2601:406:4603:B060:AD3F:5684:3D81:33E5: /* Challenge of the Champions */

2025-05-27T02:31:26Z

Challenge of the Champions

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{{Short description|American bull rider (1963-1989)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Lane Frost
| image = Lane-frost.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Lane Frost at a rodeo event
| birth_name = Lane Clyde Frost
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1963|10|12}}
| birth_place = [[La Junta, Colorado]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1989|07|30|1963|10|12}}
| death_place = [[Cheyenne, Wyoming]], U.S.
| death_cause = [[The Last Ride (bull riding accident)|Bull riding accident]]
| resting_place = Mount Olivet Cemetery<br>[[Hugo, Oklahoma]], U.S.
| other_names =
| known_for =
| occupation = Professional bull rider
| years_active = 1982–1989
| spouse = {{marriage|Kellie Kyle|1984|1989}}
}}

'''Lane Clyde Frost''' (October 12, 1963 – July 30, 1989) was an American professional [[rodeo]] [[cowboy]] who specialized in [[bull riding]], and competed in the [[Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association]] (PRCA). He was the 1987 PRCA World Champion bull rider. He was also the only rider ever to score a qualified ride on [[Red Rock (bull)|Red Rock]], the 1987 PRCA Bucking Bull of the Year.

==Early life==
At the time of Lane's birth, his parents lived in [[Lapoint, Utah]]. His father, Clyde, was on the [[rodeo]] circuit as a [[saddle bronc and bareback rider]]. His mother, Elsie, went to stay with her parents in [[Kim, Colorado]], and he was born in the hospital in [[La Junta, Colorado|La Junta]]. He had an older sister, Robin, and a younger brother, Cody.<ref name="WranglerNet">{{cite web |title=Remembering Lane |url=http://wranglernetwork.com/news/remembering-lane/ |website=Wrangler Network |access-date=November 4, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About Lane Frost {{!}} |url=https://lanefrost.com/pages/about-lane-frost |website=Lane Frost Brand |access-date=November 4, 2018}}</ref>

Frost started riding [[dairy]] calves around age 5–6. His first rodeo awards were won when he was 10, at the "Little Buckaroos" Rodeos held in [[Uintah Basin]]: first in bareback, second in [[calf roping]], and third in the "bull riding" (calf riding) event. He also competed in [[wrestling]] in junior high school. The family then moved to Oklahoma and he attended Atoka High School in [[Atoka, Oklahoma|Atoka]].<ref name="TWObit"/> In Oklahoma, he was the National High School Bull Riding Champion in 1981. He was the Bull Riding Champion of the first Youth National Finals in [[Fort Worth, Texas]], in 1982.

On January 5, 1985, Frost married Kellie Kyle (born 1965), a [[barrel racer]] from [[Quanah, Texas]], west of [[Wichita Falls, Texas|Wichita Falls]].

==Professional career==
Frost joined the PRCA and began riding full-time after graduating from high school in 1982. In 1984, he qualified for his first [[National Finals Rodeo]] (NFR). In 1986, he won the NFR bull riding average title. In 1987, he became the PRCA World Champion bull rider at the NFR at age 24. He went on to compete at the Rodeo '88 Challenge Cup held as part of the [[Cultural Olympiad]] in association with the [[1988 Winter Olympics]] in [[Calgary]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/02/25/arts/stage-rodeo-88-at-olympic-festival.html|title=Stage: Rodeo '88 At Olympic Festival|last=Kisselgoff|first=Anna|date=February 25, 1988|work=New York Times|access-date=25 August 2016}}</ref> In his lifetime, Frost made it to the NFR for five consecutive years from 1984 to 1988.

===Challenge of the Champions===
{{Main|Challenge of the Champions}}

Sometime in 1988, John Growney, Red Rock's owner, pondered a special competition between the two 1987 champions.<ref name="lanevsred">{{cite web|title=Professional Bull Riders - Remembering Lane Frost vs. Red Rock|url=https://pbr.com/news/2011/03/remembering-lane-frost-vs-red-rock/|website=Professional Bull Riders|date=March 11, 2011 |access-date=3 January 2017}}</ref> Red Rock had never been successfully ridden during his four-year professional career, despite rodeo cowboys making 309 attempts to ride him. It was decided that Frost and Red Rock would have seven showdowns at different rodeos in states across the West.<ref name="lanevsred" /> The event was titled the "Challenge of the Champions."<ref name="lanevsred" /> Red Rock was brought out of retirement and Frost rode him to the eight-second whistle for a scoring ride for four of the seven matches.<ref name="lanevsred" />

==Death==
{{Main|The Last Ride (bull riding accident)}}

On July 30, 1989, at [[Cheyenne Frontier Days]] in [[Cheyenne, Wyoming]], after completing a successful 85-point ride on a Brahma bull named Takin' Care of Business, who Bad Company Rodeo owned, Frost dismounted and landed in the mud. The bull then turned, knocked Frost over, pressed his right horn on Frost's back, and pushed him against the muddy arena floor. Frost initially rose to his feet, took a couple of steps, waved for help, and then fell to the ground; dying on the arena floor from massive internal injuries.<ref name="prorodeo">{{Cite news|url=https://www.prorodeohalloffame.com/inductees/bull-riding/lane-frost/|title=Lane Frost - Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame|work=Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame|access-date=16 May 2017}}</ref><ref name="frost1989">{{cite web |title=Cheyenne 1989 |url=http://www.lanefrost.com/Cheyenne.htm |website=Lane Frost Web Site |publisher=www.lanefrost.com |access-date=December 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130125052556/http://www.lanefrost.com/Cheyenne.htm |archive-date=January 25, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Schmoldt">{{cite web |title=Lasting Legacy: Lane Frost and the rodeo community |url=http://rodeo.trib.com/features/article_705267e4-6e93-11de-85ed-001cc4c03286.html |website=Casper Star-Tribune Online |access-date=November 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090728050341/http://rodeo.trib.com/features/article_705267e4-6e93-11de-85ed-001cc4c03286.html |archive-date=July 28, 2009}}</ref><ref name="TWObit">[http://www.tulsaworld.com/archives/bull-rider-dies-after-being-gored/article_7e635668-4d89-536d-94fd-baf9e0853261.html "Bull rider dies after being gored"], ''[[Tulsa World]]'', July 31, 1989.</ref> He was 25 years old. No [[autopsy]] was performed. He posthumously finished third in the event. It was assumed that when Takin' Care of Business pushed Frost against the mud, the bull's entire body weight was at the end of his horn, breaking some of Frost's ribs, of which then severed a main artery. Had he lived, he would have made it to his sixth consecutive NFR.

Frost's funeral service was held on August 2, 1989, at the First Baptist Church in [[Atoka, Oklahoma]]. An estimated 3,500 people attended.<ref>{{cite web|title=Thousands pay last respects to young champion bull rider|url=https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/1989/08/03/thousands-pay-last-respects-to-young-champion-bull-rider/62605609007/|website=The Oklahoman|access-date=December 18, 2024}}</ref> He was buried near his hero and mentor, [[Freckles Brown]], in Mount Olivet Cemetery in [[Hugo, Oklahoma]].<ref>[http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/cowboy-s-funeral-draws-throng/article_5a8d2beb-5845-525e-8f94-95acb2390912.html "Cowboy's funeral draws throng"], [[Associated Press|AP]] in ''[[Tulsa World]]'', August 3, 1989.</ref>

Takin' Care of Business had previously appeared at the NFR. He would go on to appear at the 1989 NFR and his last career outing was at the 1990 NFR. He was then retired and put out to stud until he died in 1999.<ref name="LVRJ">{{cite web|title=Frost crafting his bull-riding resume in the footsteps of famous relative|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/rodeo/national-finals-rodeo/frost-crafting-his-bull-riding-resume-in-the-footsteps-of-famous-relative/|website=Las Vegas Review-Journal|access-date=May 20, 2018|date=4 December 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Lane Frost {{!}} Daily Dose Frost|url=http://dailydsports.com/lane-frost-2/|website=The Daily Dose|access-date=May 20, 2018|date=10 August 2017}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Frost's best friend and traveling partner [[Tuff Hedeman]] won his second PRCA bull riding world championship at the NFR in 1989. He successfully rode his last bull for the full eight seconds, and rode him an additional eight seconds in memory of Frost.<ref>{{cite web|title=NFR's Most Memorable Moments - Tuff Hedeman Rides for Lane Frost|url=https://www.thecowboychannel.com/nfrs-most-memorable-moments-tuff-hedeman-rides-for-lane-frost|website=The Cowboy Channel|date=December 12, 2020 |access-date=May 20, 2024}}</ref>

After Frost's death, [[Cody Lambert]], another one of his friends and traveling partners, created the protective vest that professional cowboys now wear when riding bulls.<ref name="Schmoldt"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Harwood |first1=Rodney |title=Protective vests, helmets revolutionized the sport of rodeo |url=https://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/protective-vests-helmets-revolutionized-the-sport-of-rodeo/article_5f62b707-1d43-5fe1-8974-d7b3e9030157.html |website=Daily Record |date=September 3, 2019 |access-date=September 24, 2021}}</ref> Later, in 1996, the [[Professional Bull Riders]] (PBR) made protective vests mandatory, and subsequently all bull riding organizations did as well.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McKinney |first1=Kelsey |title=As Sports Become Safer, Bull Riding Doubles Down on Danger |url=https://gen.medium.com/as-sports-become-safer-bull-riding-doubles-down-on-danger-25369587442c |website=GEN |access-date=September 24, 2021 |date=September 6, 2019}}</ref>

In 1994, the biopic based on Frost's life, ''[[8 Seconds]]'', was released. [[Luke Perry]] played the role of Frost, [[Stephen Baldwin]] as [[Tuff Hedeman]], and [[Cynthia Geary]] as Kellie Frost.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gamboa |first=Ryan |date=2023-07-30 |title=Montana Ag Network: How the death of Lane Frost changed rodeo |url=https://www.krtv.com/news/montana-ag-network/montana-ag-network-how-the-death-of-lane-frost-changed-rodeo |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=KRTV NEWS Great Falls |language=en}}</ref>

Since 1996, the PBR has awarded the Lane Frost/Brent Thurman Award; presented to the bull rider who scores the highest-marked single ride at the PBR World Finals.<ref name="Dictionary">{{cite web|title=Dictionary|url=https://cms.pbr.com/en/education/dictionary.aspx|website=Professional Bull Riders|publisher=www.pbr.com|access-date=31 December 2017}}</ref> It was named for Frost and [[Brent Thurman]], who died six days after suffering serious injuries at the 1994 National Finals Rodeo. The Lane Frost Health and Rehabilitation Center in Hugo is dedicated to his memory.

Country music star [[Garth Brooks]] paid tribute to Frost in the video for his 1990 hit single "[[The Dance (song)|The Dance]]".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Burchard |first1=Jeremy |title=How Garth Brooks' 'The Dance' Became a Beacon of Hope Through Tragedy |url=https://www.wideopencountry.com/how-garth-brooks-the-dance-became-a-beacon-of-hope-through-tragedy/ |website=Wide Open Country |access-date=March 2, 2020 |date=18 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Roddam |first1=Rick |title=29 Years Ago: Lane Frost Dies At Cheyenne Frontier Days |url=https://kingfm.com/29-years-ago-lane-frost-dies-at-cheyenne-frontier-days/ |website=101.9 KING FM |access-date=March 2, 2020}}</ref> Rodeo announcer Randy Schmutz wrote the song "A Smile Like That" about him.<ref>[[Jane and Michael Stern]], [http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1992/09/14/raging-bulls "Raging Bulls"], ''[[The New Yorker]]'', September 14, 1992, p. 93 {{subscription required}}.</ref> The 1993 song "Red Rock" by the [[Smokin' Armadillos]] is about Frost, and he is mentioned at the end of the video for [[Korn]]'s 2007 song "[[Hold On (Korn song)|Hold On]]". [[Aaron Watson]]'s 2012 album, ''Real Good Time'', included the single "July in Cheyenne".<ref>Chuck Dauphin, [http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-615/5793247/aaron-watson-finds-inspiration-in-tragic-rodeo-star-lane-frost "Aaron Watson Finds Inspiration in Tragic Rodeo Star Lane Frost"], ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'', November 18, 2013.</ref> [[Kings of Leon]]'s 2013 music video for "[[Beautiful War (song)|Beautiful War]]" pays homage to Frost. In 1994, [[Billy Dean]] wrote and sang "[[Once in a While (Billy Dean song)|Once in a While]]" which appears on the ''8 Seconds'' soundtrack.

Frost's parents have authorized ''Cowboy Bible: The Living New Testament'', with a sketch of him on the cover. A documentary titled "The Challenge of the Champions: The Story of Lane Frost and Red Rock" premiered in 2008. It covers the match between them.<ref>{{cite web |title=Documentary film examines Lane Frost's life |url=https://newsok.com/article/3314605/documentary-film-examines-lane-frosts-life |website=NewsOK.com |access-date=November 4, 2018 |date=24 October 2008}}</ref>

After surviving an accident on the last lap of the 2015 [[Coke Zero Sugar 400|Coke Zero 400]] at [[Daytona International Speedway]], [[NASCAR Cup Series]] driver [[Austin Dillon]] waved to the crowd with a similar gesture to that of Frost's; he later stated that it was in tribute to Frost.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dillon's post-crash wave a tribute to late bull rider Lane Frost |url=https://www.foxsports.com/nascar/shake-and-bake/story/austin-dillon-daytona-crash-coke-zero-400-lane-frost-tribute-070615 |website=FOX Sports |access-date=November 4, 2018 |date=6 July 2015}}</ref>

Country music star [[Zach Bryan]]'s middle name is Lane, after Frost, and his 2022 song "Open the Gate" is a tribute to his namesake.<ref>https://twitter.com/zachlanebryan/status/1704831644450861292 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref>

A 2023, the documentary ''Lane: Life | Legend | Legacy'' premiered, interviewing Frost's parents, Kellie, Hedeman, Lambert, and others close to him. It also included those inspired by him, such as [[Cody Johnson]] and [[Lane Johnson]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jean |first=Renee |date=23 July 2024 |title=Lane Frost Documentary Premieres In Cheyenne Days Before 35th Anniversary Of His Death |url=https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/07/23/lane-frost-documentary-premieres-in-cheyenne-days-before-35th-anniversary-of-his-death/ |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=Cowboy State Daily |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kistner |first=Kelley |date=2023-11-16 |title=Lane Frost – A Legend, A Legacy – A Documentary Premiere |url=https://www.si.com/fannation/rodeo/western-lifestyle/lane-frost-legend-legacy-documentary-premiere |access-date=2025-04-14 |website=Rodeo On SI |language=en-US}}</ref>

American bull rider J.W. Hart idolized Frost. He attended Frost's bull riding school as a child and also befriended him. During the first few years of his professional career in the mid-1990s, while competing in the PBR and PRCA, Hart rode in a pair of [[chaps]] that were once owned by Frost. In May 2024, Brazilian bull rider Cássio Dias, who also idolizes Frost, won the PBR world championship while riding in those same chaps.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cassio Dias wins 2024 PBR world championship while riding in Lane Frost's chaps|url=https://pbr.com/news/2024/05/cassio-dias-crowned-2024-pbr-world-champion-and-rookie-of-the-year|website=Professional Bull Riders|access-date=May 20, 2024}}</ref> In December of that same year, Frost's second cousin Josh Frost won the PRCA bull riding world championship.<ref>{{cite web|title=Josh Frost breaks through to win first PRCA bull riding world title|url=https://www.thecowboychannel.com/josh-frost-breaks-through-to-win-first-prca-bull-riding-world-title|website=The Cowboy Channel|date=December 15, 2024 |access-date=December 15, 2024}} </ref>

==Honors==
* 1990 [[ProRodeo Hall of Fame]]<ref name="prorodeo" />
* 1999 [[Professional Bull Riders: Heroes and Legends#Ring of Honor|PBR Ring of Honor]]<ref>{{cite web|title=PBR Ring of Honor|url=https://pbr.com/heroes-legends#ring|website=Professional Bull Riders|access-date=August 18, 2023}}</ref>
* 2000 [[Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tchof.com/post/lane-frost|title=Lane Frost|publisher=Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame {{!}} Fort Worth Texas|website=www.tchof.com|date=November 19, 2000 |access-date=May 16, 2017}}</ref>
* 2008 [[Rodeo Hall of Fame]] of the [[National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Lane Frost {{!}} Rodeo Hall of Fame|url=https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/rodeo-hall-of-fame/5333/|website=National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum|access-date=16 May 2017}}</ref>
* 2003 [[Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum|Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame Inductees |url=https://www.cfdrodeo.com/cfd-old-west-museum/our-story/history/cheyenne-frontier-days-hall-of-fame-inductees |website=Cheyenne Frontier Days |publisher=www.cfdrodeo.com |access-date=October 29, 2018}}</ref>
* 2017 [[Bull Riding Hall of Fame]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Bull Riding Hall of Fame inductees|url=https://thebullridinghof.com/pages/inductee-list|website=Bull Riding Hall of Fame|access-date=August 19, 2023}}</ref>
* 2017 Molalla Walk of Fame<ref>{{cite web|title=Walk of Fame - Molalla Area Chamber of Commerce, OR|url=http://www.molallachamber.com/pages/WalkofFame|website=www.molallachamber.com|access-date=17 May 2017|archive-date=July 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170728201948/http://www.molallachamber.com/pages/WalkofFame|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Other sources===
{{cite web |title=Cheyenne 1989 - The Last Ride |url=http://lanefrost.com/Cheyenne.htm |website=Lane Frost |access-date=February 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027022933/http://lanefrost.com/Cheyenne.htm |archive-date=October 27, 2016}}

==External links==
*{{official|url=http://www.lanefrost.com/}}
*[http://www.prorodeo.com PRCA official website]
*{{Find a Grave|11794}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frost, Lane}}
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:1989 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Otero County, Colorado]]
[[Category:People from Atoka, Oklahoma]]
[[Category:People from Vernal, Utah]]
[[Category:Sports deaths in Wyoming]]
[[Category:Filmed deaths in sports]]
[[Category:Deaths from bleeding]]
[[Category:Deaths due to bull attacks]]
[[Category:Bull riders]]
[[Category:ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Professional Bull Riders: Heroes and Legends]]
[[Category:Bull Riding Hall of Fame inductees]]

Lane Frost - Revision history

2601:406:4603:B060:AD3F:5684:3D81:33E5: /* Challenge of the Champions */