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2022 LEGACY AWARD

WINNER

Year
Name
Team
Position
2022
Ted Ginn Jr.
The Ohio State University
WR
2021
Terry Metcalf
California State U. at Long Beach
WR
2020
Cliff Branch
Colorado University
RB
2019
Mel Gray
Missouri State
WR
2019
Donte Hall
Texas A&M
RB
2018
Billy “White Shoes” Johnson
Widener University
WR
2017
Rick Upchurch
University of Minnesota
RB
2016
Joe Washington
University of Oklahoma
RB
2015
Paul Allen
Brigham Young University
RB
2014
Pat Fischer
University of Nebraska at Lincoln
RB
2013
Billy Cannon
Louisiana State University
RB

TERRY METCALF HIGHLIGHTS

Terrance Randolph Metcalf (born September 24, 1951) is a former professional gridiron football running back who played six total seasons in the National Football League (NFL), five of them with the St. Louis Cardinals and one with the Washington Redskins, and three seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Toronto Argonauts. He attended Long Beach State University. He is the father of former NFL wide receiver and kick returner Eric Metcalf.

Metcalf finished his NFL career with 3,489 rushing yards, 245 receptions for 2,457 yards, 936 punt return yards, and 3,087 yards returning kickoffs. He also scored 36 touchdowns (24 rushing, 9 receiving, 1 punt return, 2 kickoff returns). He holds the record for most games with 250+ all purpose yards: 7.

In the 14-game 1975 season, Metcalf set a then-NFL record for combined yards with 2,462. This feat has since been eclipsed during the 16-game era (instituted in 1978), with Lionel James of the San Diego Chargers being the first to do so in 1985. James' head coach was Don Coryell, who also coached Metcalf during his record-setting season. He also became the first player in NFL history to average at least 30 yards per kick return and 10 yards per punt return in the same season. Joshua Cribbs of the Cleveland Browns became the second in 2007.

Metcalf also played three full seasons in the Canadian Football League with the Toronto Argonauts. In 1978, he rushed 169 times for 669 yards, and caught 31 passes. In 1979, he carried the ball 141 times for 691 yards and caught 55 passes, and in his final year, 1980, he rushed for 540 yards and caught 51 passes. While he was a division all star in 1979, his rushing average is below the 5 yards per carry expected by a good running back in the CFL (with its three down game) and his performance in Toronto was seen as underwhelming.

Coaching career
Metcalf coached at Renton High School in Renton, Washington until 2008.

CLIFFORD BRANCH JR. HIGHLIGHTS

Clifford Branch Jr. (August 1, 1948 – August 3, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders during his entire 14-year National Football League (NFL) career. He won three NFL championships with the Raiders in Super Bowl XI, XV and XVIII. He was selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 1972 NFL Draft after playing college football for the Colorado Buffaloes.

College career:
Branch attended college at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was a sprinter on the track team and a receiver on the football team.[1] In football with the Buffaloes in 1970, he caught 23 passes for 355 yards, had 22 carries for 119 yards and one touchdown. In 1971, he had 13 catches for 330 yards and 3 touchdowns along with 9 carries for 235 yards and 4 touchdowns.

In track, Branch set an NCAA championship meet record in the 100 meters with a time of 10.0 seconds at the 1972 NCAA championships semifinal in Eugene, Oregon. Branch placed 5th in the final with 10.1, and he said "My goal has always been to win the NCAA 100 meter championship. This is my last track meet, since I expect to sign a pro contract with the Oakland Raiders within the next two weeks."[3][4] He also posted a personal best of 20.5 seconds in the 200 meters.[5] He graduated from Colorado in 1972.

Professional career:
Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
Branch was selected in the fourth round of the 1972 NFL Draft with the 98th overall pick by the Oakland Raiders. He spent his entire 14-year NFL career with the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, winning three Super Bowl rings in Super Bowl XI, Super Bowl XV and Super Bowl XVIII. In his final season of play with the Raiders in 1985,[7] his season ended prematurely when he was placed on the injured reserve list. In 1986, he again landed on the reserve list after suffering a pulled hamstring during the preseason.

Branch finished his NFL career with 501 receptions for 8,685 yards and 67 touchdowns. In 20 playoff contests, he compiled 73 receptions for 1,289 yards, an average of 17.7 yards per catch, and five touchdowns. He held the NFL career playoff records for receptions and receiving yards, which stood until they were broken by Jerry Rice in 1993 and 1994, respectively, while with the San Francisco 49ers. Among his individual accolades were being selected to four consecutive Pro Bowl teams (1974, 1975, 1976, and 1977), and three times being selected as a first-team All-Pro (1974, 1975, 1976). In addition, he led the NFL in receiving yards once (1974) and receiving touchdowns twice (1974, 1976).

Later years:
Branch played for the Los Angeles Cobras of the Arena Football League in 1988, their only season of existence.

He was a nominee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and was a semifinalist in 2004 and 2010. In 2011, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Branch to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2011.

Death:
Branch died on August 3, 2019, two days after his 71st birthday. His body was found in a hotel room in Bullhead City, Arizona. According to police his death was due to natural causes, based on an initial investigative report.

THE JET AWARD VOTING SELECTION PROCESS

To be considered for the Jet Award, players must be a Division 1 college football team member and meet the following qualifications:

  • Be a primary return specialist (Kick or Punt returner) for their team.
  • Be among the national leaders in return categories
  • Show leadership, courage, desire, respect for authority and discipline.

The first round of voting should be conducted in late September and early October. From that first round of votes, the list of 12 semifinalists will be created and released at the end of October. The second round of voting will take place in mid-October to form the list of four finalists.  A final vote in early December to determine the winner and the decision is announced at the Award Presentation.

Damon Benning, (Lead Voting Panelist) was a four year letterman who helped lead the Huskers to back-to-back national titles. He finished his career carrying the pigskin 270 times for a total of 1,562 yards. Benning also caught the ball 12 times for a total of 134 yards and returned 32 kickoffs for 770 yards. He finished his Husker career with 2,625 all-purpose yards. Due to his outstanding career, Benning was signed as a free-agent by the Carolina Panthers in 1997. Currently Benning focuses his attention on The Sharp & Benning in the Morning on 1620 The Zone.

MEDIA VOTING PANEL

Tom Shatel Omaha World Herald (Local)

Adam Rittenberg ESPN.com

(Midwest/National)

Bruce Feldman CBS Sports.com

(Pac-12/National)

Dennis Dodd CBS Sports.com  (Midwest)

Coley Harvey Orlando Sentinel  (Florida)

Gerry Dinardo BTN Former Head Coach

(Midwest/National)

Damon Benning Former College FB Player

Blair Kerkoff KC Star (Midwest)

George Schroeder USA Today

(Pacific NW)

Cedric Golden Austin American Statesman

(Texas)

Bill Doleman Comcast/NBCU (Southwest)

Lisa Horne Fox Sports  (Pac-12)

Charles Davis Fox, Sports/NFL Network

(National)

Heather Dinich ESPN.com (East Coast/ACC)

Johnny Rodgers wil also recieve a vote along with the previous winners

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