As emotional as Logan Rutt’s season was, there probably isn’t a soul out there who doesn’t believe the Cherokee Trail senior center was due for some good fortune.
Being chosen as the seventh Brian Dawkins-Denver Post Award winner won’t magically erase those tough several months, but it sure will assist in the healing process.
“My aunt nominated me, and she called this week asking if I was doing anything Sunday,” Rutt said. “I said no, and she asked, ‘Well, how would you like to go to the Bronco game?’ It was pretty cool.”
Rutt was part of an 11-2 Cougars squad that advanced to the state semifinals, but that wasn’t the stress point. Rutt’s father, Tom, spent most of the season in a hospital, the victim of a motorcycle accident that resulted in a broken vertebra and seven fractured ribs.
Tom Rutt, a Cherokee Trail assistant and former lineman at Montana, didn’t attend a game until the quarterfinals, when the Cougars upended Ralston Valley 14-2. At that point, he was wheelchair-bound and still somewhat confined to the hospital.
“He’s doing better now,” Logan Rutt said. “He’s home now. He was just able to make it home full time last week, but seeing him at the last couple games was really nice. It really gave everybody a lift.”
Cherokee Trail coach Monte Thelen termed Tom Rutt’s initial appearance “awesome for our kids.” Just imagine how awesome it was for Logan, who has narrowed his college choices to Colorado State and Colorado Mines. For now, he’ll concentrate on coming up with questions to ask Dawkins.
“I didn’t know too much about him in Philadelphia, but him coming here is really cool,” Rutt said. “He loves knocking people around and playing hard on every play.”
Dawkins, a Broncos safety, chooses a prep player before each Broncos home game who demonstrates strong commitment to and accomplishment in sports and in the classroom, character off the field and an ability to overcome adversity. The winner will receive two tickets to a Broncos home game and pregame sideline passes courtesy of Dawkins. The player must be accompanied by a parent or chaperone. Dawkins will meet with the player after the game. Nominees must be submitted to The Denver Post at ndevlin@denverpost.com. Dawkins makes the final selection.
