Uploaded Feb. 9
Capital City Cowboy:
Bull rider shoots for stardom in the shadow of Lane Frost
"I want to be the guy known out there when you walk into McDonalds, they say, 'That's the world champion right there.'" |
By Cody Tucker
Growing up in the shadows of Cheyenne Frontier Days, Cory Brock Morgan has always dreamed of riding at the “daddy of ’em all.”
Childhood
Since age 11, Morgan has worked hard to make this dream a reality. Now at 20, he has never been closer to reaching his goal than he is now in his sophomore season at Laramie County Community College.
“To ride at CFD would be a dream. It would be awesome,” Morgan said.
”Being from Cheyenne and knowing a lot of people, coming out to 50,000 fans going crazy, it would be a dream come true.”
Morgan spent time as a child on his grandfather’s farm in rural Ohio before moving back to Cheyenne and discovering his passion—bull riding.
At age 13, with a little encouragement from his parents, Doug and Rae Morgan, and his mentor Rob Bunten, Morgan got on the back of his first bull, and it changed his life forever.
”I remember my first ride like it was yesterday,” Morgan said. ”I only stayed on for three or four seconds and was shaking so bad. It was crazy.”
Finding his calling
It took some time for Morgan to realize bull riding was his calling. Morgan tried some other events like saddle bronc riding, basketball, baseball and swimming. But, according to Morgan, when all was said and done, nothing had quite the rush of a bull ride.
Another form of inspiration came from Morgan’s boyhood idol, Lane Frost. Frost was a world champion bull rider who lost his life at Cheyenne Frontier Days in 1989 when a horn punctured his lung. Although Frost died a month before Morgan was born, his legacy as a first-class bull rider remains today and inspires young riders all over the world.
“I want to be just like Lane Frost,” Morgan said.
”He is kind of my big picture on the wall. He was a bad cat.”
Injuries
Morgan has also taken his fair share of lumps along the way to living his dream. Morgan has dealt with numerous injuries during his short career including a broken back in the high school finals, which nearly derailed his dream for good.
He also suffered a broken ankle, a pure tear of calf muscle in his leg, hyperextended elbow, a horn in his crotch, concussions and, most recently, a pair of clothing that Morgan wishes he still had.
“I got stepped on and got the rear end of my lucky jeans ripped out on New Year’s,” Morgan said with a smile.
Apparently, injuries just come with the territory when you get on a 1,500–pound animal with horns.
”Everybody worries about getting hurt, but everyone shows up to the rodeo there to win,” he said. Before you even start in rodeo you know it is going to happen. It’s not if you get hurt—but when.”
Educational Opportunities
Rodeo not only became Morgan’s world, but it also gave him a chance earn an education while pursuing a rodeo career.
Morgan’s initial plan was to start his college career in Torrington at Eastern Wyoming College. With no dorm rooms available, Morgan found a home at LCCC riding for coach Dave Browder and the Golden Eagle rodeo team.
The one thing that made the transition easy was “the guys.”
him,” Morgan said.Another reason was Coach Browder. ”You want to work hard for him and try to impress him,” Morgan said.Morgan also said he thought Coach Browder has what it takes to take the LCCC rodeo team to the top of the Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR).
“Our facility is ‘top-notch’. We have the best arena in the region. If we get guys and girls that have their heads on straight and want to go for the gold every time they rope or ride, we will be a force to reckon with,” Morgan said. ”When Browder showed up, it was game time. Every time we were there it was serious. Browder will have everyone’s heads screwed on straight.”
In Morgan’s last full year at LCCC, he received the Shawn Dubie Memorial scholarship, which is given to an outstanding individual who is succeeding not only in the rodeo arena but also in the classroom and the community. It was a tremendous honor for Morgan.
“I was surprised at first. It’s a big scholarship,” Morgan said. ”[Shawn Dubie] rode for us. I want to make it look good for myself, keep focused and try my best out there for him, his family and everyone else who contributed. It helps out a lot.”
Giving Back
Community service is provided in a variety of different ways. Morgan is doing his part in the community and hopes to do more with young inspiring riders and the youth of Beacon Hill Baptist Church.
“Out at Rob Bunten’s house, kids come out not knowing anything about riding. I have been doing this for quite a while, so I like to help them out,” Morgan said. ”In the diesel and automotive part, we service the community. People bring cars in. We fix them for free, and we learn. At church, I’m going to try picking up the ’driving the bus deal’ and go pick up the [church] kids.”
Religion has also been a big part of Morgan’s upbringing, and it means a lot to him to be able to put his trust and life up to a higher figure.
“I take a lot of pride in God, he has helped me through tough times, especially in rodeo,” Morgan said, ”like when I broke my back. I didn’t think I was going to come back. But everything came back just as I left it. If you are riding bulls, you better believe in him!”
Looking to the future
Currently, Morgan sits in 10th place in the CRMR and is raring for the spring semester to get going. That 10th placing doesn’t set well with Morgan, but he is optimistic not only about his future in college rodeo but also beyond.
“My goal is to finish out the spring season and ride at least 90 percent of the bulls I get on and make it to the College National Finals Rodeo,” Morgan said. ”I’m going to have to bear down. I need to win at least two rodeos or just stay on everything. I need to do that at every college rodeo. I also have to hope everyone in front of me does worse or falls off.”
He may look like an altar boy, standing at five-foot-8-inches with big dimples and hazel eyes. But don’t let his looks fool you. This kid can ride.
When asked where Cory Morgan sees himself in the next 10 years, the answer was straight from the heart and real. He said he wants to be the best at everything he does, and he will not stop until he reaches his goals.
“Traveling down the road to the next rodeo,” Morgan said. ”I’ll be heading to the national finals rodeo or the Pro-Bull Riders world finals and sitting in first. I want to be the guy known out there when you walk into McDonald’s, they say, ’That’s the world champion bull rider right there.’”
A PRCA card and a certificate in diesel technology are ahead for Morgan this spring. Along with an anticipated tough slate of rodeos, he has a lot on his plate. With the support group around Morgan and a scholarship with so much meaning to live up to, Morgan hopes to be ready.
The sky is the limit for this Wyoming cowboy.
“This is my life. I am going to make it,” he said.
At 14, Morgan rides at bible camp in Pine Bluffs, Wyoming.
