Nemaha County Herald Online

Press Release: Husker Coaches Autographed One-Of-A-Kind Boots for Cattlemen's Ball Cancer Benefit Auction

Date: May 27, 2009

For IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nebraska Husker Boots Autographed by Husker Coaches to be
Auctioned Off at Cattlemen’s Ball
Lincoln, NE—Tom Osborne along with Husker coaches Bo Pelini, John Cook, Doc Sadler,
Connie Yori and Mike Anderson contributed their autographs to custom made Nebraska
Husker Boots to be auctioned off at the Cattlemen’s Ball, held in Doniphan, NE, June 5-6,
in an effort to reach this year’s goal of raising $1,000,000 for Cancer research.

The autographed Nebraska Husker Boots will be in good company. For, this year’s
Cattlemen’s Ball theme, “Give Cancer the Boot”, has reeled in boots autographed by
several state and national celebrities, including Omaha billionaire Warren Buffet, Microsoft
founder Bill Gates, actor and musician Kevin Costner and his band and country singer Brad
Paisley.

Earlier this year, the Cattlemen’s Ball contacted Fort Western Stores, Nebraska’s largest
Western wear outfitters located in Lincoln and Nebraska City, NE, asking for a boot
donation. The Fort then teamed up with Patrick Combs, “The Voice of Memorial Stadium”
and Froggy 98 (www.froggy981.com) to take their boot donation to the next level by
inviting Tom Osborne and all five Husker coaches to autograph not one but two pairs of
boots. The coaches graciously agreed to lend their autographs to the boots to support the
cause—with one request by Husker football coach Bo Pelini—“they have to be red”. To
fulfill Bo’s request, the Fort Western’s staff of experts collaborated to custom design a oneof-
a-kind pair of ladies’ size 8 and men’s size 10 ½, red and cream colored, Nebraska
Husker Boots.

In March, Fort Western (www.fortwestern.com) presented their design to Anderson Bean
Boots in Mercedes, TX where the autographed boots were hand-crafted from red and cream
leather with a big red Nebraska “N” inlayed across the front and back. The two boots, alone
valued at more than $500 a pair, include three signatures on the top of each for a total of six
signatures per pair including UNL Athletic Director Tom Osborne, Football Coach Bo
Pelini, Volleyball Coach John Cook, Men’s Basketball Coach Doc Sadler, Women’s
Basketball Coach Connie Yori and Baseball Coach Mike Anderson. A pair of the
Nebraska Husker Boots can be seen on display at the Fort Western Stores, Lincoln location prior to the event.

“Many friends of the Fort have experienced the effects of cancer on someone close to them
so, it’s a cause that’s very dear to us here. And, it’s why, when the committee came to us
asking for a boot donation we felt compelled to do more than just pull a pair of boots off
the shelf. It took a lot more time and planning to have the Nebraska Husker Boots custom
made but I’m confident it will be well worth it, especially in a state like Nebraska where
people are as passionate about football as they are about helping others in need,” C. Steven
Wohlfarth, General Manager, Fort Western Stores.

Husker fans may place their bids by proxy on the Catttlemen’s Ball Website or at the event
during the “Famous Boots Auction” on Saturday, June 6, 2009. Ticket information and a
schedule of events can be found on the Cattlemen’s Ball Website
(www.cattlemensball.com). Auction winners will be announced at the ball on June 6, 2009.

About The Fort Western Stores
Fort Western Stores is a national leader in Western lifestyle apparel and merchandise,
located in Lincoln, NE and Nebraska City, NE. The family owned business, founded in
1972 by Carl and Shirley Wohlfarth, has grown from a 1600 Square foot retail store to two
retail store locations and into a comprehensive multi-channel marketer, extending it’s reach
worldwide through catalog and the Web. For more information on Fort Western Stores visit
www.fortwestern.com.

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If you’d like more information, high resolution photos go to http://www.fortwestern.com/huskerboots or to schedule an interview with
C. Steven Wohlfarth, please call 402-209-0200 or email stevew@fortwestern.com
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