Shane Drury

Shane Drury, the former college bull riding champion at Southwestern Oklahoma State University and 2000 National Finals Rodeo qualifier, has died of cancer at age 27.

Drury died at his home in Ewing, Neb., with his family nearby. Memorial services are scheduled for 6 p.m. , Nov. 7 at Faith Community Church in O'Neill, Neb.

Drury was in Cheyenne, Wyo., and raised in Rapid City, S.D. He graduated from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 1999 with a degree in business and joined the PRCA after winning his college bull riding title.

In 2000, he qualified for the NFR, finishing 10th in the final world standings with earnings of $82,978.

"The thing I’ll remember the most is that he never had any quit in him," said Corey Navarre of Weatherford, Okla., a two-time Wrangler NFR cowboy, college teammate and best friend. "He fought to the bitter end. He’ll be remembered by me as a fighter and a good friend. We lost a man of God."

Drury was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that afflicts mostly teenagers, in 2002.

He returned to the rodeo arena in July 2003, recording a qualified ride in Woodward, Kan., but the cancer returned for a second time in 2004, and Drury underwent surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in September to remove the tumor and the remainder of two of the ribs that had partially been removed during the first surgery.

Drury was later given a clean bill of health and earned his judges card to officiate at PRCA rodeos and stay connected with the sport. He continued to judge at several rodeos around the Prairie Circuit even as his health deteriorated later in 2005, when the cancer returned for a third time.

In June, he was honored at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo., by personally awarding a scholarship that bears his name. Susan Kanode, the CNFR media coordinator, established the Shane Drury Scholarship, which was awarded June 16 to Montana State University junior Jyme Peterson.