Gridiron Awards Dinner 2025
Event Details
Milwaukee Press Club Announces 2025 Sacred Cat and Headliner Awards
Jim VandeHei named Sacred Cat honoree
Mark Murphy and Sherrie Tussler to receive Headliner Award
The Milwaukee Press Club has named Oshkosh native Jim VandeHei, co-founder and CEO of Axios, as the club’s 2025 Sacred Cat Award honoree. The award, given annually since 1973, recognizes excellence in journalism at the national level.
VandeHei will accept the award at the club’s annual Gridiron Awards event, set for Friday, May 9 at The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee.
The club also will honor its 2025 Headliners, Mark Murphy, retiring Green Bay Packers president and CEO; and Sherrie Tussler, CEO Emeritus of the Hunger Task Force.
Winners of the press club’s 2024 Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism competition will also be announced at the Gridiron.
“We had another strong contest year in terms of the number of entries,” said Maryann Lazarski, club president. “We look forward to honoring the outstanding work of Wisconsin journalists.”
“I’m looking forward to hearing what our Sacred Cat honoree has to say about the state of journalism and the continuing role of news websites like Axios.”
Past Sacred Cat honorees include James Bennet, Manu Raju, Cokie Roberts, Gloria Borger, Frank Deford, Marty Baron, Ann Compton and Walter Cronkite.
VandeHei, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, has blended journalism and business in his career. He covered politics for the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post and later co-founded Politico, a digital media company covering public policy, politics and power in Washington. He supervised both the editorial and business operations. In 2016, he, along with a couple of Politico alums, started the news website Axios. VandeHei said they launched the site with the belief that the word needed smarter, more efficient coverage of topics shaping the fast-changing world.
During the past few years, VandeHei also co-authored Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Lessand wrote Just the Good Stuff, his perspective on succeeding despite obstacles you encounter or a low self-image.
He still cherishes to his Wisconsin roots and continues to be a proud fan of the Green Bay Packers.
Murphy will retire in July as the Green Bay Packers President and CEO, a position he’s held since 2007. He played in the NFL for eight years with the then Washington Redskins. It’s believed that Murphy is the only person to earn a Super Bowl ring as a player in 1982 and as a team’s chief executive in 2010. Murphy has been a strong advocate for community service and has played a key role in programs like Give BIG Green Bay which raised over $13.5 million for local nonprofits.
Tussler is being honored for her 27-year legacy with Milwaukee’s Hunger Task Force and her unwavering commitment to addressing food insecurity in our community and throughout Wisconsin. One of her most significant accomplishments is the establishment of the FoodShare Outreach program. She opened three self-service locations staffed by advocates fluent in 12 languages. She also started the Hunger Task Force Farm that produces half a million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables annually. Those are just two examples of her passion to help those in need.
Past Headliner honorees include former Wisconsin Governors Tommy Thompson and Martin Schreiber, Howard Fuller, Ted Kellner, Ricardo Diaz, Linda Mellowes, Michael Pink, Barry Alvarez, Jane Pettit, Bud Selig, James Lovell, Ben Marcus and Steve Marcus.
Booking
Registration for the Gridiron Awards event is available by booking below.
Early Bird Pricing: $95 per individual. Advanced Registration deadline is April 18. Pricing increases to $120 after April 18 through final registration deadline of Friday, April 25. Advanced registration and payment is required.
Full-time students may register for $35 – the cost for their participation is being underwritten by the MPC Endowment Ltd.
Corporate table sponsorships are available for $1,200 (includes registration for eight individuals, company logo in printed program and verbal recognition during the program). Sponsorship/advertising information can be found here.
Event Details:
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and dinner and program start at 6:30 p.m. Please contact us for any special dietary needs.
The Pfister is offering a discounted $10 parking rate for this event. Parking vouchers to be provided to guests through the bartenders. Parking is based on availability. Valet parking is at posted rates. Guests pay independently.
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