ProRodeo Sports News - August 21, 2020

TOBY SCOTT DRENNAN

JAMES DENNIS JACOBSEN

PASSAGES

Toby Scott Drennan, of Buffalo, Texas, went to be with the Lord on July 20, near Billings, Mont. He was 47. Drennan, who bought his

James Dennis Jacobsen, a former PRCA cowboy, passed away July 18 in Great Falls, Mont. He was 71. Jacobsen was

DONALD ROBERT THORSON

Donald Robert Thorson, of Keystone, S.D., a former PRCA Gold Card member and steer wrestler, passed away Aug. 10. He was 83. Thorson was born Jan. 9, 1937,

the Montana Circuit year-end all-around champion in 1975 and the circuit’s year-end champ in saddle bronc riding from 1975-77. Jacobsen was one of the first seven Wrangler Pro Rodeo

PRCA card in 1996, earned $302,807 in his PRCA career, retiring from competition in 2008. He finished in the top 20 in the world standings three times.

to Orvie and Bertha Thorson, of Scenic, S.D. Thorson, known as Duck, was raised on the family ranch west of Scenic.

Drennan

Jacobsen

judges, which took him to the National Finals Rodeo multiple times. Jacobsen had his name inscribed in the Montana Hall andWall of Fame in Billings. Jacobsen was born Sept. 21, 1948, in Great Falls to Ray and Clarice (Murdoch) Jacobsen. He was raised outside Sun River, Mont., along with his younger brother, Bob. At age 11, Jacobsen competed in the Boys Steer Riding at the Calgary Stampede, performing before 40,000 people. In high school, Jacobsen won the bull riding at the PRCA State Fair Rodeo in Great Falls at 16. He rodeoed for Northwest (Wyo.) Community College and Montana State University. His strongest events were saddle bronc riding and bull riding. On July 18, 1976, Jacobsen won the bull riding final go-round with a Calgary Stampede record of 93 points on Franklin’s Wilfred. Jacobsen’s record stood until 2003, when it was tied. It was broken in 2006. Jacobsen found the striped PRCA judge’s shirts hot and uncomfortable. He complained to his mom, Clarice, a seamstress. She took apart the shirt and made it into a vest. Today, PRCA judges still wear the Clarice Jacobsen design. Jacobsen inherited Clarice’s knack for art and made bronzes in his spare time. Jacobsen was a member of the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Artist Association. Jacobsen met the love of his life, Tamara Hauser, and they married in 1995. They made their home in Hermiston, Ore. On Memorial Day in 1996, while Jim was working a colt in their arena, the colt fell, and Jacobsen suffered a brain injury that ended his rodeo career. Tamara nursed him until she lost her battle with breast cancer in 2000. Jacobsen is survived by his mother, Clarice; sister-in-law, Jeanne; nieces Jennifer, Addison, Christine and Katie; and uncles, aunts and cousins. Jacobsen admired the ProRodeo medical teams present at rodeos. Therefore, donations in memory of Jacobsen may be made to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund.

After retiring, he was the PRCA bareback

Thorson

Riding Director for two years.

Drennan was born on Sept. 22, 1972, to Larry and Diane Drennan in Little Rock, Ark. He attended Northeast (Ark.) High School. He started riding bucking ponies and steers at the age of 5. He competed in the Arkansas High School Rodeo Association, where he was the state champion in 1990. He also competed in the Arkansas Rodeo Association while in high school. After graduating high school, Drennan attended Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College on a rodeo scholarship. He loved riding bareback horses. When he was about 21, he quit a job at the railroad to pursue rodeo full time. A lot of people questioned this, but he wanted a career that he would be happy doing. Drennan loved the outdoors. He loved to hunt and fish. Drennan was passionate about anything

He grew to dislike turkeys but loved horses and Hereford cattle. Rodeo became a natural calling. In 1954, Thorson won the National High School Rodeo Finals in bull riding in Hallettsville, Texas. At Sul Ross State College in Alpine, Texas, Thorson became an all- around champion, forged lifelong friendships and grew to love West Texas. He spent years teaching industrial arts and natural sciences and rodeoing professionally. Thorson appears in the 1974 Academy Award Best Documentary Feature film, “The Great American Cowboy” in the “hard-luck” scene during a muddy Cheyenne (Wyo.) Frontier Days. Following his father’s death in 1964, Thorson returned to South Dakota as a rancher. On June 16, 1969, he married Joan, and they would share 51 years together, raising two kids. Thorson never missed a track meet or rodeo, whether his own kids’ or his students’. In October, Thorson lost his only son,

PRCA NOTES Troy. They were each other’s right-hand man throughout Thorson’s “retirement,” ranching side-by-side. Despite life’s hard knocks, Thorson continued to drive his pickup for miles this summer to check on the cows, kitties and horses. In the final weeks of his life, you could find him in the gumbo on the banks of Elk his kids wanted to do. When his son, Toby, decided to race dirt bikes, Drennan learned all there was to learn about the sport. He was dedicated to helping Toby do his best. He learned about dancing, tumbling and cheerleading when his daughter, Ellie, participated. Drennan’s smile and outgoing personality

will always be remembered. He was a loyal friend to many people that he met from rodeoing, hunting, motocross and roofing. Drennan was preceded in death by his father, Larry, and his mother, Diane. Drennan is survived by his wife, Jessica; his children Toby and Ellie; sisters Kelli Drennan and Candy Kent; mother and father- in-law, Roy and Sharron Hagen; brother-in-law, Conrad (Nicki) Hagen; nieces KristenWorlow and Brooke Smith; nephews Cody Kent, Wes and Rhett Hagen; great-nephews Kane and Kyle Heep; and great-niece, Riley Smith; many relatives and lifelong friends.

Creek, throwing a fishing line in with his grandson, Oskar, as well as pulling a go-kart uphill. Thorson was preceded in death by his grandparents; parents, Orvie and Bertha; brother, Melvin; and son, Troy. He is survived by his wife, JoanThorson; daughter, Michelle (Przemek); grandson, Oskar; and loving friends and family. The family requests memorial funds to the New Underwood Volunteer Fire Department, South Dakota High School Rodeo or Sul Ross State University Rodeo. Family and friends may signThorson’s online guestbook at kirkfuneralhome.com.

ProRodeo Sports News 8/21/2020

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