The LHHS Wildcat football team’s kicker, senior Jason Dann, was featured in the Christmas edition of the Dallas Morning News sports section (here’s a link in case you missed it under mounds of wrapping paper). Jason will be attending the University of Nebraska in the fall as a “preferred walk-on,” meaning Cornhusker coaches want him on the team but won’t be offering him a scholarship just yet. The focus of the article is student athletes having to choose between their dreams of playing for big name schools and the financial benefits that come with accepting scholarships at smaller programs.
Jason is excited about kicking for Nebraska and is confident he’ll secure a spot as the starter. He’s hoping he’ll even prove himself valuable enough to earn a scholarship – taking a cue from former Wildcat Tori Mellinger, who showed it can happen just that way. She went off to Aggieland this year as a walk-on to their volleyball team and proved her self to be scholarship-worthy – ironically in a big game against Nebraska televised on ESPN. Jason hopes he’ll have the same result, especially once the two kickers currently on scholarship graduate after his college freshman year.
In the meantime, he’s staying in shape and practicing often, and he can be seen cheering for his friends on other Wildcat teams like basketball and soccer. His dad, LH homebuilder and Nebraska native Mark Dann, couldn’t be more proud. He told me he enjoyed the DMN article – except the part about Jason considering a spot at UT. Luckily, father and son are on the same page now.
