(Houston, TX) – 24-year-old Dylan Grant, a graduate of Wind River High School and the 2018 bull riding champion at the Wyoming High School Rodeo Finals, was tragically killed in Houston on Thursday, April 3, during the second round of the Wharton County Youth Fair Extreme Bulls event.
Grant was riding a bull named Commander when he was bucked off and stomped by the bull.
“Medics rushed him into an ambulance where they began working to stabilize him. He was then taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, where he passed away,” said a post on the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (PRCA) website.
Grant was originally from Jackson Hole, but transferred to Wind River for high school after moving with his parents, Wade and Tiffany.
He was a popular student, fondly remembered by Wind River High School Principal Justin Walker. “Dylan was a great young man,” Walker said.
After graduating from Wind River, Grant took a rodeo scholarship to Sheridan College and then to the University of Wyoming. He graduated with a Physical Education Degree in 2023.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Dylan’s father, Wade, and Dylan’s mother Tiffany during this unthinkable time,” The University of Wyoming Rodeo Team said in a statement. “Dylan was a champion of life inside and outside of the arena. Once a Cowboy, always a Cowboy.”
Grant grew up and became friends/competed with many area cowboys and cowgirls from Pavillion, Riverton, Lander and Shoshoni.
“He had the biggest, brightest smile, kindest heart ever and was a wonderful role model,” Jess Ruby, whose children compete in high school rodeo said. “It’s a sad day for the rodeo world for sure.”