| Midlander of the Year |
| Year |
Winner |
| 1965 |
Omaha Mayor A.V. Sorensen |
| 1966 |
Midlands Farmers |
| 1967 |
Nebraska Governor Norbert Tiemann |
| 1968 |
Clifford Hardin, NU chancellor and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture-designate |
| 1969 |
Youth of the Midlands |
| 1970 |
Nebraska Football Coach Bob Devaney |
| 1971 |
Environmentalists James Malkowski and Deanie Anderson |
| 1972 |
Omaha Mayor Eugene Leahy |
| 1973 |
Educator Anne Campbell and Omaha Councilwoman Betty Abbott |
| 1974 |
Nebraska Governor J.J. Exon |
| 1975 |
Year of All the People: Survivors of Drought, Blizzards and Tornadoes |
| 1976 |
University of Nebraska President D.B. Varner |
| 1977 |
Year of the Educator: Omaha Superintendent of Schools Owen Knutzen, Classroom Teacher Sammye Jackson, Creighton President Joseph Labaj and UNO Chancellor Ronald Roskens |
| 1978 |
Nebraska Senator J.J. Exon and Iowa Governor Robert Ray |
| 1979 |
Nebraska Football Coach Tom Osborne |
| 1980 |
Builder Peter Kiewit and Creighton President Carl M. Reinert |
| 1981 |
Eugene T. Mahoney |
| 1982 |
UNL Chancellor Martin A. Massengale |
| 1983 |
Nebraska Football Players Irving Fryar, Turner Gill, Mike Rozier, Mark Schellen |
| 1984 |
Families of the Land |
| 1985 |
State Senator Jerome Warner |
| 1986 |
Kay Orr and Helen Boosalis |
| 1987 |
Northwestern Bell President Jan Stoney |
| 1988 |
U.S. Senator-Elect Bob Kerrey |
| 1989 |
Harold W. Andersen |
| 1990 |
Men and Women in Operation Desert Shield |
| 1991 |
Dr. Lee Simmons |
| 1992 |
Foster Care Families |
| 1993 |
Teachers |
| 1994 |
Jack Diesing, Sr. and Jack Diesing, Jr. |
| 1995 |
Lied Foundation and Its Trustee, Christina Hixson |
| 1996 |
U.S. Senator J.J. Exon |
| 1997 |
Tom and Nancy Osborne |
| 1998 |
Nebraska Governor Ben Nelson and Iowa Governor Terry Branstad |
| 1999 |
Volunteers |
| 2000 |
Walter Scott, Jr. |
| 2001 |
Military Personnel |
| 2002 |
Charles W. Chuck Durham |
| 2003 |
Gary E. Moulton |
| 2004 |
Dr. Harold Maurer |
| 2005 |
U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel |
| 2006 |
Major General Roger Lempke |
| 2007 |
Connie Spellman, Director of Omaha By Design |
