Jason McElwain, ("J-Mac") (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.
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Jason McElwain was born on October 1, 1987 to David and Debbie McElwain, and was diagnosed with autism at a young age. [1][2] Jason and his family lived in Greece, New York, a suburb of Rochester, New York.[1] He initially struggled when interacting with other children, but began to develop social skills as he grew older.[3] Although he was placed in special education classes,[3] McElwain enjoyed basketball, to which he was introduced by his older brother Josh,[4] and was appointed manager of Greece Athena High School's varsity basketball team.[3] 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.[5]
Greece Athena High School 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, [6]and allow McElwain to play a few minutes if Greece Athena got a comfortable lead.[6] 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.[6] When teammates first passed the ball to McElwain he attempted a three-point shot and missed.[6] McElwain got a second chance to score with a lay-up which he also missed.[6] McElwain then got "hot as a pistol", shooting six three-pointers and one two-point shot, before the game ended.[6] The final score was Greece Athena 79, Spencerport 43.[3] As soon as the final buzzer rang, fans from the stands stormed the court in celebration.[7]
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, 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.[3]
| 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 (while talking about McElwain's twenty-point game)[8] |
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.[1] 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?"[1] 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."[1] Bush also stated that upon seeing McElwain on television, he "wept, just like a lot of other people did".[1] Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning visited Rochester, where he was introduced to McElwain.[9] Manning invited McElwain and Steve Kerr, another Greece Athena High School athlete to the Colts' training camp for a week, which McElwain accepted.[9] 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."[9]
McElwain threw out the opening pitch for the Rochester Red Wings' game against the Charlotte Knights.[10] The Red Wings also gave away 3,500 free bobblehead dolls that were modeled after McElwain.[10]
McElwain even won an ESPY Award for the Best Moment in Sports in 2006.[4] To win that award, McElwain beat out Kobe Bryant's 81-point-game and the George Mason Patriots' run to the Final Four.[4] The speech that Jason gave upon winning the award was written for him by his older brother.[9] The theme of the speech was about dreams coming true.[9] 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.[9]
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.[11]
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. [12] His memorable video surfaced once more in 2011, when Facebook users shared a 2006 story featured on CBS Evening News. [13]
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.
Following his rise to fame, Jason McElwain wrote a book titled The Game of My Life.[14] The book is written mainly by Jason, but includes sections written by his family, coach, and teammates.[14] The Game of My Life is 243 pages long and was published on February 5, 2008 by New American Library.[14] Editorial reviews were left by celebrities such as Magic Johnson, Doug Flutie, Rodney Peete, Holly Robinson Peete, and Tony Dungy.[14] The book was co-written by Daniel Paisner.[14]
As early as late February, Jason McElwain and his family started receiving inquiries from over twenty-five film companies, including The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., about making a film based on his story.[2][7] In April 2006, it was announced that Columbia Pictures had bought the rights to produce the film.[15] Laura Ziskin, producer of the Spider-Man film series, was signed on to produce the film about McElwain's life.[15] Magic Johnson has also been attached as producer, while two-time Academy Award winner Alvin Sargent is in talks to write the film.[15] However, there currently is no timetable for the movie as contracts are being finalized and the script is still being written.[9]
McElwain completed his GED courses and plans to go to college,[9][16] and has a part-time job at Wegmans Food Markets in Greece, New York.[9] Occasionally, customers recognize him and ask for an autograph.[9] McElwain also travels across the United States to help raise funds for autism research and to make media appearances.[4] 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."[9]
McElwain is also involved in public speaking, including an October 2011 speech at the Jefferson Rehabilitation House's annual dinner. [17]