GREAT FALLS — On the final night of the annual Big Sky PRCA Rodeo at the Montana State Fair, the Rocky's Road Perseverance, Hope and Character Award is presented to someone who exhibits great work in the community as well as overcoming adversity.
This year, the winners of the honorary belt buckle are legendary Great Falls CMR football coach Jack Johnson and his wife, Rosann.
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"Mark, our son, said, 'Mom, do you need a Kleenex?' And I said 'Well, will I?' Rosann Johnson said following the award ceremony Saturday night. "He said, 'Yeah, I think you will.' Well, I did."
The Johnsons were the recipients of the ninth annual award, which is given in honor of the late Rocky Heckman, a longtime rodeo director, coach and judge who passed away in 2017.
Rocky's wife, Lorell, who is in charge of presenting the award, said it was special honoring the Johnsons.
"To see the look on their faces when they received the award is all that I need to see," Lorell Heckman said. "Just to honor somebody and to recognize them for what they've been through and how much they've given back, it means the world to me."
Jack and Rosann have been very involved in the Great Falls community for a long time, but have faced their own battles in life. They lost their daughter, and Rosann has gone through multiple heart surgeries as well as hip procedures in the past few years.
"People would say I've been praying for you, I said, 'Thank you, I'm humbled.' I didn't even know who they were," Rosann Johnson said.
Meanwhile, Jack remains a staple of the CMR football program. He led the the Rustlers to 13 Class AA state championships while winning 340 games in 41 seasons. He is the all-time winningest coach in Montana high school football history.
"I've just been me," Jack Johnson said with a smile.
"This community is important to us," Rosann Johnson said "They've accepted us, helped us."
"We've always had good people here in Great Falls," Jack Johnson said.
It was also an especially joyous night for Heckman, she said, because her whole family was with her for the presentation of the award.
"My daughter and some of my grandkids have never been a part of it," Heckman said. "It was really great for them to be there and for them to see what it's all about."
This award is about Rocky's legacy carrying on, and Heckman said she hopes that's exactly how this will continue in to the future with an inspiring message.
"If somebody's going through adversity, if they're having a tough time, that they see that others have gone through similar and they've done it, and they've persevered and they've kept going, and there's always hope," Lorell Heckman said. "You have faith and there's always hope."
However, only one buckle was awarded to the Johnsons.
"I asked (Jack) if I could wear the buckle, he said, 'Maybe,'" Rosann Johnson joked.
