MINNEAPOLIS – Carleton College quarterback Jack Curtis is the recipient of this year's Minnesota Football Honors Courage Award presented by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation.
Curtis will be honored April 19 during a private awards event at Huntington Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus. The April event will be recorded for the Minnesota Football Honors show, airing later this summer on YouTube and social media.
Curtis exemplified resilience, courage, and determination while living out his passion for football. He was diagnosed with late-Stage 2 unfavorable Hodgkin's lymphoma last summer. Despite the diagnosis, he remained determined not to miss his senior football season. Curtis spent every other Monday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester for biweekly chemotherapy treatments. Even though he missed most of the team's practices during the week, Curtis was always ready for game day. He threw for 3,120 yards overall on the year, with 29 touchdowns as he completed 284-of-392 passes for a 72.45 percent completion rate. He broke Carleton single-season records for completions, completion percentage, and passing yards and had the second-highest passing touchdown total.
Those numbers led to Curtis being 1 of 5 finalists for the 2025 Gagliardi Trophy, which honors the most outstanding NCAA Division III football player.
Curtis led the MIAC with 2,918 passing yards and 28 touchdowns in conference games. That yardage total ranks third all-time among MIAC passers in conference play. He also broke the MIAC single-season record with 254 completions and tied the conference record with seven 300-yard passing performances in MIAC play. In addition, Curtis became the first Knight in program history to be named MIAC Offensive Player of the Year and the first Carleton football player to receive one of the conference's top individual postseason honors since former All-American quarterback Tim Nielson was named MIAC MVP in 1988.
"This is one of the best and most inspiring football stories in the nation. It is incredible to see what Jack accomplished during the 2025 season. He didn't let rigorous treatment stop him from living out his passion. He exemplified courage, perseverance and determination in the face of adversity. Nothing stood in his way - not even a summer cancer diagnosis or biweekly treatments during the football season. His story is an incredible example for anyone who is currently fighting a battle of any kind," said Todd Fultz, President of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation and 2011 Courage Award winner. "We can't wait to share and chronicle Jack's inspiring story during our Minnesota Football Honors show."
Minnesota Football Honors Courage Award winners:
2008: Tyler Jenson: Brainerd High School
2009: Ryan Goetzinger: Caledonia High School
2011: Todd Fultz: St. John's
2012: Derek Klinkner: Southwest Minnesota State
2013: Connor Cosgrove: University of Minnesota
2014: Peter Westerhaus: University of Minnesota
2015: Josh Benson: Hinckley-Finlayson
2016: Casey O'Brien: Cretin Derham-Hall
2017: Mike Sherels: University of Minnesota
2018: Danny Lilya: Moose Lake High School
2019: Ryan Bartlett: White Bear Lake High School
2021: Cap George and Family: Rosemount High School
2022: Trevor Solem: Minnewaska High School
2023: Ethan Glynn: Bloomington Jefferson
2024: Randy Taylor and Jon Wessel: Tartan High School
2025: Trevor Smith: Tracy High School
2026: Jack Curts, Carleton College