2024 World Champion Dean Thompson Returns to Arena Following Cancer Battle

Dean Thompson rang the bell, celebrating "cancer-free" status, and entered his first professional rodeo that same day.

Dean and Chezney Thompson | Fernando Sam-Sin

After three long months of grueling cancer treatments, the 2024 World Champion Bareback Rider is back in the arena winning. 

Dean Thompson was at the height of his career in the spring of 2026 when he got hung up during his ride at the Cave Creek Pro Rodeo in Arizona. A trip to the Emergency Room to check for injuries resulted in something far more unexpected: a cancer diagnosis. 

During Thompson’s diagnostic scans, a mass was located in his neck. Diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma, Thompson was told he would be undergoing chemotherapy treatments for the next three months. 

Thompson stepped away from the rodeo trail, and his sole focus turned to beating cancer. The treatments were harsh, but the Altamont, Utah, bareback rider is cowboy tough.

The Big Return

Dean Thompson | Fernando Sam-Sin

On July 16, Thompson rang the bell in Salt Lake City, celebrating being cancer-free. The same day he rang that bell, he entered the Farm-City Pro Rodeo in Hermiston, Ore. 

Along the way, Thompson decided to add another stop to his route: Jerome, Idaho. 

If his 85-point ride and second-place finish in Jerome did not bring you to your feet, you may want to check and see if you have a pulse. 

In an emotional and celebratory moment, Thompson had not only beaten cancer, but he had made it back to the career and life he loves so dearly. 

Thompson credits the support of his family and his wife, Chezney, for getting him through the most difficult days of treatment. 

Ironically enough, the first hang-up of Thompson’s career may very well have been the thing that saved his life. 

That fateful April day led to an Emergency Room in Cave Creek, Ariz., and sent Thompson on a journey he could have never expected. 

Now on the other side of one of the greatest hurdles any person can face, Thompson is back in winning form in the most physically demanding event in rodeo. 

Competing in professional rodeo is a test of any athlete’s mental and physical fortitude, but for Thompson, it appears that the same motivation and positivity that carried him through brutal cancer treatments has helped him get back into the arena in legendary fashion. 

The entire team at Rodeo On SI could not be more thrilled to see Dean Thompson back in the bucking chutes where he belongs, and we extend congratulations on his incredible comeback and career to come.