Brother of 19-year-old who died while bull riding tells others to ‘ride hard like Chase’
Chase Bishop lived hard, fast and to the absolute fullest.
The 19-year-old was an MMA fighter, a welder and, above all, a bull rider. He said he lived his life for God, and he was known for making others laugh. He was a cowboy — in life and in death.
On Jan. 23, Chase Bishop was practicing bull riding at a ranch in Stephenville when he was thrown from the bull. He was airlifted to a hospital in Fort Worth.
The next day, he died from his injuries.
But Steven Bishop, 20, said if his brother got the chance to do it all over again, giving up bull riding would never be an option.
“He lost his life, but he did it in a way he said he was going to do it,” Steven said. “If anybody ever met him, he would say, ‘If I die, it’s going to be on the back of a bull.’”
Chase and Steven were born in Joshua, but they had many homes, Steven said. On Monday, Steven talked to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram at one of those homes — a family friend’s ranch in Alvarado.
Wearing a cowboy hat, spurs and a gold belt buckle, Steven carried a bag of feed on his shoulder through a green pasture. As cows circled around him, he pulled the bag open and spread the food on the ground.
Steven kept his hands in his jean pockets as he described his little brother. His voice did not waver as he explained Chase’s passion for a sport that can be thrilling as well as unforgiving.
For Chase, bull riding was as much about the sport itself as it was about the lifestyle that went along with it. He stuck by a cowboy code that meant working hard, praying every morning and night and a mantra to “keep going no matter how tough it is,” Steven said.
While his brother opted for what is often referred to as the most dangerous eight seconds in sports, Steven pursued team roping and calf roping, where riders try to tie three of a calf’s legs together. But Chase lived and breathed for the ride, his brother said.
“Sun up to sun down, all he did was bull riding,” Steven said. “There was nothing else — it was God and bull riding.”
Chase trained every day and competed in championships across the country, including in Texas, Missouri and New Mexico.
On Jan. 12, Chase won the Cowtown Coliseum Championship in Fort Worth, Steven said. Steven shared the video of his brother’s ride on Facebook the next day, writing he was proud of his little brother.
Right before the accident on Jan. 23, Steven said, he and his brother were texting about competitions and the bulls Chase was riding. About 30 minutes later, Chase was critically injured while on a bull. He was wearing the usual safety gear, and Steven said everyone at the ranch did what they could, but Chase’s injuries were too severe. Steven described what happened as “a freak accident.”
“It’s a risk you take in bull riding,” Steven said. “You know when you get on the back, that is always a possibility.”
On his own Facebook, Chase shared many Bible verses and religious posts. On Jan. 17, a week before his death, he shared a post that said, “Even during your darkest storms, God still has a plan for you to shine bright. Don’t lose faith.”
Steven said that’s exactly what he intends to do, because even though he’ll miss his brother’s ability to bring joy and laughter with him wherever he went, he knows his brother would want him to move forward.
“You go back to God and you never quit, because cowboy code is you stand up and keep going no matter how tough it is,” he said. “And I know he would want me to keep going.”
On Sunday, about 1,000 people gathered at Shepherd’s Valley Cowboy Church in Alvarado for a memorial for Chase. Steven said he got calls from across the country and world when they heard about Chase’s death, showing the scope of his brother’s impact on others.
Steven said he does not know if he’ll ride a bull again, but he does not want his brother’s death to discourage anyone from pursuing the sport he loved.
“Keep riding,” he said. “Keep riding hard like Chase, and never quit.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2020 at 6:54 PM.
