Lane Frost

The Cheyenne Frontier Days, a nine-day-long event attended by tens of thousands of rodeo fans, is one of the biggest, best-known, oldest (begun in 1897), and most prestigious rodeos in the country. The bull riding championships are held on the last day of the rodeo, which was Sunday, July 30, in 1989. Frost had already completed two rides earlier in the week, and he was in second place coming into the last day. He completed his ride on a tough bull, Takin' Care of Business, on which he had failed to complete a ride at another rodeo about a month prior. At the end of the eight seconds, Frost did his trademark dismount, rolling off of the animal's left hindquarters. Normally, when this was done with the bull was charging forward, it gave Frost plenty of time to get up and away before the bull could change directions and threaten him. However, on this day the bull turned and charged almost immediately. It had rained a great deal that week, and Frost, still on his knees, could get no traction in the thick mud. The bull struck him twice. The first blow knocked him flat on the ground; the second, with one of the bull's horns, fractured several ribs and severed a major artery, although the horn did not break his skin. Frost managed to get up and run for the gate, but he collapsed and died before he reached it.