NFR memorable moment No. 2
Members of the rodeo community helped reporter Jeff Wolf select the 10 most memorable editions of the past 49 National Finals Rodeos.
The countdown to No. 1 continues.
No. 2
1989, Las Vegas
Purse: $2.16 million
Cowboys know how to honor other cowboys, in life and death.
They always say they don’t compete against their comrades; they only compete against themselves and the animals they’re trying to ride or rope.
In 1987, Oklahoman Lane Frost was becoming the face of rodeo with his ability to ride bulls, talk to the media and, above all, connect with fans he would treat as if he had known them his whole life.
Frost won the bull riding world championship that year, and he was just beginning to shine in the arena as brightly as his broad smile.
But two years later, in July at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo, he was gored in the back by the bull he had just ridden for eight seconds.
He died later that day.
It hurt his family, his friends, the rodeo community, and none more than fellow bull rider Tuff Hedeman.
When the 10th go-round of the NFR began in Las Vegas on an early December Sunday afternoon, Hedeman knew he had to cover his last bull with a good score to win the world title.
But he had greater motivation that he kept to himself.
Hedeman placed second in the go-round to tie Jim Sharp for the NFR title and win the world championship.
But what was branded in the memories of those who attended or have been told the story is what happened when the buzzer sounded after eight seconds. Hedeman took off his hat and fanned the back of the bull, then stayed aboard for an extra eight seconds that he devoted to his fallen buddy.
As Dale Earnhardt’s death in a crash near the end of the 2001 NASCAR Daytona 500 spurred an effort to make driving a racecar safer, Frost’s loss provided an impetus for the development of protective vests for roughstock riders.
That, in itself, is a great tribute to Frost.
But Hedeman’s memorial honored his friend and the camaraderie of rodeo competitors.
