Lane Frost facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lane Frost
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Lane Frost at a rodeo event
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| Born |
Lane Clyde Frost
October 12, 1963 La Junta, Colorado, U.S.
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| Died | July 30, 1989 (aged 25) Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.
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| Resting place | Mount Olivet Cemetery in Hugo, Oklahoma |
| Occupation | Professional bull rider |
| Spouse(s) |
Kellie Kyle
(m. 1984–1989) |
Lane Frost (born October 12, 1963 – died July 30, 1989) was a famous American rodeo cowboy. He was best known for his amazing bull riding skills. Lane was the 1987 World Champion bull rider. He was also the only person to ever successfully ride a very famous bull named Red Rock. Sadly, Lane passed away in 1989 after an accident during a bull ride.
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Early Life and Rodeo Beginnings
Lane Frost was born in La Junta, Colorado. His dad, Clyde, was also a rodeo rider. His mom, Elsie, was with her parents when he was born. Lane had an older sister, Robin, and a younger brother, Cody.
Lane started riding dairy calves when he was about five or six years old. He won his first rodeo awards at age 10. He competed in bareback riding, calf roping, and calf riding. He also wrestled in junior high school.
Later, his family moved to Atoka, Oklahoma. In 1981, Lane became the National High School Bull Riding Champion. The next year, he won the Youth National Finals in Fort Worth, Texas. On January 5, 1985, Lane married Kellie Kyle. She was a barrel racer from Quanah, Texas.
Lane Frost's Bull Riding Career
After high school in 1982, Lane joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). He started riding bulls full-time. In 1984, he competed in his first National Finals Rodeo (NFR). This is a very important rodeo event.
In 1986, Lane won the NFR bull riding title. Then, in 1987, he became the PRCA World Champion bull rider. He was 24 years old. Lane competed in the NFR for five years in a row, from 1984 to 1988.
The Challenge of the Champions
In 1988, a special event was planned. It was a competition between Lane Frost and the famous bull, Red Rock. Red Rock was known for never being ridden successfully. No cowboy had stayed on Red Rock for the full eight seconds in 309 tries!
Lane and Red Rock had seven showdowns at different rodeos. This event was called the "Challenge of the Champions." Red Rock came out of retirement for these rides. Lane successfully rode Red Rock for the full eight seconds in four of the seven matches. This showed how incredibly skilled Lane was.
The Last Ride
On July 30, 1989, Lane was competing at Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming. He had just finished a successful ride on a bull named Takin' Care of Business. After he got off the bull, the bull turned and bumped him. Lane was hurt, but he stood up and took a few steps. Then he fell to the ground. He passed away at the age of 25 from his injuries.
It is believed that the bull's horn broke some of Lane's ribs. This caused serious internal injuries. Lane is buried near his hero, Freckles Brown, in Hugo, Oklahoma.
Lane Frost's Lasting Legacy
Lane Frost's friends and fellow bull riders remembered him. His best friend, Tuff Hedeman, won his second world championship in 1989. He rode his last bull for an extra eight seconds in Lane's memory.
After Lane's death, his friend Cody Lambert created a special protective vest. This vest helps keep bull riders safe. In 1996, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) made these vests required. Now, all bull riding groups use them. This change has made the sport much safer.
In 1994, a movie about Lane's life was released. It was called 8 Seconds. Luke Perry played Lane Frost in the movie.
Lane Frost is still honored today.
- Since 1996, the PBR gives the Lane Frost/Brent Thurman Award. This award goes to the rider with the highest score at the PBR World Finals.
- The Lane Frost Health and Rehabilitation Center in Hugo is named after him.
- Many country music stars have paid tribute to Lane in their songs and videos. These include Garth Brooks, Aaron Watson, and Zach Bryan.
- A documentary about Lane and Red Rock, "The Challenge of the Champions," came out in 2008.
- In 2015, NASCAR driver Austin Dillon made a gesture similar to Lane's after a crash. He said it was a tribute to Lane.
- Bull rider J.W. Hart looked up to Lane. He even rode in Lane's old chaps for a while. In 2024, another bull rider, Cassio Dias, won a championship while wearing those same chaps.
Honors and Awards
Lane Frost has received many honors for his contributions to rodeo:
- 1990 ProRodeo Hall of Fame
- 1999 PBR Ring of Honor
- 2000 Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame
- 2008 Rodeo Hall of Fame of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
- 2003 Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame
- 2017 Bull Riding Hall of Fame
- 2017 Molalla Walk of Fame
