This year offered its share of bumps in the road for Trevor Brazile as he chased his third consecutive world all-around title. But when the dust finally settled on the 2004 campaign, Brazile, 28, was wearing his third world all-around gold buckle.

He locked it up after Round 8 and earned $253,170 for his year-long efforts in tie-down roping ($119,696, ninth in the world), team roping ($65,989, 14th) and steer roping ($67,921, second). Some of the bumps and challenges included moving to Decatur, Texas (30 miles north of Fort Worth), and constructing a new arena, which hampered Brazile’s practice time during the winter months.

His team roping campaign with Wayne Folmer hit a snag over the summer, and the two had to sweat it out until the regular season’s final day before securing a Wrangler National Finals Rodeo berth. Trevor BrazileHometown: Decatur, Texas

Birthdate/place: Nov. 16, 1976, in Amarillo, Texas

Height/Weight: 5-11/170

Family: wife, Shada

College: Vernon (Texas) Regional Junior College, AA in arts and sciences

Interests: training horses

2004 Earnings: $119,260, TD $67,921, SR $65,989, TR (header) $253,170, total

2004 NFR/NFSR Earnings: $32,654, TD $23,120, TR (header) $10,726, SR $66,500

Career Earnings: $1,616,805

PRCA Membership: 1996

NFR/NFSR Qualifications: 17; TD, 1999-2004; TR 1998, 2003-04; SR 1997-2004

World Titles: 3; 2002-04 All-Around

Then came the National Finals Steer Roping in Amarillo, Texas, in late November, where Brazile won just $10,726 and finished second for the sixth time in his career. While the road proved rocky at times for the timed-event star, who joined the PRCAin 1996, it was all well worth it.

“It’s really easy to say that I’d change this or that,” Brazile said. “If we could do that, it would make our lives smooth and error-free. I wouldn’t want it that way because things happen for a reason. Smooth seas don’t make skilled sailors.”

With his third world title, Brazile becomes the first cowboy to win three consecutive world all-around gold buckles since Ty Murray (1989-91). Brazile has Murray’s record of seven world all-around titles (1989-94, 1998) in his cross hairs.

“I’m still a long way off,” Brazile said. “He’s still a hero. If I do or if I don’t get eight, he’ll still be a hero because he did what he wanted to do, and then he went on with his life and has done great things for the sport. “My hat is off to him. He doesn’t know it probably because we do two different ends of the arena. I have all the respect in the world for him, obviously, because if it wasn’t for him, I’d have no reason to want to win eight. He’s definitely a hero.” Like Murray, Brazile rarely took a day off; he practiced hard and traveled night and day to win ProRodeo’s most coveted prize. Big wins for Brazile came in bunches. He claimed tie-down roping honors at Rodeo Austin (Texas), Reno (Nev.) Rodeo and Central Wyoming (Casper) Fair and Rodeo. Team roping victories occurred at the Beef Empire Days Rodeo in Garden City, Kan., and at the Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. He notched steer roping triumphs in Garden City and at the Coleman (Texas) PRCARodeo. Brazile finished the regular season with $197,396 and maintained a lead of more than $60,000 over tie-down roper Stran Smith of Childress, Texas, in the all-around. Leaving nothing to chance, Brazile placed in the first three rounds of tie-down roping (including first in the third round) and in the first round of team roping to sew up the all-around title. Brazile finished the 46th Wrangler NFR with earnings of $55,774.

As for next year, Brazile naturally has his sights set on gold buckle No. 4, and he knows it won’t be easy.