Jockey Patty Cooksey, whose battle with cancer has inspired people beyond the racing world, will be honored at the 17th annual Lombardi Gala on November 2 to benefit cancer research at the Lombardi Cancer Center of Georgetown University Medical Center. The gala will be held at the Hilton Washington and Towers in Washington, D.C.Cooksey will receive the Lombardi Symbol of Courage Award, named in honor of late Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins football coach Vince Lombardi, for whom the cancer center is named. Other honorees this year are former National Football League coach Don Shula, who will receive the Symbol of Caring Award, and Hecht's department store Senior Vice President Nancy Chistolini, who will receive the Margaret L. Hodges Leadership Award.

"Cooksey's determination to overcome her battle with breast cancer and return to the sport she had dedicated her life to is the embodiment of all the Symbol of Courage stands for," Lombardi Director Richard Pestell, M.D., Ph.D., said. "She has returned to her winning ways in the saddle and willingly shares her positive mental attitude—PMA as she calls it—with anyone living with cancer."

Lombardi's son, Vincent Lombardi II, will help award the honors.

Former recipients of the Symbol of Courage Award include cyclist Lance Armstrong, baseball star and New York Yankees manager Joe Torre, and Olympic figure skater Scott Hamilton.