Jed Mottley

Bassist, Manager, Producer and Songwriter at Feed the Kitty, LLC.

[Jed Mottley @jedmottley]

@Judianna Thank you for posting my letterman jacket story!

[Jed Mottley @jedmottley]

@goodnewsnetwork Thank you!!!

[Good News Network @goodnewsnetwork]

🧥 A 30-year-old letterman jacket, lost to time, was found by a brother in a heartwarming twist of fate!
https://t.co/2ix2ZRPkpR

[Judianna @Judianna]

Are you in the mood for a story that shows anything is possible?

This story might seem simple at first—maybe even like no big deal—but when you really think about it, you’ll see why it’s such a powerful reminder to never assume something can’t happen and that anything you want truly is possible...

Reported by The Good News Network, this remarkable "timeless" story from Arizona tells of a man who finally got his varsity letterman jacket decades after ordering it.

28 years ago, Jed Mottley got on the varsity football team at Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, an accomplishment that could be properly celebrated in only one way: with a letterman jacket.

For foreign readers, the ‘letterman’ jacket is one of the most ubiquitous images of school sports in America. The elastic cuffs and waist, tan leather sleeves, and iron-on patches became so cool, that it has since transformed into an international style item, but are still traditionally ordered individually by members of school sports teams.

When it came time for Mottley to get his, he grabbed his mom and went down to a local shop.

“I went to a store right down the street here and we picked everything out, we might have even put a deposit down,” Mottley told ABC News 15.

When the customized jacket was ready, so was the bad news: the family didn’t have enough money.

Jed understood, but was nevertheless distraught, a feeling that stuck with him for years as he watched his teammates cavort themselves around the school in their own letterman jackets.

Fast forward nearly three decades, and one day Jed’s brother Josh was nearing the end of a string of errands when he decided to pop into a thrift store called Veteran’s Village in Pinetop, Arizona. He said he had a funny feeling he would find something cool. Opening the door, something bright red catches Josh’s eye.

“[Josh] goes, ‘dude let me just send you a picture of this real quick.’ I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it, I’m like, ‘dude that’s my jacket,’” said Jed, a professional musician who now lives in Los Angeles.

Jed knew he had to come get his hands on that letterman jacket, which had tumbled about in the ether and ended up in his brother’s hands.

“That thing’s been sitting somewhere in perfect condition for 28 years,” Josh also told ABC 15’s Uplifting Arizona. “I just kept looking at it, saying this can’t be real. I can tell you I felt my mom’s presence with us when I met up with him to give it to him.”

Jed and Josh’s mother passed away in 2012. A deeply religious woman, she said she would be leaving signs and messages for her boys from heaven, a prediction the two men said never really came true.

One can only speculate what the brothers must have felt as they reunited over the lost jacket—the first time they had seen each other in person in years.

“This is a timeless story,” Jed told GNN. “There’s always such a heartwarming response when people hear the story for the first time.”

According to ABC 15, the jacket attracted worldwide attention, and has accompanied Jed on tour with his band, covered his shoulders at his 30th high school reunion, and even won the admiration of Tom Hanks, who said he was stealing the story for a movie idea.

To see a picture of the jacket, the original posting is in the first comment.

[Jed Mottley @jedmottley]

@Judianna Awesome, thanks for posting my letterman jacket story!

[Jed Mottley @jedmottley]

@Judianna Awesome, thanks!

[10_Tanker Air Carrier @Ten_Tanker]

#10_tanker continues to be #ReadyToServe the hardworking ground crews and #aerialfirefighting operations on the #LAFires.

🎥: Captured from Tarzana by @jedmottley

#inthistogether #LAFires #PalisadesFire #Tarzana #FireMappers #Calfire #aviation #aerialfirefighting #dc10

[Jed Mottley @jedmottley]

@Ten_Tanker Awesome!

[Jed Mottley @jedmottley]

@GoodFocal Thank you for posting my letterman jacket story!

[Jed Mottley @jedmottley]

https://t.co/Z7XsaBipuM

[Jed Mottley @jedmottley]

https://t.co/yGx0lqZpoI

[Jed Mottley @jedmottley]

Man reunites with high school letterman jacket 28 years later, believes it's a sign from his late mother https://t.co/leTjkgrc41

[Jed Mottley @jedmottley]

https://t.co/WMZNnTrF9N

[Melissa Gray @MelissaGrayCNN]

Incredible find. Story by @AlishaEbrahimji #CNN https://t.co/GJoDATFy3n

[Jed Mottley @jedmottley]

@MelissaGrayCNN @AlishaEbrahimji Thank you so much!!!

[Jed Mottley @jedmottley]

So excited to be a part of @KellyClarksonTV tomorrow! Tune in!

[Jed Mottley @jedmottley]

@lisaannjacobs Thanks Lisa!!!

[Jed Mottley @jedmottley]

@LynSilva2 Awesome, thanks!

[Ragin Cajun Cafe @ragincajun_cafe]

Mardi Gras 2022 - Van Halen Tribute Band Fan Halen Plus Feed The Kitty Sunday February 27 At The Ragin Cajun Cafe!!! @fanhalen @feedthekittymusic @ Redondo Beach, California https://t.co/b6Xq8p5vnr

[Jed Mottley @jedmottley]

NHC Share New Live Video For “Lazy Eyes” Filmed At L.A's Troubadour - https://t.co/P71FL8lOJ0