Honorees Announced for Hy-Vee Heroes Game

A bank president from Pilger, Neb., and a Winterset, Iowa, teenager will represent their home states as “citizen heroes” when Nebraska faces Iowa on Friday in the fourth annual Hy-Vee Heroes Game.

The Heroes Game uses the Big Ten's national stage to honor heroic efforts in America’s heartland. Fans nominated Nebraskans and Iowans who have performed extraordinary acts of heroism and service in their communities. American Red Cross staff and volunteers selected Gene Willers and Austin Benson to be recognized on Friday.

Willers was working at Midwest Bank on June 16, 2014, when a large tornado touched down near Pilger. Willers ushered eight people into the bank vault and locked them inside minutes before the deadly tornado ripped through Pilger. The vault could only be locked from the outside, so Willers sought shelter in a cellar below ground. He survived the damaging effects of the tornado, and the vault withstood the powerful winds.

Last Fourth of July, Benson helped save the life of his friend, Rachel Riley. Riley was thrown from a horse and punctured her leg, suffering traumatic injuries. While waiting for help to arrive, Benson used his shirt to apply pressure to the wound and helped calm his friend until the ambulance arrived. Riley suffered a severed artery and the pediatric LifeFlight nurse said Benson’s actions and ability to stay calm saved Riley’s life.

At halftime, Iowa Director of Athletics Gary Barta and Nebraska Director of Athletics Shawn Eichorst will make a special presentation to the Hy-Vee Heroes Game honorees, whose names will be inscribed on the Heroes Game trophy. Benson, Willers and members of their families will be guests of the Hawkeyes and the Huskers at the game and will participate in a variety of special pregame activities. Randy Edeker, chairman, CEO and president of Hy-Vee, the presenting sponsor of the Heroes Game, will present a check to the Red Cross just before kickoff to show support for the Heroes recognized and the important work of the American Red Cross in Nebraska and Iowa. For more information, please visit redcross.org.