PBR 20/20: Remembering Glen Keeley
Susan Bedford remembers the career of rider Glen Keeley, and the shock of his death following an event in Albuquerque, N.M., 13 years ago.
[EDITOR'S NOTE] "PBR 20/20" continueson RFD-TV on Wednesday, July 17 at 8 p.m. ET as the 20-week seriesturns its focus towards the 2000 event from Albuquerque, N.M.
The event featured Owen Washburn's 95.5-pointride on Promised Land, which ranks as one of theTop 20 scores in the 20-year history of the PBR, and it was one ofnine total 90-plus rides on the weekend. However, the event alsohad one of the sport's most heartbreaking tragedies whenGlen Keeley was killed in Round 1 action.
In honor of the late Keeley, below is a memoriam for thelegendary bull rider by close-friend and ABBI Editor-in-ChiefSusan Bedford that originally ran on PBR.com. inMarch.
PUEBLO, Colo. ― It is hard to write a story about lossand grief. My own experience is the only story I can accuratelyretell, so I hope it will at least cause people to pause andreflect on who we lost on March 24, 2000.
I'd seen far worse wrecks- we all had.
That was what made the news so surreal.
Dead.
How could he be dead?
We'd seen him walk out of the arena.
He was conscious when he left in the ambulance.
But he was now gone.
You could hear the phones ringing early in the morning at thehotel as people relayed the news to each other.
Then gasps. And disbelief. And sobbing.
The kind and talented Canadian champion cowboy with theear-to-ear grin would never ride a bull again.
Almost 13 years ago an event rocked the PBR family. There wasn'ta cowboy, staff member, stock contractor or fan sitting in thearena in Albuquerque, N.M., who wasn't affected by it.
The day after Glen Keeley died was one of the longest days of mylife. There was still one more night of the PBR and all the staffscrambled to prepare for the event. Everyone was shocked, but awarethat we needed to honor his memory and that the show had to goon.
I was tasked with having memorial stickers made for the cowboys'vests. Not an easy task on a Saturday afternoon in Albuquerque. Ifinally found a sign maker who had a printing press at his home whocould make the stickers in time for that evening's performance.
I sat at his kitchen table as we designed the memorial sticker.It was surreal and I kept wondering how it could be actuallyhappening. When I tried to pay the designer for the stickers, hedeclined and just asked for "really good" tickets to that night'sperformance. He might have been being generous, but it struck me ascallous. I took tickets from my briefcase, then took the stickersback to my rental car and threw up on the side of the road.
Then I had to hold a press conference. It was the first one I'dever done on my own. I had been so excited to be working the TyMurray Invitational for the PBR and now there was nothing I dreadedmore. It was the first really big event I was handling on my own inmy new job in the public relations department.
I contacted the media and sent out a press release. I arrangedthe room at the arena and made sure that Randy Bernard, CodyLambert, Ty Murray and then-president Tuff Hedeman were allpresent. I made a brief statement to the assembled group of TV andprint media and then turned it over to the guys. I don't rememberexactly what anyone said, but I know I wasn't the only one fightingback tears.
It really was a freak accident. Promise Land bucked Glen off andhe wound up under the bull's hooves. It was evident right away thathis arm was probably broken. It turned out he also had broken ribsand a punctured lung, but none of that was enough to kill him. Glenhad been talking and joking with the nurses when he arrived at thehospital.
Dr. Tandy Freeman explained to us what happened. Glen's vitalshad been OK until they opened up his abdominal cavity at thehospital. He essentially bled to death before they could repair theinternal damage and fix his lacerated liver.
The show did go on that night. I think most of us were justgoing through the motions without realizing what we were reallydoing. The cowboys didn't have that luxury though. They had to befocused to ride bulls. They were somber, but determined to ride andwin for Glen.
I think almost everyone that year rode in honor of Glen's memoryand at the 2000 PBR World Finals there was a moving tribute to thelate cowboy.
Glen was sitting ninth in the PBR's World Standings when hepassed. It was one of his best years on record and he already hadnearly $34,000 in earnings ― enough to guarantee him a spot at theWorld Finals back then. Glen had a bright career in Canada, butwanted to compete among the best cowboys in the world so he came tothe PBR.
In 1983, Glen was the boys steer riding champion in Canada andhad six Canadian titles ― the first coming in 1989, the year heturned pro. By 1994, Glen was one of the first cowboys riding inand supporting the newly formed PBR. Glen came from a rodeo family.His brother Jason had nearly been killed by a bull in 1994. Yetthat deterred none of the Kelleys from following their passion.Jason recovered from his wreck completely.
Glen's death affected everyone differently. I remember howunbelievably kind and gracious his family was to everyone, despitetheir own sorrow. It made me reconsider if I wanted to work in anindustry where my friends could die. The local news, then thenational news, picked up the story. Each report I saw left me angry― it was a sensational, tragic story, but none of them focusedenough on the person we had just lost.
Glen's death made a lot of people reevaluate their own lives,choices and beliefs. Clint Branger had been toying with the idea ofretirement for some time. When Glen died, Clint decided it was timeto hang up his spurs for good and he promised his 2-week-old babyboy that he would not ride again.
Years after Glen's death, I would still see the memorialstickers on cowboys' vests. As new riders broke into the top spotsand cowboys retired, the stickers grew fewer and farther betweenuntil several years passed with me seeing none. But each year inLas Vegas, when a Canadian cowboy wins the Glen Keeley Award, thesticker is still there ― even if it is just symbolically. He isalso honored in Canada each year through the Glen Keeley MemorialBull Riding and the Glen Keeley Benevolent& Scholarship Fundset up in his honor.
I will be in Albuquerque again this year with the ABBI, who Inow work for. It has probably been at least seven years since I wasin New Mexico. I was relieved when the Ty Murray Invitationalchanged venues. The BFTS event is now held at The Pit, instead ofthe arena where Glen got on his last bull. It's not that I want toforget what happened; it is just less painful not to be in thatsame arena anymore.
I'd like to think that this is the year I can keep it together,but I doubt it. Glen was just a year older than I. I'm saddenedthat we lost one of the greats and am still trying to make sense ofit. The only comfort comes from knowing that he died doing what heloved. He had told a Calgary newspaper reporter earlier that year"The reason why I rode bulls is because I love it." In retrospect,the fact that he speaks in a past tense is appropriately heartbreaking.
This was just my story about Glen. He was bright and funny yethumble and touched so many lives. He was a gentleman and a cowboy.I wish I had more time to know him better and I wish he had theopportunity for more rides. Whether you were lucky enough to meethim, see him ride or if just know about him through stories-pleasetake a moment to think of him this week. If you never got to seehis talent, search for his rides on YouTube.
More than 1,500 people came out to honor Glen at his funeral inCanada. He was loved and respected by so many cowboys and fansaround the world. As deep as everyone's grief was, it paled next tothe sorrow of those who lost a son, a best friend, a brother or afellow bull rider who might as well been a brother.
Several years after his death Brock Mortensen posted this on asocial media page in Glen's honor:
"Glen was and always will be one of my ultimate heroes. Hehelped me out when I was down and whenever I saw him on the roadwhen we weren't traveling together it made me feel like I wasseeing a family member. He was a great cowboy and fried I stillthink about him daily. I have his sticker on the window of my truckso whenever I look in my mirror I think about his smile and uniqueriding style."
Glen, you are missed.