As veteran photojournalist Mike McCrimmon describes himself, he was just a podunk camera guy for K2 News shooting the end of the rodeo at Cheyenne Frontier Days on July 30, 1989.
It was raining. A lot of the people in the stands had gone home. But he was going to get a few more action shots and maybe some video, particularly of rodeo star Lane Frost.
Thirty-five years later, McCrimmon’s footage of Frost, who was killed that fateful day, still lives on.
“I see it pop up around rodeo season every year,” McCrimmon told Cowboy State Daily. “The titles will say ‘Remember Lane Frost?’ Oh boy, do I ever.”
McCrimmon’s footage will be featured in an upcoming documentary about Frost titled “Lane: Life, Legend, Legacy.” The documentary, which had its world premiere last fall, is now touring across the country, with a planned stop in Cheyenne during Cheyenne Frontier Days, producer Brad Hughes told Cowboy State Daily.
Documentary Details
Hughes and his co-producers have been working on the Frost documentary for about two years. The film features interviews with Frost’s parents, his widow Kellie, his best friend and fellow rodeo star Tuff Hedeman and many more.
“I think the biggest compliment we’ve gotten from the people who have seen it have said, ‘We did it right,’” Hughes said. “Miss Elsie [Frost’s mother] will be the first one to tell you that Lane wasn’t perfect, but he knew Jesus.
“We wanted to make sure Lane is remembered as a superhero, this larger-than-life character, but also as a human. There are a lot of reasons he’s glorified and celebrated the way he is, but it all comes to down this being because of who he was and how he carried himself.”
Details are still being finalized, but Hughes said the production team is working with the CFD Old West Museum and Visit Cheyenne to hold at least one screening of the film during CFD this summer.
A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Old West Museum.
July 30, 1989
It was supposed to be an uneventful wrap-up to Cheyenne Frontier Days. Despite the typical late July downpour, nothing about the early events of July 30, 1989, gave any indication that tragedy would soon strike.
In fact, McCrimmon was one of the only photographers left on scene that afternoon.
“There were some guys from ‘George Michael’s Sports Machine’ on NBC there to get footage of the rodeo, and the guy who was in the pit area of the arena, his camera battery died right as Lane was going up,” McCrimmon said.
Lane Frost at 1989 Cheyenne Frontier Days when bull Takin' Care of Business struck him after the ride. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital. (Courtesy, Lane Frost Brand) 
Lane Frost statue, Cheyenne, Wyoming (Cowboy State Daily Staff) 
"Champion Lane Frost" is a life-sized sculpture of rodeo legend Lane Frost, who was killed during a bull ride at Cheyenne Frontier Days in 1989. (Courtesy Chris Navarro)
8 Seconds
Less than a minute later, the air shifted in the Frontier Days arena. Frost, who successfully completed his 8-second ride on a bull named Takin’ Care of Business, was attacked by the animal.
“It was rainy and muddy, I think he just lost his footing,” McCrimmon said. “It’s hard to run in that mud. I think the bull might have stepped on one of his shoes, he went down and then the bull dragged one of his horns along Lane’s back.”
This move broke several of Frost’s ribs. He finally got to his feet, waved medical attention over and collapsed back to the ground.
Cheyenne physician Dr. Vincent “Skip” Ross rushed to the cowboy, giving him mouth-to-mouth and performing chest compressions.
It didn’t seem that bad of an injury, though, McCrimmon thought. As someone who has photographed numerous rodeos over the years, he has seen many a rodeo cowboy be thrown from his animal or be kicked or stomped.
“I’ve seen these guys fall unconscious and then you go to check and see if he’s in the hospital and he’s sitting in the back, having a beer,” the photographer said. “It always looks worse than it is, but this was the opposite.”
Frost died on the arena grounds. He was 25.
Posthumously, he finished third in the bull-riding event.
Lane’s Legacy
Life looks a lot different in the 35 years since Frost died. A film about Frost starring the late Luke Perry, “8 Seconds,” was released in 1994.
Protective vests are now a mandatory part of the rodeo uniform. These were created by Cody Lambert, one of Frost’s friends, to prevent more tragic deaths like this one.
Frost’s legacy is one that deserves to live on in as many ways as possible, McCrimmon said.
“There are kids who weren’t even born when Lane died who know about him because people still pass down his story,” he said. “He’s even got a family member who’s a rodeo star now. I didn’t know Lane really well, but he was still always a presence whenever I shot at rodeos.”
Ellen Fike can be reached at ellen@cowboystatedaily.com.
