Record Breaking Number Raised at 16th Annual Loper Backers

Kearney, Neb. – The 16th Annual Loper Football Backers dinner and scholarship fundraiser held on Thursday night (April 23) at the Younes Conference Center North continues the momentum for the Nebraska Kearney program. 

"We're very appreciative of the Kearney community, everybody that was involved, all the donations, all the bids, all the money raised, and all the tireless work that many people put into it," said head coach Ryan Held. "We also thank Paul Younes for letting us use his convention center. There's a lot of people that were a part of this."

Nearly 700 fans and community members, encompassing 71 tables, got a chance to bid on live, super silent and silent auction times as well as taking part in several raffles. Once again, there was strong individual ticket and corporate table sales with an event-record $312,000+ raised over four hours. The late Rich Osentowski, a Loper football and baseball All-American, was honored with campus, community and Loper football dignitaries in attendance. 
 
"To be able to get $312,000 plus helps us close the gap. Now we have our 36 (scholarships), have other monies for summer scholarships, recruiting, the nutrition station and other program needs," said Held. "Those things help further the program and help continue to build on what we already have."

Since it was first hosted in 2010, the event has now garnered over $3.2 million dollars for scholarships and other program needs. The Loper Football Backers is a community-led volunteer organization whose mission is to raise scholarship dollars for the UNK Football program.

"There's probably 10 or 11 eight a.m. Thursday meetings and a lot of people are involved in that," said Held. "Emily Ridgeway and Steve Bracale did a great job of coordinating, making sure everything is documented, follow up and get all the times, label them and take photos. Our fans see the final product but there's a lot of work behind the scenes."
  
Continuing a recent tradition, players received scholarship money for the upcoming season and this year's honorees are redshirt junior linebacker Nolan Venner (Omaha North) and redshirt sophomore linebacker Brady Lowry (Manhattan, Kan.). The event was also live streamed on The MIAA Network for the first time.

UNK now turns to the summer season which includes exit meetings, academic finals, a May break and a roughly two-month workout program.

"We need a good two months as we prepare to report for fall camp on July 31. It'll be here before you know it and then we finally get to start the season with a home game (Aug. 27 vs. Wayne State). We have six home games, so we're looking forward to that, and playing Wayne and Chadron State to start the season."