St. Paul youth sports coach honored with Super Bowl tickets

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - It was the surprise of a lifetime for one St. Paul youth sports coach Sunday afternoon when he was presented with Super Bowl tickets in front of family, friends and even a few prominent Minnesota athletes.

In front of dozens packed into St. Paul's Jimmy Lee Recreation Center, including Joe Mauer and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, Leo Jackson was honored by the Super Bowl Host Committee for his dedication to youth programs across the city with a pair of tickets to the big game.

It was enough to bring tears to his eyes, saying the opportunity to take his son, seven-year-old Leo Jackson Jr., to the Super Bowl is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"I just had a conversation about having an opportunity to go to a Super Bowl," he said. "And I was talking about my son. Everybody in here that knows my son knows that he loves the game more than I do, so I’m just happy for him."