Jason McElwain
Encyclopedia
Jason McElwain, (born October 1, 1987), is a high-functioning autistic
American
; he came to fame on national news in 2006 when he played for four minutes during a high school basketball
game and scored twenty points.
McElwain had a passion for basketball, so Greece Athena High School
basketball coach Jim Johnson appointed him manager of the team.
On February 15, 2006, Greece Athena was playing Spencerport High School
for a division title. Greece Athena got a large lead, so Johnson decided to let McElwain play in the last four minutes. After initially missing two shots, McElwain made six three-point shots and one two-pointer. After the final buzzer rang, the crowd dashed onto the court in celebration.
, a suburb of Rochester
, New York
. He initially struggled when interacting with other children, but began to develop social skills as he grew older. Although he was placed in special education
classes, McElwain enjoyed basketball, to which he was introduced by his older brother Josh, and was appointed manager of Greece Athena High School
's varsity basketball team. For the Greece Athena's 2005-2006 basketball season, the 17-year-old McElwain was a senior
and slated to graduate in the spring, but he was unable to graduate.
basketball coach Jim Johnson decided to add McElwain to the roster for the team's February 15 game against Spencerport High School
, so McElwain could be given a jersey and sit on the bench for the team's last home game of the season, and allow McElwain to play a few minutes if Greece Athena got a comfortable lead. With four minutes left in the game, Athena Greece had a double-digit lead, so Johnson decided let McElwain play out the last minutes of the game. When teammates first passed the ball to McElwain he attempted a three-point shot and missed. McElwain got a second chance to score with a lay-up which he also missed. McElwain then got "hot as a pistol", shooting six three-pointers and one two-point shot, before the game ended. The final score was Greece Athena 79, Spencerport 43. As soon as the final buzzer rang, fans from the stands stormed the court in celebration.
In his hometown of Greece, New York
, McElwain quickly became a celebrity. The family's home phone was always ringing, and when the McElwains went out for a meal, a group of fans ran into the family, praising Jason.
McElwain met President
George W. Bush
on March 14, 2006, when Bush stopped by a nearby airport on his way to Canandaigua, New York
, so he could meet McElwain. Standing next to McElwain, Bush told reporters "As you can see, a special person has greeted us at the airport, Jason", and then jokingly asked "Can I call you J-Mac?" Bush went on to praise McElwain, saying "Our country was captivated by an amazing story on the basketball court. It's the story of a young man who found his touch on the basketball court, which, in turn, touched the hearts of citizens all around the country." Bush also stated that upon seeing McElwain on television, he "wept, just like a lot of other people did".
Indianapolis Colts
quarterback
Peyton Manning
visited Rochester
, where he was introduced to McElwain. Manning invited McElwain and Steve Kerr, another Greece Athena High School
athlete to the Colts' training camp
for a week, which McElwain accepted. McElwain later said that Peyton was "one of the nicest guys in sports" and when the Colts won the Super Bowl
and Manning raised the Vince Lombardi Trophy
, McElwain "had a tear in [his] eye."
McElwain threw out the opening pitch for the Rochester Red Wings
' game against the Charlotte Knights
. The Red Wings also gave away 3,500 free bobblehead dolls that were modeled after McElwain.
McElwain even won an ESPY Award for the Best Moment in Sports
in 2006. To win that award, McElwain beat out Kobe Bryant
's 81-point-game and the George Mason Patriots' run
to the Final Four. The speech that Jason gave upon winning the award was written for him by his older brother. The theme of the speech was about dreams coming true. In addition to the many celebrities McElwain met, he also appeared on various talk shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show
, Larry King Live
, Good Morning America
, and Today.
In 2007, Topps
trading cards produced a Jason McElwain card as part of its retro-themed Allen & Ginter set.
In 2009, he appeared in a commercial for Gatorade
as part of their "What is G?" ad campaign. The commercial aired during the Super Bowl.
McElwain appeared on The Talk in April 2011 as part of the show's month-long series on autism awareness. He told the hosts he was head coach of the 17U East Coast Fusion AAU basketball team. His memorable video surfaced once more in 2011, when Facebook users shared a 2006 story featured on CBS Evening News.
. Editorial reviews were left by celebrities such as Magic Johnson
, Doug Flutie
, Rodney Peete
, Holly Robinson Peete, and Tony Dungy
. The book was co-written by Daniel Paisner.
and Warner Bros.
, about making a film based on his story. In April 2006, it was announced that Columbia Pictures
had bought the rights to produce the film. Laura Ziskin
, producer of the Spider-Man film series, was signed on to produce the film about McElwain's life. Magic Johnson
has also been attached as producer, while two-time Academy Award winner Alvin Sargent
is in talks to write the film. However, there currently is no timetable for the movie as contracts are being finalized and the script is still being written.
in Greece, New York
. Occasionally, customers recognize him and ask for an autograph. McElwain also travels across the United States to help raise funds for autism
research and to make media appearances. With all the activity that is going on his life, Jason admitted that he hasn't been playing as much basketball, but says that, "Occasionally, I'll go and shoot baskets at the YMCA
."
McElwain is also involved in public speaking, including an October 2011 speech at the Jefferson Rehabilitation House's annual dinner.
High-functioning autism
High-functioning autism is an informal term applied to autistic people who are deemed to be "higher functioning" than other autistic people, by one or more metrics. There is no consensus as to the definition. HFA is not yet a recognised diagnosis in the DSM-IV-TR or the ICD-10.The amount of...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; he came to fame on national news in 2006 when he played for four minutes during a high school basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
game and scored twenty points.
McElwain had a passion for basketball, so Greece Athena High School
Greece Athena High School
Greece Athena High School is a part of the Greece Central School District serving students in grades 9-12 in Rochester, New York. First built in 1969, Athena is the largest - both in size and population - of the four high schools. A notable recent addition to the school is its state-of-the-art...
basketball coach Jim Johnson appointed him manager of the team.
On February 15, 2006, Greece Athena was playing Spencerport High School
Spencerport High School
Spencerport High School is the only high school in the Spencerport Central School District, located at 2707 Spencerport Road, in Spencerport, New York...
for a division title. Greece Athena got a large lead, so Johnson decided to let McElwain play in the last four minutes. After initially missing two shots, McElwain made six three-point shots and one two-pointer. After the final buzzer rang, the crowd dashed onto the court in celebration.
Early life
Jason McElwain was born on October 1, 1987 to David and Debbie McElwain, and was diagnosed with autism at a young age. Jason and his family lived in Greece, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, a suburb of Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He initially struggled when interacting with other children, but began to develop social skills as he grew older. Although he was placed in special education
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
classes, McElwain enjoyed basketball, to which he was introduced by his older brother Josh, and was appointed manager of Greece Athena High School
Greece Athena High School
Greece Athena High School is a part of the Greece Central School District serving students in grades 9-12 in Rochester, New York. First built in 1969, Athena is the largest - both in size and population - of the four high schools. A notable recent addition to the school is its state-of-the-art...
's varsity basketball team. For the Greece Athena's 2005-2006 basketball season, the 17-year-old McElwain was a senior
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
and slated to graduate in the spring, but he was unable to graduate.
February 15, 2006 basketball game
Greece Athena High SchoolGreece Athena High School
Greece Athena High School is a part of the Greece Central School District serving students in grades 9-12 in Rochester, New York. First built in 1969, Athena is the largest - both in size and population - of the four high schools. A notable recent addition to the school is its state-of-the-art...
basketball coach Jim Johnson decided to add McElwain to the roster for the team's February 15 game against Spencerport High School
Spencerport High School
Spencerport High School is the only high school in the Spencerport Central School District, located at 2707 Spencerport Road, in Spencerport, New York...
, so McElwain could be given a jersey and sit on the bench for the team's last home game of the season, and allow McElwain to play a few minutes if Greece Athena got a comfortable lead. With four minutes left in the game, Athena Greece had a double-digit lead, so Johnson decided let McElwain play out the last minutes of the game. When teammates first passed the ball to McElwain he attempted a three-point shot and missed. McElwain got a second chance to score with a lay-up which he also missed. McElwain then got "hot as a pistol", shooting six three-pointers and one two-point shot, before the game ended. The final score was Greece Athena 79, Spencerport 43. As soon as the final buzzer rang, fans from the stands stormed the court in celebration.
Reaction
Teacher Andy McCormack was in the audience that night to see the game. McCormack was Jason's Speech/Language Pathologist throughout high school, and Jason had asked his Grandma to be there that night. The day after the game, McCormack called John Kucko, Sports Director for Rochester's WROC Channel 8 news, and begged him to view a videotape of the game. Kucko would later say that it was the intensity and sincerity of McCormack's plea that made him decide to take a look at the tape. As soon as he saw it, Kucko immediately acted to get the highlights on that evening's newscast. Other local news stations picked up on it and followed suit by the next day, and within days the tape reached a national audience. McCormack continued to support Jason over the next few months in school, helping coin alternative language expressions to his now-famous "hotter than a pistol" phrase and helping him construct an introduction speech when Magic Johnson came to Johns Hopkins lacrosse to speak to the student body.In his hometown of Greece, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, McElwain quickly became a celebrity. The family's home phone was always ringing, and when the McElwains went out for a meal, a group of fans ran into the family, praising Jason.
| But our country was captivated by your amazing story on the basketball court. I think it's a story of Coach Johnson's willingness to give a person a chance. It's a story of Dave and Debbie's deep love for their son, and it's a story of a young man who found his touch on the basketball court, which in turn, touched the hearts of citizens all across the country. |
| —President George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000.... (while talking about McElwain's twenty-point game) |
McElwain met President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
on March 14, 2006, when Bush stopped by a nearby airport on his way to Canandaigua, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, so he could meet McElwain. Standing next to McElwain, Bush told reporters "As you can see, a special person has greeted us at the airport, Jason", and then jokingly asked "Can I call you J-Mac?" Bush went on to praise McElwain, saying "Our country was captivated by an amazing story on the basketball court. It's the story of a young man who found his touch on the basketball court, which, in turn, touched the hearts of citizens all around the country." Bush also stated that upon seeing McElwain on television, he "wept, just like a lot of other people did".
Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
visited Rochester
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, where he was introduced to McElwain. Manning invited McElwain and Steve Kerr, another Greece Athena High School
Greece Athena High School
Greece Athena High School is a part of the Greece Central School District serving students in grades 9-12 in Rochester, New York. First built in 1969, Athena is the largest - both in size and population - of the four high schools. A notable recent addition to the school is its state-of-the-art...
athlete to the Colts' training camp
Training camp
A training camp is a place, usually with an army-camp-type environment, where people go to learn skills, usually skills involving physical action rather than book subjects, usually for an armed force or an action sport...
for a week, which McElwain accepted. McElwain later said that Peyton was "one of the nicest guys in sports" and when the Colts won the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
and Manning raised the Vince Lombardi Trophy
Vince Lombardi Trophy
The Vince Lombardi Trophy is the trophy awarded each year to the winning team of the National Football League's championship game, the Super Bowl.-History:...
, McElwain "had a tear in [his] eye."
McElwain threw out the opening pitch for the Rochester Red Wings
Rochester Red Wings
The Rochester Red Wings are a minor league baseball team based in Rochester, New York. The team plays in the International League and is the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins major-league club. The Red Wings play in Frontier Field, located in downtown Rochester.The Red Wings were an...
' game against the Charlotte Knights
Charlotte Knights
The Charlotte Knights are a minor league baseball team representing Charlotte, North Carolina. The team, which plays in the International League, is the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox of the American League...
. The Red Wings also gave away 3,500 free bobblehead dolls that were modeled after McElwain.
McElwain even won an ESPY Award for the Best Moment in Sports
Best Moment ESPY Award
The Best Moment ESPY Award has been conferred annually since 2001 on the moment or series of moments transpiring in a play in a single game or individual match or event, across a single regular season or playoff game, or across a season, irrespective of specific sport, contested, in all cases,...
in 2006. To win that award, McElwain beat out Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bean Bryant is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school...
's 81-point-game and the George Mason Patriots' run
2005-06 George Mason Patriots men's basketball team
The 2005–06 George Mason Patriots men's basketball team represented George Mason University in the 2005–2006 NCAA Basketball season, and is best known for their success in the NCAA Tournament, having reached the Final Four.-Season notes:...
to the Final Four. The speech that Jason gave upon winning the award was written for him by his older brother. The theme of the speech was about dreams coming true. In addition to the many celebrities McElwain met, he also appeared on various talk shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
, Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, and Today.
In 2007, Topps
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...
trading cards produced a Jason McElwain card as part of its retro-themed Allen & Ginter set.
In 2009, he appeared in a commercial for Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
as part of their "What is G?" ad campaign. The commercial aired during the Super Bowl.
McElwain appeared on The Talk in April 2011 as part of the show's month-long series on autism awareness. He told the hosts he was head coach of the 17U East Coast Fusion AAU basketball team. His memorable video surfaced once more in 2011, when Facebook users shared a 2006 story featured on CBS Evening News.
Radio
Jason had a song dedicated to him and his accomplishments on the court by an artist named Iron Butter. Jason also did several interviews and appeared at the Summerjam concert where his song was performed.Book
Following his rise to fame, Jason McElwain wrote a book titled The Game of My Life. The book is written mainly by Jason, but includes sections written by his family, coach, and teammates. The Game of My Life is 243 pages long and was published on February 5, 2008 by New American LibraryNew American Library
New American Library is an American publisher based in New York, founded in 1948; it produced affordable paperback reprints of classics and scholarly works, as well as popular, pulp, and "hard-boiled" fiction. Non-fiction, original, and hardcopy issues were also produced.Victor Weybright and Kurt...
. Editorial reviews were left by celebrities such as Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
, Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
, Rodney Peete
Rodney Peete
Rodney Peete is a former American football quarterback from the University of Southern California who played in the National Football League for 16 years. He retired in 2004 and is now in broadcasting.-Early life:...
, Holly Robinson Peete, and Tony Dungy
Tony Dungy
Anthony Kevin "Tony" Dungy [DUN-jee] is a former professional American football player and coach in the National Football League. Dungy was head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 to 2001, and head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2002 to 2008...
. The book was co-written by Daniel Paisner.
Film
As early as late February, Jason McElwain and his family started receiving inquiries from over twenty-five film companies, including The Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
and Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, about making a film based on his story. In April 2006, it was announced that Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
had bought the rights to produce the film. Laura Ziskin
Laura Ziskin
Laura Ellen Ziskin was an American film producer. In 1990, Ziskin was the sole executive producer of the hit comedy Pretty Woman...
, producer of the Spider-Man film series, was signed on to produce the film about McElwain's life. Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
has also been attached as producer, while two-time Academy Award winner Alvin Sargent
Alvin Sargent
Alvin Sargent is an American screenwriter. He has won two Academy Awards for his screenplays and has been involved in the writing of all movies to date in the Spider-Man film series.-Life and career:...
is in talks to write the film. However, there currently is no timetable for the movie as contracts are being finalized and the script is still being written.
Life after high school
McElwain completed his GED courses and plans to go to college, and has a part-time job at Wegmans Food MarketsWegmans Food Markets
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a family-owned U.S. regional supermarket chain headquartered in Gates, New York, near Rochester. Wegmans has more than 75 stores spread across the mid-Atlantic region, in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts...
in Greece, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Occasionally, customers recognize him and ask for an autograph. McElwain also travels across the United States to help raise funds for autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
research and to make media appearances. With all the activity that is going on his life, Jason admitted that he hasn't been playing as much basketball, but says that, "Occasionally, I'll go and shoot baskets at the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
."
McElwain is also involved in public speaking, including an October 2011 speech at the Jefferson Rehabilitation House's annual dinner.