PONTOTOC - Northwest Mississippi Community College is mourning the loss of former Ranger rodeo student-athlete Brian Dowdy, who has passed away at the age of 35.

Dowdy was a member of the Northwest rodeo program under former coach Bruce Lee and competed in bull riding from 2009-13. He made his unofficial debut competing in the college's annual Bull-o-Rama event on September 12, 2009, collecting 70 points shortly after winning an NABA event in Greenwood, Ark.

Later that season, Dowdy found himself into the upper echelon of NIRA Ozark Region standings as a freshman, climbing to sixth during the first half of the 2009-10 season.

From then on, Dowdy was a mainstay in the standings over the next couple seasons. He finished third during the spring of 2011, becoming the first Ranger to qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo since 2006. The next season, Dowdy just narrowly missed qualifying, finishing fourth in the region behind Northwest teammate Lucas Boatwright.

(*This release will be updated later when memorial arrangements are announced.)