The 14th Annual Johnny Rodgers Jet Award

Donna and I have been to 12 of the 14 since it's inception and it is something that I look forward to every year. It is always good to see and interact with these talented athletes that date back to my college years in the 70s. Names like Greg Pruitt, Rick Upchurch, Mike Garrett, Rich Glover, Houston Alexander, Damon Benning, Mike Rozier, Eric Crouch and of course Johnny. This year was special as it was also the 49th wedding anniversary for Donna and I.

The keynote speaker was Todd Blackledge, the former Penn State quarterback, NFL player with the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers and long time college football announcer. He endeared the Nebraska fan base by publicly admitting what we all already knew. Mike McCloskey was out of bounds in that 1982 game. I have met Todd before at a National Football Foundation event in New York City and he is very personable and has a lot of respect for Nebraska and Nebraska fans.

Kaden has another year of eligibility at Iowa and has his sights on playing in the NFL. In 2024 he led the nation in combined kick return yards (1,055), ranking #1 in kickoff return yards (727) and #2 in punt return yards (328). He ended his speech with Go Hawks and received a good natured ribbing from Master of Ceremonies Mike'l Severe.

Legacy Award winner Erroll Tucker talked about the importance of sports in student's lives and has spent 35 years as a coach. While at Utah he led the NCAA in punt returns in 1985 with a remarkable 24.3 yard average and tallied seven touchdowns - two punts, two kickoffs and three interceptions earning First-Team All-American honors. He played for several NFL teams and finished his playing career helping the Calgary Stampede win the Grey Cup in 1992.

A highlight of the evening was the real time painting of "I-Back High" of Omaha athletes who played that position at Nebraska with a focus on Calvin Jones who recently passed away in January. Local artist Ashley Spitsnogle did the painting as the event was going on and it was auctioned off at the end with the proceeds going toward the purchase of a gravestone for Calvin. Here is a time lapsed video.

The real winners from this event are students who are awarded scholarships to Metropolitan Community College in Omaha from the proceeds generated since the Jet Award Foundation was established in 2016. Currently there are 125 scholarship recipients enrolled in the fall and winter quarters for 2024-2025. You can read more about the people that make this event happen at this link including co-founders Coach William Reed and Denny Drake. A special thanks to Marlon Wright at MAW Photography for providing several of the photos.

Looking forward to the 15th Annual next year.

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