The rodeo world is mourning the deaths of Jamie Earp, 52, and his son Tucker Earp, 22, who were killed in a fiery highway crash on their way home from a competition in Oklahoma.
The two were returning from the All-Star Team Roping Finals on Thursday, Aug. 6, when their truck and horse trailer struck a parked semi on the shoulder of I-44 near Kellyville, Oklahoma. Both vehicles caught fire. Neither Jamie nor Tucker survived. The semi’s driver suffered injuries but is expected to recover. The horses were rescued and have since been returned to the Earp family.
A Community Responds
Tributes from across the rodeo world flooded in following news of the crash. Travis Graves, a family friend who has known Jamie Earp since childhood, spoke to reporter Kendra Santos about the loss. “The Earps are great people,” Graves said. “When my parents had an indoor arena in Jay, he would come to ropings and practice nights there. When I bought my own place in Jay before I moved to Texas, Jamie was my neighbor … We’re all just super sad, and can’t believe this has happened. Jamie’s been a great guy all my life, and Tucker was a good kid. You just never know. We’re all praying for their family now. Nothing can prepare anyone for something like this.”
The American Rodeo Cowboys Association (ARCA) captured the weight of the moment in a statement: “Rodeo has always been more than a sport, it’s a family. And when one of us hurts, we all hurt.”
Riderless Horses Honor Father and Son
That same Thursday night, during the All-Star Finals in Guthrie, Oklahoma, two horsemen led a pair of riderless horses around the arena in tribute to Jamie and Tucker Earp.
WSR wrote of the two men: “Jamie and Tucker Earp will be remembered not simply as two names connected to a highway accident, but as a father and son who shared the rodeo road, a love of team roping and countless miles together pursuing the Western way of life.”
As the Earp family faces an unimaginable loss, the outpouring of support from the broader rodeo community shows no sign of slowing.
