Will Lummus: Staying Focused, Giving Back, and Refusing to Back Off

Few steer wrestlers have built a reputation for grit and consistency quite like Will Lummus. With more than $1.8 million in career earnings, a 2021 NFR Average title, and multiple Reserve World Championships, Lummus has proven he’s not just a contender—he’s one of the most respected athletes in professional rodeo today.

Heading into this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo ranked No. 1 in the world, Lummus has his sights set squarely on a gold buckle. But as he’ll tell you, success in rodeo isn’t just about horsepower or quick hands. It requires focus, perseverance, and the right mindset.

Finding Focus

The 2025 season hasn’t been without challenges for Lummus. Early in the year, Lummus suffered a painful rib injury that could have easily derailed his momentum. Instead, it became a turning point.

“I feel like I’ve battled some injuries this year,” he says. “It kinda got me behind the eight ball, but it made me push harder. I was always trying to do the right thing all the time, and I was more focused this year.”

Despite the pain, he powered through key rodeos, including the Calgary Stampede, where he turned in a strong performance before taking a short break to recover.

“Calgary went great, and I knew if I could do good at Calgary, I could take a week off and miss Cheyenne and Salinas,” he explains. “It was nice to be able to do that and stay focused and win enough to where I could take a week off.”

That balance—knowing when to push through and when to pause—is something many athletes struggle to master. But for Lummus, it’s all part of the discipline that’s kept him among the sport’s elite.

 No More “Backing Off”

When asked what set this season apart, Lummus didn’t hesitate.

“I’ve made a living backing off and going and winning second or fourth,” he says. “I got in this game to make money originally, but backing off has cost me a couple gold buckles.”

This year, he took a new approach.

“From Denver, I told myself I wasn’t gonna back off, and I haven’t all year,” he reveals. “I’ve broken some barriers for some money, but I’m proud of my year because I didn’t back off at all.”

Lummus admits it’s not the easiest approach, but it’s one that’s paid off.

“You win more not backing off,” he says simply. “That’s the name of the game.”

That philosophy—do your job, trust the process, and don’t let fear dictate your decisions—has served him well this season. And it’s the same mindset he’s now passing along to his students.

The Next Generation

When he’s not chasing world titles, Lummus is investing his time in the future of the sport as head rodeo coach at Northwest Mississippi Community College. It’s a role that allows him to share hard-won lessons while still feeding his own competitive drive.

“I really enjoy coaching,” Lummus shares. “I like giving back to the sport that’s been great to me and my family. It’s a great way for me to get back to the region that I college rodeoed in, that had a part in molding who I was.”

Balancing two demanding careers isn’t easy, but Lummus thrives on staying busy.

“I’ve always been a workaholic, so I don’t sit well very long,” he laughs. “It drives my wife nuts when she wants to sit in the house on a Sunday and I just can’t do it. I always have something going on. That’s just who I am.”

While he admits there are challenges, he sees the rewards every day.

“It’s fun to watch athletes and kids grow in the sport,” he says. “I have some guys that made the circuit finals this year. It’s really cool to see them mature and grow. If I can teach them things that took me a couple years of rodeoing to learn, then I’m doing my job.”

The Power of a Strong Mind

For Lummus, success in the arena starts in the mind.

“I feel like I can really mentally make you stronger and make you a better winner,” he says of his approach to coaching. “That’s what makes the winners great in our sport.”

It’s a lesson he learned from veteran steer wrestler KC Jones, who he credits with shaping his mental game.

“KC was one of the strongest mental game guys I’ve ever met,” Lummus reveals. “He taught me so much. Now I can go run a steer and it absolutely go horribly, and I can walk away like it never happened.”

That kind of composure didn’t come overnight.

“When you can get to that mental space where you can walk away like it never happened, it’s simple,” he explains. “You’ve got to be able clear your mind, go in there, and do your job. If it doesn’t go great, try again. That’s life.”

He’s now helping young athletes at Northwest Mississippi learn that same resilience.

“If you have a great mental game, it doesn’t matter what you’re gonna do,” he says. “In your marriage, in your job, whatever you want to do, you’ve got to have a strong mental game.”

Focusing on the Positives

Lummus’s perspective on handling failure is refreshingly practical.

“You’ve got to focus on the positive and work on the negatives,” he says. “So many people like to focus on the negatives and only work on what they’re doing wrong. I like to work on the things I’m doing right, because those are going to overpower your negatives.”

He credits his uncle for teaching him that approach early on.

“My uncle always told me, when you go through a run—even if it was a bad run—you count your positives and your negatives. If your positives outweigh your negatives, you’re still winning,” Lummus recalls. “That’s what I’ve tried to do.”

It’s advice he passes along to his college athletes, even if they don’t always see it right away.

“It’s hard to tell a college kid that,” he admits. “At a college rodeo, when they win $300 or $500, that matters. I get it. But it’s going make you better if you learn how to walk away from it.”

Beyond the Arena

Lummus is also realistic about the lifespan of a rodeo career and the need to plan for a future outside the sport.

“I’m not going to be able to rodeo forever,” he explains.

He encourages his students to think the same way—not as a “backup plan,” but as part of building a full life.

“Everybody always talked about a backup plan,” he says. “I absolutely despised that word. It’s not a backup plan. It’s to make you self-sufficient, so when you move on further in life, you can do things for yourself.”

For Lummus, that perspective came from experience. After missing the NFR in 2017 by just $4,500, he came home and went to work.

“I got a job making $20 an hour, and I learned how to do HVAC, electrical, framing—all of it,” he recalls. “When I learned how to do all that stuff, it opened me up. I do all of my own work now.”

Today, he encourages rodeo athletes to treat their careers like a business.

“Rodeo’s getting to where you can invest well and actually make a living,” he says. “But you’ve got to treat it as a business. If you don’t invest well and you don’t treat it as a business, what are you going to do when you get done rodeoing?”

He credits fellow legend Joe Beaver for advice that stuck with him: “When you make money, invest in your property. Invest in some kind of equipment so that, when you get done rodeoing, you can make you a living.”

Lummus took that to heart.

“I’ve bought a bulldozer, skid steers, welders—all kinds of things I can make a living with,” he said. “It’s not really a backup plan. It’s just seeing the big picture and understanding that one day we’re not going to get to do this, so we need to invest well, save well, and treat this as a business.”

Words of wisdom

When asked what advice he’d give to others chasing their goals, Lummus’s answer was simple.

“Just do your job and be able to walk away,” he says. “Learn the mental side of the game.”

That mindset has carried him through the highs and lows of professional rodeo. Whether he’s preparing for another run at a gold buckle or helping a college freshman find their footing in the arena, Lummus leads by example.

“We get to try until we go to heaven,” he says. “So why not?”

Hear more from Will Lummus on Episode 37 of Beyond the Rodeo, presented by Western Sports Foundation. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.