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Lifelong Jazz fan leaves legacy with team, donating valuable memorabilia to be auctioned off for charity

Posted at 10:20 PM, Jan 08, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-09 00:20:04-05

SALT LAKE CITY — A lifelong fan of the Utah Jazz, who recently passed away, is leaving behind a legacy.

Janet Wootten was a season ticket holder for 25 years. This summer, she died after a brief battle with cancer.

In her will, she left her entire collection of memorabilia to the Jazz to auction for charity.

“That just melted my heart,” said Camden Jensen, Janet’s grandson.

“She was beyond loving and caring,” said Paul Green, a family friend.

The collection includes leather jackets covered in autographs from coaches and players dating back to the 1990s, signed basketballs, team photos and framed jerseys. All of the items once adorned the walls of Janet’s living room.

The collection also includes a bull horn Janet used to cheer on the team and heckle opposing players.

“She was known for that bull horn,” Green said.

“She never thought she was screaming loud enough, so when she got her bull horn, it was extra loud,” Jensen said.

Throughout the years, Janet had her favorite players, but one stood out more than others.

“Jeff Hornacek,” Jensen answered when asked who Janet liked the most. “She loved the way he played, but she also thought he was sexy.”

This season — the first without Janet — has been hard on her loved ones.

“I can still hear her in the back of my mind,” Jensen said.

They take comfort knowing that to this day, Janet is still making a difference.

“That’s her going out into the world,” Jensen said. “It’s nice for new people to experience it. I think it was life for her.”

The Jazz are finalizing plans to auction the items. The money raised will be donated to a cancer charity.