrough ProRodeo win came north of the border, when the Canadian brothers were crowned the 2022 Canadian Finals Rodeo (NFR) champions at their fifth CFR appearance.

Pure Try: Brothers Dawson and Dillon Graham Get First Canadian Finals Rodeo Championship

“We began the year with the goal of getting into the top 30 in the PRCA standings and winning a Canadian championship,” Dawson told The Team Roping Journal after the win. “We came up short the last two years and this was the year we wanted to do it.”

The 2023 season was a nail-biter for Dawson. He and Dillon finished just shy of their NFR goal, landing 19th and 16th in the world standings. That year they collected several Canadian wins and took advantage of the Northwest run with victories in Kennewick, Washington, and Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

“It could always be better, but it could always be worse,” Dawson told Santos in 2023. “The day it happened, and we finished just short, a guy was pretty bummed out. But then at the same time, you think of all the screw-ups you had and realize that maybe making it isn’t as hard as you think.”

In 2024, the brothers added wins in Preston, Idaho, Regina, Saskatchewan, and Missoula, Montana. It was another near-NFR season, but they again finished just outside the Top 15, ending the year 26th in the world.

Persistence paid off in 2025. Leading up to their first NFR appearance, the Grahams grabbed wins in Walla Walla, Washington; Caldwell, Idaho; and Medicine Hat, Alberta, totaling $137,934 in season earnings and securing their No. 10 spot in the world standings.

The latter half of Dawson’s career wouldn’t be what it is without an outlaw palomino gelding he’s relied on for nearly eight years. Chex Yer Gun, known as Outlaw, has been Dawson’s steady partner on almost every steer of the season.

The Horses at the Heart of Team Graham

“Outlaw’s got some quirks,” he told The Team Roping Journal. “But he doesn’t ever take your throw away. He might not be the fastest horse, but he’s not going to duck on you and take you out of it. He might not score like a rock, but he’s going to give you an easy go every time. He’s the same horse every single day, and I’ve had him forever.”

The Grahams didn’t rope like rookies in Las Vegas. Dawson and Dillon Graham split the Round 3 win in a three-way tie, won Round 7 outright with a 3.5 for $36,667.95 a man, and placed in two more rounds on their way to eighth in the average. Dawson finished his first NFR seventh in the world with $248,192.

“He was sharp and dead straight,” Dawson said of the Round 7 steer. “I knew if I could get a start at him it was going to be pretty easy.”

Grahams Go 3.5 to Get Second 2025 NFR Go-Round Win on Night 7

In 2026, the brothers from Wainwright, Alberta, checked a bucket-list rodeo off their list, winning the California Rodeo Salinas in July with 44.1 on five head for $14,528 apiece. The win moved them into the top 10. In September, they won the first night of the Cinch Playoffs stop in Puyallup with a 4.0.

Dawson and Dillon Graham Move into Top 10 with $14K Salinas Win

It still came down to the last day. Dawson got passed late in September, but he held the 15th and final heading spot, finishing $2,323 ahead of Nelson Wyatt with $118,045. He’ll go back to Las Vegas with his brother, who finished No. 12.

More on the Graham Brothers

• Graham Brothers Rebound in Round 2 at Canadian Finals
• Pure Try: Brothers Dawson and Dillon Graham Get First Canadian Finals Rodeo Championship
• Behind the Top 15: Dillon Graham
• Dawson and Dillon Graham Take OKC American Rodeo Contender Series Qualifier