PRORODEO Sports News - July 2, 2026

asking him to return. Henderson de cided to “finish what (he’d) started” but upon his return he was told he was no longer eligible to play foot ball. Not to be deterred, Henderson turned to rodeo and helped pioneer the Academy’s rodeo club. “And shoot, I made the College National Finals,” Henderson stated. Henderson didn’t just make the CNFR – he was the 1996 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association reserve champion calf roper. But doing it all came at a price; balancing rodeo, military life, and school was exceptionally demanding. “There were times when I showed up in BDU (Battle Dress Uniform)

bottoms and threw on a Western shirt and rode,” Henderson said. “I’ve roped in combat boots; I’ve done it all. It took a community of people saying, ‘Yeah, this is one of us. Let’s give him a little grace.’ And then, on the military side, it took the military guys going, ‘Hey, he’s going to miss a formation or two, but he’s representing the Air Force Academy, so let him go.’” After graduating from the Acade my, the Air Force allowed Henderson to defer pilot training and focus on roping, with hopes of making the Na tional Finals Rodeo. He finished in the top 30 in the 1996 world stand

ings, but duty called. From the arena to the cockpit, Henderson eventually completed pi lot training in Wichita Falls and flew fighter jets for four years. Seeking yet another challenge, he then followed in his father’s footsteps and attended medical school. He graduated from medical school at the University of Texas Southwestern in 2006, completed a five-year residency in orthopedic surgery, and finally com pleted a fellowship in San Antonio to become a subspecialist in upper extremities (hands, fingers, elbows,

As a United States Air Force Academy cadet Chance Henderson competed in both the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association and the PRCA. Dan Hubbell photo

July 2, 2026 PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS DIGITAL MAGAZINE 19