Stephen Jacon, a graduate of the St. Pius X Class of 2015, turned his passion for sports into a career at the highest level. Now working as an assistant athletic trainer for the New England Patriots, his journey from the halls of St. Pius X to the NFL sidelines shows how dedication and hard work opens doors for inspiring opportunities later in life.
Jacon’s passion for this job began right here at St. Pius X, working with the football and lacrosse teams throughout high school.
Jacon credits much of the start of his career to longtime St. Pius X’s athletic trainer Gary Shmit.
“He inspired me to start this career, and I worked football and lacrosse at SPX for all four years for both,” Jacon said, adding, “Bubs is the absolute man… I can’t overstate his impact on my life.”
“I went from being annoyed at having to wait around in my carpool for football practice to end into an entire fulfilling and incredible career and life,” he said.
His early experience at St. Pius X helped shape his view of his role today.
“What I did for the team made me feel like a necessary piece of the puzzle, and that’s never left me,” Jacon said.
The most meaningful part of Jacon’s job is helping players recover from injuries and return to the field. Seeing players work through difficult recoveries and eventually compete again is what makes the long hours so worth it.
“One of my players went from being unable to walk into him starting playoff games, playing well, and doing what is literally the peak of what humans are capable of physically doing,” said Jacon.
During the season, Jacon’s days start early, around 6:30 a.m., to prepare treatment plans before players come in for rehab and injury care. From pre-practice taping to helping athletes recover from injuries, the athletic trainer explained that it is more than just physical care; they also have to help players with personal challenges, even breakups.
Moments like that also shaped Jacon’s advice to St. Pius X students who hope to follow a similar path. He believes success often comes from embracing and making the most of every opportunity along the way.
“Take the opportunities given to you, make yourself indispensable in those roles and have a good attitude doing all of it,” Jacon said.
He also emphasized the importance of building relationships throughout your career.
“The last person you’d expect might be the person who is asked if you’re a good hire, so build those relationships,” he said.
Above all, Jacon encourages students to stay positive and trust that hard work will pay off in the long run, saying.
“Your attitude about the things that might suck now WILL help you later.”
