Dylan Grant. Photo:
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
A young professional bull rider has died after he was thrown off a bull at a Texas fair. He was 24.
Dylan Grant of Laramie, Wyo., was in the second round of an Xtreme Bulls event at the Wharton County Youth Fair in Texas when he was thrown off the animal in an arena on Thursday, April 3, according to a statement shared by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).
Grant was rushed into an ambulance, where medics began working to stabilize him. He was then taken by helicopter to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston, where he died, the BBC and local news outlet ABC 13 Houston reported.
Wharton County Sheriff Shannon Srubar confirmed the incident to ABC News, stating, “Prayers are with Dylan Grant, his family and the rodeo community.”
Wharton County police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Saturday, April 5.
In a tribute, the PRCA sent “thoughts and prayers to bull rider Dylan Grant’s family, friends and the entire rodeo/bull riding community.”
According to the organization’s website, Grant had competed in “multiple PRORODEO and Xtreme Bulls events” before his death. He obtained his PRCA permit on May 1, 2018, and bought his PRCA card on Feb. 14, 2024.
He earned $15,710 in his bull riding career, according to the PRCA.
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Dylan Grant at Fair. ABC News/YouTube
Back in 2021, Grant competed for the University of Wyoming’s rodeo team while racking up wins at the Mountain States Circuit Finals Rodeo in Loveland, Colo.
The sports team wrote on Facebook, “The University of Wyoming Rodeo Team is heartbroken in learning of the passing of former student-athlete Dylan Grant, who tragically lost his life in a bull riding accident in Texas.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Dylan’s father, Wade, and Dylan’s mother, Tiffany, during this unthinkable time,” the post continued. “Dylan was a proud 2023 graduate, earning his degree in Physical Education Teacher Education. Dylan was a champion of life inside and outside of the arena. Once a Cowboy, Always a Cowboy.”
A tribute shared on Facebook by the Wharton County Youth Fair included a photo of Grant riding a bull.
“Our sincere condolences to Dylan’s family. Please keep them all in your thoughts and prayers,” the group wrote.
“Our rodeo family lost a talented young cowboy,” Kendra Santos, a member involved with the event, said in her own tribute.
