Lane Frost was as well-known for his friendly smile and magnetic personality as for his bull riding excellence. Frost credited his father, Clyde, and his friend and mentor, the late Freckles Brown, with teaching him to ride bulls and encouraging him to be a champion. Frost’s bull riding abilities were amazing. In addition to the 1987 world championship, Frost won the 1986 National Finals Rodeo aggregate title, circuit championships and many of the PRCA’s biggest rodeos. Frost, born Oct. 12, 1963, in La Junta, Colo., paired with the 1987 PRCA Bucking Bull of the Year, Red Rock, who was previously unridden in 309 attempts, for a seven-ride match. Frost emerged the winner, 4-3. After an 85-point ride at 1989 Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days, Frost was hit in the back by the bull’s horns and died (July 30) of internal injuries caused by broken ribs.
He was the first professional rodeo barrelman/clown. Extremely short-legged and slow, Fulkerson needed a sanctuary in large arenas, so he built a barrel reinforced on the outside with old automobile tire casings. His frantic dashes to the barrel and plunges into it inspired awe and applause from rodeo crowds nationwide. Fulkerson was also one of the first rodeo clowns to have a world-class animal act. His mule, Eko, was almost as famous as Jazbo himself. Eko would lie down on command, walk on his back feet, count to 10 with a pawing foot, whisper in Jazbo’s ear and lie on his back while Jazbo sat astride his stomach. They performed together for more than 20 years, until the famous clown’s death in 1949.
