JERRY KLEIDOSTY

Class of 1988
​Inducted in 2026

Jerry Kleidosty was inducted into the SHSAA Packer Sports Greats in 2026.

During High School

• Earned seven varsity letters across football, track & field, powerlifting, and baseball.
• Competed in football, track & field, powerlifting, and played baseball during freshman and sophomore years.
• Senior year football captain; earned All-Conference and All-State Honorable Mention honors.
• Selected for the 1988 Shrine Bowl and voted captain of the South squad.
• All-Metro and All-State Powerlifting Champion in the 198-pound division.

 
After High School

• Recruited by Coach Tom Osborne to play football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, played fullback for two years.
• Broke the University Nebraska fullback strength index record in 1989
• Transferred to Wayne State College in 1990; played linebacker graduated with a B.S. in Criminal Justice.
• Team captain at Wayne State (1992) and selected Defensive MVP.
• Holds #4 all-time position in career tackles at Wayne State; twice named NCAA Division Player of the Week.
• Selected to the Nebraska NCAA Division II First Team Defense and named Honorary Captain.
• Earned All-American Honorable Mention
• 1991 Honors
  • Named to the All-Nebraska NCAA Division II Defensive First Team
  • National College Football Preview Pre-Season All American team
  • NSCA All American Strength and Conditioning Athlete of Year
  • Don Hansen's Pre-Season All American Team
• National College Football Preview Pre-Season All American team in 1992 (4 linebackers chosen across US Div. 2)
• ​Served 22.5 years with the Omaha Fire Department (1998–2020), earning the rank of Captain in 2011 and receiving three Life Saving Commendation Medals.
• Competed nationally in Fire Fighter Combat Challenges (1999–2012); part of the Run Faster Omaha team that won national titles in 2011 and 2012.
• Became owner of Timberland Hardwood Floors in 1998, growing the company to 30 employees and 13 operating trucks in the Omaha area.
• Founded Ridgewood Custom Builders in 2019, specializing in custom residential and commercial construction.
• Co‑founded Helmet Club Bikes for Kids in 2013, a program that refurbishes and donates bicycles and helmets to underprivileged youth; continues to operate today.
• My greatest accomplishment is Faith in God and my family.