For Pete Hawkins, the trip back to Red Bluff, Calif., was an important one in his career. A year ago, the Texan was attempting to compete in the tour round at the famed rodeo when he suffered serious injuries after the horse he was to ride, Western Rodeo’s Miss Kitty, reared up in the chute and landed on him. He suffered a broken tibia and fibula and a broken right wrist. Hawkins underwent three surgeries and months of rehabilitation to come full circle in one year.

Hawkins fared well in round one when he rode Flying U Rodeo’s One-Eyed Annie to finish in a tie for second with traveling partner Jason Jeter. Hawkins came back in the second round Sunday with a 75-point ride – not what he wanted, but enough to get him a share of the overall title with 155 points.

“I knew I had to come back here,” Hawkins said. “This is a good rodeo, and it was real important for me to be here. Doing well on my first horse here helped my confidence. This was just huge.”

The win at Red Bluff improved his rankings in the tour and PRCA World Standings. He picked up 17 tour points and is now ranked 21st with 31.5 points with two stops remaining. He also earned $3,416, and jumped from 50th to 28th in the world standings.

Hawkins shared the Red Bluff title with Royce Ford of Hudson, Colo., Scott Montague of Fruitdale, S.D., and Cleve Schmidt of Belle Fourche, S.D.

Ford and Schmidt turned in scores of 81 points to share the tour win.

Saddle bronc rider Ira Slagowski swept the tour and aggregate titles in Red Bluff and moved into second place in the Wrangler Tour standings. Slagowski of Plain City, Utah, rode Flying U Rodeo’s Wrangler Rivets for 82 points in the Wrangler Tour round en route to the aggregate title and $4,458.

Monty Lewis, the defending world champion in calf roping, picked up his first aggregate title of the 2005 season. Lewis of Hereford, Texas, roped and tied four calves in 38.4 seconds.

Caddo Lewallen of Morrison, Okla., won the Tour round with a time of 8.3 seconds.

Western Rodeo’s bull Wild One carried Marcus Michaelis to a tour win in Red Bluff with a 91-point ride. Bryan Richardson of Dallas won the aggregate title in Red Bluff with 171 points on two head. Michaelis was second with 170.

Other aggregate champions were Ron Schenk, Moorepark, Calif., steer wrestling, 5.6 seconds, $6,265; Jay Mattson, Deadwood, S.D./Clint Harry, Charlotte, Texas, team roping, 26.5 seconds on four head, $6,198 each; and Sabrina Lay, Omak, Wash., barrel racing, 52.72 seconds on three runs, $3,836. All-around champion was Ryan Jarrett of Summervile, Ga.

Other tour round winners were Beau Franzen, Goodwell, Okla., steer wrestling, 5.4 seconds; Colter Todd, Marana, Ariz./Cesar De La Cruz, Tucson, Ariz., team roping, 5.3 seconds; and Shae Lynn Hooks, Orange, Texas, barrel racing, 17.49 seconds.

Red Bluff marked the 10th of 12 stops on the Wrangler ProRodeo Tour. The top 12 contestants in the standings after the final Wrangler Tour stop on May 8 in Guymon, Okla., will qualify for the Pace Picante ProRodeo Chute-out, scheduled for June 17-18 in Reno.

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Butch Thurman of Pendleton has covered professional rodeo for 25 years. His e-mail address is bthurman@oregontrail.net.