Coast Guard Aviation Survival Technician Scott Ruskan receives the Legion of Merit during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in Washington on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (U.S. Coast Guard via X)
(Tribune News Service) — A New Jersey native who rescued 165 people during deadly flooding in central Texas last year is again being recognized for his heroism on one of sports’ biggest stages.
Scott Ruskan, a U.S. Coast Guard swimmer from Warren County, will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the ESPY Awards on July 15.
The award is named for Pat Tillman, who gave up his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals to join the U.S. Army. Tillman died while serving in the Middle East in 2004.
Ruskan has already received several honors for his role in rescuing children during the flooding that overwhelmed Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ camp along the Guadalupe River.
Ruskan told “Good Morning America” that he and other rescue swimmers pulled 10 to 15 children at a time from the fast-moving floodwaters that killed at least 136 people.
“We were such a small piece of the puzzle,” Ruskan said in an interview with PEOPLE magazine. “There were thousands of first responders working that day. I just happened to get picked up by the media.”
Ruskan received national attention in March when President Donald Trump honored him during the State of the Union.
Trump recounted how Ruskan rescued children from the water while awarding him the Legion of Merit, a military decoration that recognizes meritorious conduct in the Armed Forces.
The ESPY presentation will highlight his career as a student-athlete at Rider University, where he was a member of the track and cross-country teams.
The ESPYs present the award to a person who reflects Tillman’s life in athletics and public service.
“Every year, these awards remind us of the incredible power of the human spirit, and this year’s honorees are the absolute definition of that,” said Craig Lazarus, ESPN vice president and ESPYS executive producer.
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