Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer has officially become an Ohio legend.
Before the senior defensive end made history and sealed the game against Texas on Jan. 10 with an 83-yard fumble-recovery touchdown, sending the Buckeyes to the national championship, he was already a legend to a teen fighting cancer.
The Mentor teen reached out to Sawyer on Instagram a year before he was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare bone and soft-tissue cancer, in his freshman year of high school.
At the time, Sawyer was still playing high school football at Pickerington North. Beyond the fact that Sawyer was already becoming an OSU icon, even as a high school student, the teen was drawn to Sawyer for a serendipitous reason.
The two boys shared the same name.
During the younger Sawyer’s fight with the soft-tissue cancer and the older Sawyer’s growing college football career, the two would exchange messages and FaceTime calls, according to Matt and Dawn Sawyer, the younger boy’s parents.
No. 33 even sent the boy a care package with a handwritten note and Buckeyes gear, they said.
“He was our only child, and we tried for six years to have him,” Dawn Sawyer said of her son, who she said was wise beyond his years as a teenager.
“He said, ‘I’m not afraid to die. I’m afraid of leaving my parents.’ “
The northeast Ohio teen lived by “PACE,” or “Positive Attitude Changes Everything.” The motto gave him strength and bravery throughout his treatment at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, Dawn Sawyer said.
“I was complaining via text to some friends I went to high school with,” she said. “I was feeling sorry for Jack. I was feeling sorry for Matt and I. I was feeling sorry for our family. And they said, ‘Remember PACE.’ “
“I said, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and I looked at Jack, and I said, ‘PACE: Positive Attitude Changes Everything.’ And he said, ‘That’s going to be my motto during this journey.’ And seriously, for 18 months until the very end, he lived by that. He lived by PACE, and so he stayed strong. Jack was very, very strong. He was stronger some days than Matt and I.”
In the final months of his life, the younger Sawyer was able to watch the Ohio State defensive end wear an armband adorned with “JBS Strong” at each game in his honor.
On Nov. 5, 2023, the younger Jack Sawyer lost his fight to cancer.
In the year following his death, the elder Jack Sawyer continued to carry on his legacy.
Rising to national prominence with a fumble recovery that turned into his first college career touchdown in November, exactly a year after his young friend’s death, the Ohio State Football captain cemented his place in Buckeyes history with the 83-yard fumble recovery against the Longhorns — all with the younger Sawyer’s memory by his side.
Sawyer played in the first Jack B. Sawyer Memorial Golf Outing in June, where the late boy’s parents said they finally met him in person.
“I said, ‘Jack saw you putting on your wristband and was just amazed that you would take the time to do that,” Matt Sawyer said.
“He said, ‘Mr. Sawyer, your son was a hero of mine, because when I’m practicing and I feel like I don’t have anything left to give and I’m at my absolute end of energy, I think about your son and what he’s going through, and if Jack could push through his treatments and be strong and brave, then I’m going to do it, too. There will never be a game when I don’t do that.’”
This year’s golf outing will take place at noon at St. Denis Golf Club, 10660 Chardon Road, Chardon, on June 21. The Sawyer parents are also expanding their memorial scholarship for Mentor High School students for a second year as it would have been their young son’s senior year.
Beyond having the same name, the two Jack Sawyers have had other striking similarities.
Dawn Sawyer said she believes No. 33 is her Jack’s angel number, as he was randomly assigned to be buried in section 33 of the cemetery. The first Ohio State football game the Sawyer parents went to after their son died was the Nov. 9 game in which the Ohio State captain scored his first college career touchdown.
Dawn Sawyer said she also believes her Jack left her with a mission: to continue his legacy.
“When he first passed away, I had a hard time,” she said. “I was a mom, so I had a hard time with what my purpose would be. I think that we’re coming to the realization that it is his legacy. If this platform or any other platform can help push awareness of Ewing sarcoma, then we’ll do it.”
After losing their only son, Matt and Dawn Sawyer said they have “so much joy” rooting for the Ohio State player with whom he shared a name. They said the Ohio State defensive end is not only a lasting connection to their son, but he is also a young man with a character worth supporting.
“He’s going to be in the NFL, and he’s got so much going on his life, but to take the time to connect with my son who was going through a rough time, what that means on a human level is beyond measure,” Matt Sawyer said. “He is probably going to make millions of dollars and, ultimately, nothing is as important as his connection with people.”
Sophia Veneziano is a Columbus Dispatch reporter supported by the Center for HumanKindness at The Columbus Foundation. She may be reached at sveneziano@dispatch.com.
Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer wears ‘JBS Strong’ band for late Mentor teen
Ohio State football player Jack Sawyer honored his late friend and Mentor High School student, Josh Bockelman, by wearing a ‘JBS Strong’ band during a recent game. Bockelman tragically passed away earlier this year, and Sawyer wanted to show his support and remember his friend’s strength and resilience.
Sawyer, a standout defensive end for the Buckeyes, has been deeply impacted by Bockelman’s passing and wanted to keep his memory alive. The ‘JBS Strong’ band serves as a reminder of the bond between the two young men and the impact that Bockelman had on Sawyer’s life.
The gesture has not gone unnoticed, with fans and teammates showing their support for Sawyer and Bockelman’s family. It’s moments like these that remind us of the power of friendship and the strength that can come from honoring those we have lost.
Rest in peace, Josh Bockelman. Your legacy lives on through the love and support of those who knew and cared for you. #JBSStrong #BuckeyeStrong.
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