Jacob Ruth, a Bishop Machebeuf football player, has become an inspiration for his entire school.
Diagnosed with high-functioning autism at age two, Jacob spent his first five years of his life in silence.
“He didn’t speak until he was about five years old, so he knew sign language then we got him to talk. Now I can’t get him to shut up, haha.” Jacob’s dad, Terry Ruth, said with a smile.
His parents were told that Jacob would never be able to navigate a classroom without assistance, something Terry would not accept.
“You can see he is flourishing. He is an A-B student with very little modification and he is in a classroom by himself and no one is there helping him, but he works hard at it.” Terry said.
Jacob’s influence extends beyond the classroom. A junior student at Machebeuf, Jacob spent last season as the manager for the Buffalo football team, this year he wanted to get off the sidelines.
“He was like, 'OK can I have a helmet, can I have some shoulder pads?' Pretty soon, he was working out with us and ever since that day he’s never looked back” Buffaloes head football coach Lance Vieira said. "He gets in for a few plays during varsity games, and plays in every junior varsity game."
“I was nervous during the senior one, but the junior varsity it’s just like ‘These guys are tinier than I am…piece of cake’,” Jacob said.
“He’s the hardest working kid and he’s happy and as a parent that’s all I want for him is to be happy” explains Terry.
Coach Vieira added: “He’s a special kid. He makes it fun and he makes us realize why we all play the game.”