Huskers.com
Nebraska and Iowa will meet Friday in Iowa City for the 14th annual Heroes Game, presented by Pioneer. Edgar Estrada of Bertrand, Nebraska has been selected as Nebraska’s 2024 Citizen Hero and will be honored during the game at Kinnick Stadium. Citizen Heroes are selected for the positive impact they have had on their community and for inspiring others.
On a hot August day in this summer, Estrada was competing in a roping event at the Merrick County Fairgrounds. He heard the faint cry of a baby in the parking lot with no families in sight. He got on his horse and began to ride up and down the parking lot area trying to find source of the cries. Soon after, others at the roping event came to help with the search.
“I pried the window a little bit down and stuck my hand in there and was able to yank the door open and got the baby out.” said Estrada in an interview with Emma Leek of Nebraska TV (NTV).
The child survived after Estrada took the baby safely into an air-conditioned space and found onsite first responders.
Outside of his heroic acts that day, Edgar has had a positive impact in and around his community. Over the past few years, Estrada has volunteered his time at local schools and has become a mentor figure to some of the students he has worked with.
The Heroes Game was created to honor the rich football traditions of the University of Iowa and the University of Nebraska football programs, while also honoring community heroes from both states.
“Pioneer is incredibly honored to be the title sponsor of the annual Pioneer Heroes Game,” said Todd Frazier, VP, U.S. Marketing, Corteva Agriscience. “For nearly 100 years, we’ve been helping and honoring farmers throughout the U.S. and we are excited to keep that tradition going by honoring local heroes that live and work in the communities we serve every day. This partnership is one small way we can express our sincere gratitude for those heroes.”
Estrada will attend the game as special guests of the Nebraska football team, receive on-field recognition at halftime, and have his name inscribed on the game trophy.