All Huskers

The 13th Annual Jet Award

Return specialists Zachariah Branch and DeJuan Groce honored at Omaha event

David Max

L-R: Mike Rozier, Gregg Pruitt, Johnny Rodgers, David Max, Larry the Cable Guy, Rick Upchurch, Rich Glover
L-R: Mike Rozier, Gregg Pruitt, Johnny Rodgers, David Max, Larry the Cable Guy, Rick Upchurch, Rich Glover / maw.photography

The 13th Annual Jet Award Banquet was held April 4 at the Baxter Arena in Omaha with over 800 in attendance. The award is given to current and legacy kickoff and punt return specialists. Keynote speaker was Danny Woodhead and after party entertainment was provided by Larry the Cable Guy.

The winner this year is USC freshman Zachariah Branch, wide receiver from the University of Southern California. The legacy winner is DeJuan Groce, cornerback from Nebraska from 1999-2002. Other former players in attendance included Rick Upchurch, Gregg Pruitt, Mike Rozier, Eric Crouch, Rich Glover, Jerry Murtaugh, Aaron Taylor and James "Shack" Harris, the first Black player to start a game in the American Football League.

Metropolitan Community College in Omaha is the designated recipient of the Johnny Rodgers Foundation. To date, over $100,000 has been raised from the proceeds of this event to support scholarships for students attending Metropolitan Community College. These students are primarily enrolled in the trades and career programs.

Currently, over 80 students are attending MCC as a Johnny Rodgers Scholarship recipient. The students are enrolled in Construction, Heath, IT, Automotive and others with an average GPA of 3.0.

Here is a photo gallery from this year's event.

Master of Ceremonies Mike'l Severe
Master of Ceremonies Mike'l Severe / maw.photography
Matt Rhule and Tom Osborne
Husker Head Football Coach Matt Rhule presents an award to Tom and Nancy Osborne's Teammates mentoring foundation. / maw.photography
Tom Osborne
Tom Osborne accepts the Teammates Mentoring award / maw.photography
Danny Woodhead
Keynote speaker and two-time Harlan Hill Award winner Danny Woodhead / maw.photography
James 'Shack' Harris
James 'Shack' Harris / maw.photography
DeJuan Groce
DeJuan Groce, Jet Award Legacy Winner / maw.photography
L-R Eric Crouch, Mike Rozier, David Max, Danny Woodhead, Johnny Rodgers, DeJuan Groce, Rick Upchurch
L-R Eric Crouch, Mike Rozier, David Max, Danny Woodhead, Johnny Rodgers, DeJuan Groce, Rick Upchurch / maw.photography
L-R Mike Rozier, Gregg Pruitt, Johnny Rodgers, David Max, Larry the Cable Guy, Rick Upchurch, Rich Glover
L-R Mike Rozier, Gregg Pruitt, Johnny Rodgers, David Max, Larry the Cable Guy, Rick Upchurch, Rich Glover /
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David Max

DAVID MAX

David Max has been a Husker fan since Bob Devaney's first year in 1962. Season tickets have been in the family since the south end zone was built in 1964. He started HuskerMax with Joe Hudson in September of 1999. David published a book titled 50 Years of Husker Memories in 2012. Most of his articles will be from a historical perspective. You can reach David at bigredmax@yahoo.com.