The 14th Annual Johnny Rodgers Jet Award Gala

The 14th Annual Johnny Rodgers Jet Awards Gala was held April 10 at Baxter Arena in Omaha. It was another sellout with over 700 in attendance. This year's winner was Kaden Wetjen from Iowa, and the Legacy Award winner was Erroll Tucker, a 1985 first-team All -American from the University of Utah. The Jordan Larson Girls Player of the Year Award went to Britt Prince from Elkhorn North High School in Omaha. She is a back-to-back Gatorade and MaxPreps Nebraska Player of the Year winner. She is continuing her career on the women's basketball team at Nebraska. All winners were there with their families along with several other legacy winners and former players. Master of ceremonies was Mike'l Severe.

Johnny Rodgers and Britt Prince 14th Jet Award — Johnny Rodgers and Britt Prince | Marlon Wright Photography

Donna and I have been to 12 of the 14 since its inception and it is something 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 me.

14th Jet Award group picture. — L-R Mike Garrett, Greg Pruitt, Rich Glover, Erroll Tucker, Todd Blackledge, Coach Reed, Kaden Wetjen, Johnny Rodgers, Mike Rozier, Rick Upchurch. | Marlon Wright Photography

The keynote speaker was Todd Blackledge, the former Penn State quarterback, NFL player with the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers and longtime 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.

Todd Blackledge and David Max 14th Jet Award — Todd Blackledge and David Max | Donna Max

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 emcee Mike'l Severe.

Legacy Award winner Erroll Tucker talked about the importance of sports in students' 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-America honors. He played for several NFL teams and finished his playing career helping the Calgary Stampede win the Grey Cup in 1992.

Errol Tucker and Kaden Wetjen - 14th Jet Award — Errol Tucker and Kaden Wetjen | Marlon Wright Photography

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 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 2024-25. You can read more about the people who 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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